black is the name of the game. plasmas provide the best black level bar none.
dlp has issues with bulbs. lcd to me is a crappy picture. i wouldnt get an lcd for hd…it would be like buying blizzaks for a ferrari.
plasma is also what you pay for of course. another thing to remember is that plasmas do not have a qauntitative lifespan. the chemicals used in plasmas has a half life. this half life depending on the tv is good for 4 hours of tv a day, every day of the week, every week of the year…for over 20 years. important to note that since we are talking half life, this doesnt mean your tv has to be replaced after 20 years, it means that this is when you start to nitcie a significant difference in brightness/contrast output. which is what plasmas are known for. so this means that in 20 years you might have to turn the brightness setting up a tad.
there are also some bad plasmas out there…tv’s that are technially plasma, but the individual cell structure is weaker, or the proccessors arent as capable. in this case a plasma will have a getter picture still frame vs still frame compared to dlp or lcd, but when the motion starts ie race car going by at 150, the picture trails, or skips…the resolution where sharp lines should be falls away and the picture looks incomplete. so even with plasma, you have to spend dough to get your value.
also size is a big factor. me personally i would take a 32 inch loewe plasma over a panasonic 50+…thats just me. i dont need the biggest thing out there, it is about quality for me. with plasmas people dont know that the bigger the screen, the further away the focal point for optimal viewing is. big tv in a little room only gets you bragging material, not the best picture.
if you are looking for a reasonable sized tv ie not HUGE BUFFALO HUUUUGGGEEE!. and have a budget of under 3k. dlp is the way to go. if you want to go bigger, need the extra quality, want to be a baller, plasma. but shop carefully like i said. dlp’s from my research are all about the same.
nothing beats going someplace and SEEING the picture for yourself. you might ever notice the difference between a good plasma and bad one, therefore may never be unsatisfied with a dlp.
my reccomendation if you want to see some great tv’s and get more info than you can handle is to visit the speaker shop on main st across from ub south. right next to the med school bookstore. go in and ask for matt. admit you are a dumbass…say you know me (joe with the s4)…he will call me a dumbass, and proceed to blow your mind with info and examples of everything i just wrote. then you make up your mind, and if you tell him that you might be looking for something cheaper/smaller/less quality, if he wont sell it for the price you can afford he will have no problem helping you find a place you can. he is honest and stand up.
good luck
joe