Ahhhh! Finally, I can answer something with expertise! I was an area supervisor for DirecTV, and the first person in my very large office with a Level III certification in Broadband technology and FCC certified....well, you get the point.
Somebody replied never buy Sony, but Sony has a great picture. However, they seem to have bad hardware that tends to break (such as the buttons, etc.).
For your price range, I would recommend any Panasonic plasma TV. However, any Hitachi will also have a great picture.
As far as Plasma versus the LCD: Plasma all the way! Back in the day, Plasma got a bad rap due to its 1/2 light/brightness age. However, due to technology, you could now run a Plasma 24 hours per day, seven days per week, for about ten years before reaching half-brightness. In other words, your picture will last the average user until around the year 2040 (by then you’ll be ready for a new TV no matter how cheap you are).
If you really want an excellent TV for an excellent price, find a Vizeo plasma TV. Vizeo is among the cheapest with excellent reviews from all of the major consumer reporting companies. I have worked on them personally and also have found them remarkable.
If you need any advise on hooking up cables, etc., feel free to contact me via private mail and I will be glad to send you advise and instructions.
A 42” VIZIO Plasma makes an excellent computer monitor. The flicker and fading issues are bunk. The biggest issues I have with it are the heat output from its unreal power consumption. What is it, like 1200w?