Our Panasonic 50” 720p has a great picture. I am very pleased with it. Not one problem in the two years we have had it. We are usually sitting about 15 ft. from it. The closest seating is on a side couch about 6 ft. away and even at an angle it has a very good picture.
The pioneers and panasonic plasma’s are the best, no matter what Consumer Reports say. You can make a fortune trying to get “experts” to tell you what tv is 720p vs. 1080p, or 1080i. I have sony rear projections lcd’s 55 and 60 inch. Amazing picture, just not a panel, even the AVS geeks started making a run for them when they heard they were being discontinued, best bang for the buck picture, everyone wants a wall mounted panel though. I never liked the picture on the Mitsu DLP’s, I can see why they might be on sale for 900 for a 60 inch, I would advise everyone stay far away from that one.
If I were to buy a pure panel it would be a pioneer or panasonic plasma, most of their 720p’s look superior to most other 1080 sets if you’re on a budget. If you can still find a Sony rear projection LCD I would jump at that too.