plasmas pictures are a lot better then lcd’s, the burn in was an issue long ago but not so much anymore, if you have half a brain you can prevent it pretty easily and how are you going to find an hdtv that has less then 720p? if you are on the fence about 720 vs 1080p here is a chart to show you how close you have to be to notice a difference: Chart: 1080P Does Matter - CarltonBale.com
europops if you are dead set on an lcd in a 40 inch check out the sony kdl-40w4100 120hz, nice looking set and good price if you want one of the best pictures check into the panny plasmas, great price and great picture lcds cant beat they start at 42"
also don’t rely on contrast ratios
each company uses a different standard to measure contrast ratio, since there is no set standard yet
*ie samsung could be 30,000:1 could be the same as Sony 15,000:1
contrast is always going to be higher on a plasma then an lcd
but use some discretion while look at the figures on the sales tags