Hitachi P50A402 50-Inch 1080I Plasma HDTV

Paid just over $1,000 from amazon delivered. Comparable 50" 720p offerings from Samsung and Panasonic are typically going for more than this. This is my second Hitachi plasma, I paid $6,000 for a 42" when I was living in Japan 4 years ago; it's still going strong, no burn issues and a truely superb picture so I had no reservations going that way again.

Pro's
+good connectivity set off to the side (this is important because with a tv this size it's difficult to reach around to the middle of the back)
+good colour, good blacks, excellent picture
+sleek looks, bezel is a glossy piano black, speakers are well hidden and manual controls are on the side out of eyeshot
+price, 1080i for the price of a 720p, falling between two stools makes for a bargain imo.
+ir window is off to the left side so doesn't get blocked by my centre speaker

Con's
-stand doesn't swivel, not an issue for me as it's (eventually) going on the wall
-it's heavy, probably no more so than any other, but please bear this in mind when deciding on placement.

Delivery
I've read various comments about the shipping agents amazon used to send this - Pilot. Amazon's systems don't link with Pilot's in the same way that UPS does so the amazon updates are almost useless, Pilot itself then sub contracts out the local delivery to a third agent - this all seems a little low tech and inefficient when compared to UPS/Fedex. The upside though is that while this is less than seamless if you do end up calling Pilot you will talk to real people who are extremely friendly and happy to help. The delivery guy they used was superb and didn't have his hand out for a tip either...

The human touch is, again imo, important with regard to the delivery of this product because unlike most of the UPS deliveries you can't just dump this outside the garage door....Buy Hitachi P50A402 50-Inch 1080I Plasma HDTV!

Philips 47PFL7422D/37 47-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

Do not let the three-star review concern you too much, I am pleased with this television purchase. However, the picture quality, clarity, and color saturation are not great but still a good value at the price. Similarly, the sound control is nightmarish. Anyone using this screen for television watching is advised to keep the set permanently muted and to wire the sound through ANY other speaker you can find. All in all, this is an average screen at a somewhat below average price. I would recommend this as a nice step into flat screen technology for those who aren't looking to drop the additional hundreds/thousands for a Samsung or Pioneer set but still want the improvements in television technology.Buy Philips 47PFL7422D/37 47-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV!

Westinghouse 40" LCD TV/ DVD Combo- LTV-40W1HDC

I purchased this television from my local Sam's Club for $900, it worked fine for six months and had a most beautiful picture. One evening I went to power it up and nothing would happen....it was dead. I could not believe it!! I tried new batteries for the remote, a new power cord, new remote control and kaput. This TV was a bedroom set and received very little use, maybe 300 actual hours over a six month period of time. I did not buy the extended warranty from Sam's Club because Westinghouse offered a one year warranty. I figured if anything was to happen with the set it would be in the first year and Westinghouse would honor their warranty.....well. I called Westinghouse to inform them of my situation and they offered me three choices: send them the television, drive to my "local" approved dealer or have a tech come to my home. I live in Seattle, to have the 80lb television sent to Armadillo, Texas it would cost over 100 dollars and they do not reimburse for shipping, my approved Westinghouse dealer is in Vancouver, Washington nearly on the Oregon boarder, a 2 1/2 hour drive. I decided the best choice would be for the tech to come to my home. I was informed there would be a non refundable 75 dollar fee and they would not guarantee reimbursement for the repair however I would need to pay the tech at the time of service. I asked the representative what kind of warranty Westinghouse considers this to be? He simply replied that this is their policy and these were my choices. I found this to be unacceptable and contacted my local Sam's Club. I told them about my ordeal and the manager told me to bring the television back and they would offer me a full credit for the product. Thank you for your great customer service Sam's Club, in the future I will buy an extended warranty from the place of purchase.Buy Westinghouse 40" LCD TV/ DVD Combo- LTV-40W1HDC!

Samsung HL-S5687W 56-Inch 1080p DLP HDTV

Amazing tv.... while it worked. After 16 months my wife and I were watching The Office (in HD of course) and the screen turned into a blocky green mess for a split second and shut off completely. Samsung was nice enough to extend the warranty AFTER I had the local recommended repairmen say that he had seen a thousand of these models with the same problems. I called Samsung and insisted that they should own up to their manufacturing defects and they did (make sure you get to the second line of their customer service -the "ECR", they can do a lot more to help you). We have had a total of 3 seperate repair visits (very nice guys) and numerous parts ordered over the course of a month - This would of cost way more than the actual cost of the tv when it was new if I had paid out of my own pocket. They have replaced every internal part of the tv and it still is useless. It is now looking as if Samsung will be purchasing us a new tv. If it still worked and there were not countless other internet forums devoted to Samsungs faulty DLP, then I would give this product a 5 start rating. A 5 star product for the first year, then it might as well be a 56" brick. One star from me because I cannot give it a negative score. Buy Samsung HL-S5687W 56-Inch 1080p DLP HDTV!