Who likes what and for what reasons?

Some caveats:

1) power consumption/heat is not relevant
2) 50 inch class
3) has Hz become a marketing selling point rather than a tangible necessity.
4) 90% of use will be console gaming

I am leaning towards a 600Hz Plasma...I want devil's advocates here. You folks are more tech savvy than anyone else I could possibly ask.

Who likes what and for what reasons?

LCD has improved greatly in all things.

We recently had to go through the decision making process of LCD/Plasma and LCD won out. The main reason, longevity.

Most Plasma screen have an estimated lifespan of about 5-7 years. Now, in computing years I guess that's a long time... But for TVs. Well, the standard def TV we had before is still kicking at Arachne's parent's house and its about 15 years old now...

LCD has a life expectancy (with greater than average use) of about 15+ years. But with all things electronic, you want to buy the best thing you can afford so that you avoid looking at your buddies better equipment 5 years from now and rush out and replace your perfectly good 50".

Point for point:
1) This is primarily used as a selling point in a TV and shouldn't be considered anyway. Your true "power consumption" comes from how long the thing is turned on...

2) inch for inch, Plasma is going to be cheaper. Primarily this is because its an older technology that is struggling in the market right now. LCD/LED are beginning to beat it out in most of the ways that matter.

3)Hz has long been a "selling point/non factor" in Plasma screens. And will soon become one in LCD/LED. The idea is that the higher the Hz, the less likely you are to see pixelation from fast movements--this would show up most prominently in sports events and video games. For that reason, Plasma was always preferable for these applications, but not anymore. Samsung, and a couple of others have reached the 240Hz mark (most of them are actually a static 128Hz, that auto-increases when necessary to compensate for the blur), which is about the highest you will ever notice. Beyond that and its really too high to be of concern and it becomes a marketing issue.

4)I think I mostly covered console gaming above... but for the most part, with modern equipment you won't see too much of a difference either way.

I'm throwing in a 5) here... One of the biggest things to note about buying a flat TV is that "Contrast Ratio" is completely meaningless. The statistic is a farce because every company measures the ratio differently, making it impossible to compare Sonys to Samsungs to Hitachis. That said, the best way to choose is just to look at them.

I ended up with a Samsung 7 series LCD about a year ago, and I have absolutely no regrets. People come over and can't believe the clarity on the screen. I frequently get comments like "OMG, that's creepy, its like I could touch the guy..." and that's from people who have HD televisions at home.

Personally, I think LED has about a year or two of refinement to go before its at the level of LCD televisions, and I think Plasma has been surpassed by the current Samsung 8 and 9 series LCDs.

After you go looking everywhere to see which TV you like the best, I would take a look at Amazon to buy it. We got ours with "White Glove" delivery (they actually come in and set it all up) for about $1000 less than the price at Best Buy. If you really want to get it from someone in town, check out Rex on Appalachee, they have great TV prices, but they have a semi-limited selection.

Dondoh! Take notes...then go TV shopping.

Dondoh, you already know this but, man... she's a keeper.

Homreker = TV Dork

You should be the guilds' official "Technology Explain-er of Things and DooHickeys"

Go LCD and don't look back.

I've had my LCD for a few years now and love it.

I think we're actually going Plasma for our living room here soon... Our 47" LCD in the bedroom is lovely but it seems I'm get more bang for my buck on larger screens with Plasma... Smaller screens are a no brainer, LCD but as you approach mid 50" and bigger Plasma starts to look like a much better investment IMO

We're 42" plasma in the living room and 26" lcd in the bedroom. Both Samsung and love them both.

I have been shifting to Samsung LEDs everywhere in my house lately. They are GREAT for TV, but even better for video games. I can definately tell a difference on the Xbox 360. The colors are incredibly rich.

Plasmo, all the way. Plasmo.

I FOUND PLASMO!

Plasmo, all the way. Plasmo.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Plasmo!!