Tronic, some very good points. You obviously know what you're talking about. Everyone pay attention... this man SELLS these TVs, and he agrees that there is a "big ploy" to up-sell customers to 1080p... which wouldn't be beneficial to most customers under normal viewing conditions. He would know.
People looking for a new HDTV -- if they're educated -- should be looking for contrast ratio, black levels, refresh rate (on LCDs), noise levels, etc. if they're concerned with a quality image. Resolution is far down on the list... and frankly, its the lowest feature in terms of bang vs. buck. WAY too many people get conned into buying a lower end 1080p, when they would have been MUCH better off with a high-end 720p.
If you're looking for a plasma, I would suggest sticking with Panasonic, Samsung, or (if you can afford it) Pioneer. Plasmas have better viewing angles, contrast ratios, black levels, and over all picture quality than LCDs do. Image Retention and burn-in is no longer a significant problem with the modern plasmas.
If you're looking for an LCD, I would suggest sticking with Samsung, Sharp, or Sony. Get the model that judders the least during high-motion scenes, because most LCDs look DEPLORABLE in those situations.
For home living room situations, 90% of people would never get any benefit from 1080p. It's a complete waste of money. To pick a TV, you need to first define what kind of room you'll be watching in, how far you'll be sitting away, etc. Don't just get the expensive model with high numbers or you'll be kicking yourself in the end.
Now, if you're building a home theatre, this conversation needs to change a little.
