Help for selecting the right flat panel TV?

Question

I am in the market to buy a new TV.  I want to get one with moderate price.  My last TV was not HD so we don't know if we care much about HD or not.  I am looking for a 37" to 42" TV.  I am not sure about whether to get a LCD or plasma, and 720P or 1080P.  We mostly watch non-HD DVD and regular TV.  Sometimes we watch football games (non-HD).  Any suggestions?  (I know the benefit of 1080p and all that, but I am not it is woth the extra money with our watching habbit.  If there is a reason definitely not to buy one over the other, please tell me.)  Also I have looked at several brands, like Samsung, Philips, Sony, Panasonic, etc.  I think the Samsung one has the best HD pictures.  Do you own one of these TV?  Can you tell me your experience???  Much appreciated!
Oh, one more thing, will the quality be terrible if I watch standard definition programming with a high definite TV (compare to watching it on a non-HD TV)?

jjki_11738 · Accepted Answer

You can  limit your choices quickly by realizing that Plasmas aren't common for smaller sets nor is 1080P. 1080P really isn't common in the smaller swets because there's a big cost defference, and you can't see the difference in the small sets(< 50"). Some sets do a great job of upscaling SD pictures to their native resolution, others do a terrible job. Knowing you're going to use it with SD and non-upconverting DVD players, get the store to run the ones you're interested in with an SD input. The brands yiou're considering are all good. Stay away from the cheaper "off brands". The big issue is reliability and sevice. 
So, bottom line, you should be looking at a name brand 37"-42" 720P LCD checked out running from a non-upconverted 480i signal.

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Help for selecting the right flat panel TV?

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