Looking for 42in Plasma TV Please help

Gateway 42" unit is currently offered for $2700. For few hundred bucks extra as Semi saw on plasma house.com, I said the new Panasonic model is totally worth it. Cost is the major factor, but not the only factor. One must look at brightness ratio, blackness intensity (as closed to the cathod-ray tube TV as possible), DVI ports, number of component video ports (to accomodate DVD and HD decoder), number of S-video ports (VCRs), number of composite video (video game & camcorder), native resolution, other signal capabilities (1080,720,480), built-in tuner, closed caption, P-I-P feature for sport fan, clock, alarm, and speakers. Most old units are just pure display panel, which rely on decoder box for TV tuner, and AVR or amp-preamp system w/ external speakers setup. Moreover, they don't have that many video inputs available to accomodates all those typical gears in a typical household.

Panasonic new model is more like the current conventional TV -- only better, i.e brighter, clearer due to over billion colors and better resolution capability, and darker like a true tube TV w/ speakers. B/c my current old Pana unit does not have its own speakers, I have to watch regular TV shows in stereo mode w/ two huge speakers, which is somewhat overkilled. Every time the commercials come on, they are loud. I wished that I had traditional small TV speakers for regular TV shows so that I could use those big speakers to watch HT movies only. In my case, I have no choice but to use my amp and processor all the time to drive my speakers just to watch TV shows. These units together can really generate some heat. My electrical bills are substantially higher. My current Panasonic unit is considered to be consumped the least energy in its class. That is why it does not have a fan like other 42" models, which can have loud fan noise, depending the distance between the viewer and the panel. Regardless, the wattage is the average power consumption is 300 watt, which is like a hot halogen lamp. In my case, I have 6 low-votage recess lights, warm plasma panel, and all the audio gears. In the winter, it's cozy, but in the summer, it's hot. As a result, I have my AC on all the time, thus, explaining the higher electrical bill as a consequence of getting a display panel only. And I live near the coastal area in California. Just to share with you all my ownership experience regarding the display only unit. On the plus side, every TV shows sound awesome, incuding boring CNN news. heh heh heh

I don't know if there's any subliminal message in those LOUD TV commercials, but my wife shops more than before and my kids demand more toys than ever. Disclaimer: this could be just a bias guy thing on intepretation.

Thanks for all your advice Im still up in the air. I have been to a couple of high end stores and they all like the Fujitsu HD models Does any one have one of these units and can you please comment on this.

Umm, this may be off base, but with a 2 foot deep closet why don't you go rear projection TV and save about $3000. Get a top of the line RPTV with built in HDTV, or external, your pick, and if you want the "I hung it on the wall" look, just frame in across the bottom of the TV-- you'll only see the screen. I won't tell anybody it's not plasma if you won't, and you'll get way better blacks without pixelization or as many motion artifacts- no buzzing or fans, either. Just a thought.

I've been looking at plasmas due to space limitations, but I have to admit that the RP HDTVs I saw yesterday knocked me out. And cost at best buy for a 50-60" 16:9 was about $2200-2400.00! So if you have the room, Pmkalby is on the money.

Samsung DLP off axis looks great. Best picture for the money.. I have sold lotsa plasma tvs and lotsa DLP.. I would buy the dlp because you cannot burn it in, great off axis very good in bright light fits my budget.. new lamp ='s new tv..all are hd by nature..Personally you will be ahead of the depreciation curve.. There will be something better than both of these in the next 3 yrs.Tom