First of all, do research on avsforum.com
You can find threads on virtually any model of plasma, lcd or dlp. Some of the models I am thinking of for the near future have 125+ pages of discussion.

I have never owned an lcd or plasma, but from what I have gleaned from all my research:

Pros:
LCD
-Available in smaller sizes
-No risk of burn in
-Lighter
-Somewhat brighter
-More sales due to popularity

Cons
-Many models not so hot for fast motion scenes
-Are too bright for the tastes of some
-A plastic screen, not so easy for cleaning, maybe more fragile?
-Many models not so great for off angle viewing

Plasma:
Pros
-Better overall picture quality
-A couple models like Panasonic seem to handle non-digital broadcasting better than any others including lcd
-Better with motion scenes
-To me, they have better color I think due to not being so bright. Like skin tones usually look more realistic.
-Better black levels
-Though they don't have the same kind of sales, if you wait for the right deals plasmas can be had much cheaper.

Cons
-Heavier
-Risk of burn in, but from my reading it'* virtually a non issue unless you play games with static images for hours at a time.
-Due to the glass screen they reflect like tube TVs, though not as bad. There are models that have anti-glare coatings. If you have a very bright room, or will have the TV facing a large window you may want an lcd.
-They use more electricity, but I've seen several discussions where that difference is pretty negligible. LCD'* use a constant level of electricity, where plasmas electricity use is based on how bright the screen is. So even though a plasma has a rating twice that of an lcd, that rating is it'* peak usage. It'* been documented that plasmas usually only use half of the power that they are rated at.
-Some plasmas due get a bit warm, but the new ones now seem to have really done away with that issue.


I think that covers it. That said, I think the consensus is that if you plan to watch mostly regular television and play video games, and don't have a way to control bright light from outside, you probably want an lcd. But if you are more into movies and sports, and can control the lighting to an extent, plasma is the way to go. As far as the glare, Panasonic has a couple with anti-glare coating that works really well. But there are some that feel it compromises the picture quality slightly.

We are planning to purchase a TV later this year after we move. I'm planning to get a Panasonic plasma. They have a great reputation for quality. Several models I've checked into have almost no regular issues, and as I noted earlier, they are one of the better regarded models for non-sd television. If money is no object, Pioneer Kuro is the one to get though. They are the king of all plasmas, and probably all TV'* period.

LOL!! Yeah, ATSC. I couldn't remember which it was, took a 50/50 stab at it and, naturally, got it wrong. Thanks for the correction Tim!!

I'm not sure that'* entirely true. Many of the sets I looked at did not have this capability. Of course you can always pick up an HD tuner for a couple hundred bucks or so...

Do a little study on screen size before you buy. There'* a reason I went with the 50" instead of the 42".

you get what you pay for...1000 plasma thats 50 inches will not yield the same pciture as a higher priced plasma.