We have a 55” HDTV Samsung LCD. I don’t know what to compare it to. We bought it at Sam’s Club online a year and a half ago. I can only tell you the picture is spectacular. People who have their own big screens come to watch ours during football season. We have a home theater system hooked up and watching DVDs is like being center stage. We use Time Warner cable but like you, we don’t do a lot of actual broadcast watching. I don’t think you can go wrong with just about anything nowadays. AND if you purchase at a place like Costco, you get a fantastic return policy and tech help. Our other tv which was replaced by this one was a Hitachi 42” plasma. I guess I’m not sophisticated enough for plasma. I have no clue about 3-D and will be interested in what advice people offer you on that. Good luck. You’re gonna love HDTV.
PS: Our Samsung is so versatile. It has inputs galore. We can plug the computer in...and karaoke. The angles are terrific. Make sure you get the right size for the room.