[darkpuppet]

My tips/observations:

- if you're buying anything smaller than 52", you don't really need 1080p. If you're a purist, sure, but research has shown that people, standing 10' away from the TV don't notice the difference between 720 and 180 on sizes < 52"

- Go LED backlighting... longer lasting, better colour gamut, and many handle dynamic contrast better than CFL backlit TVs

- don't be fooled by dynamic contrast* -- it's nice sometimes as it enhances dark scenes, and LED backlit panels can oftentimes darken only needed areas of a scene, but in reality, the panel's true contrast ratio is the true measure of performance... this can be used as a bargaining chip as a newer model TV may have a higher dynamic contrast ratio, but the same true contrast ratio -- meaning, the older tv, all other things (refresh rate, contrast, resolution) being equal, is the better deal. (or you can talk down the newer tv).

- don't be fooled by higher refresh rates. 120hz panels display the same 30 frames per second (60 fields interlaced) tv signal that 60Hz TVs display. Video games can pump out as much as 60FPS from a game console, so the fastest panel anyone needs right now is 60Hz -- cinephiles may appreciate a 240Hz panel in the future tho. Check the panel's response time (measured in milliseconds).

- watch out for brand-quirks -- check out the TV in store with a video containing both light and dark scenes -- Sony Bravia's have dynamic contrast that doesn't play well with quick switches between dark and light scenes, and can look downright horrid... samsungs seem to handle dynamic contrast better... you'll still want to check in a light room that dark scenes are visible and there's no horribly discernible brightness changes from light-dark transitions.

- watch prices for at least 2 weeks before you purchase. This is a big one... and your greatest bargaining chips. Find a TV or two that has the size/resolution and true contrast ration you're interested in... do a price search on the web to mark an absolute low price, and then watch major retailer websites (like futureshop and best buy)... Their TV prices can fluctuate significantly depending on which store has a sale coming up -- the price of my 52" samsung went up nearly $800 the week leading up to a sale. The pre-$800 price should be your starting negotiating price when you go into the store.

- you can save more on your TV if you're looking for a new TV stand, cables as well as the TV.

my buying experience
I bought my 52" samsung LCD lastyear. I had been watching it on the web for about 3 weeks.. watched the price go up nearly $800 over a week at futureshop.

Best Buy and Futureshop then had a sale on LCD TVs' Best Buy had a model on sale for the original price ($2099), and futureshop had a newer model on sale for 2999.

Both TVs were 60Hz panels with the same contrast ratio (2000:1 IIRC), number of inputs, etc.

The tv at futureshop had a 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, and the one at best buy had 30:000:1 contrast.

I was also looking at a TV stand for $500, 2 monster HDMI cables (which are overpriced to begin with) for $75/ea, and looked for an HD PVR.

In the end, I got the newer model TV, the HDMI cables, TV stand, 4 year warranty, HD PVR with 6 free months for $3200 all-in after tax... well over a grand in savings.

Sure, I had to talk to 3 people (the sales associate, his supervisor, and then the manager), but I got a pretty decent deal.

The trick is to always negotiate....

BTW.. I do electronics consulting on the side if you want someone to do the legwork for ya...