Looking to buy a 42-50 inch flat panel.

I've heard that plasmas have come a long way in terms of longevity.

Any advantages or disadvantages to either?

Thanks.

At the moment, Plasma is lower cost in that size range... and with, in my opinion, a better picture.

LCD is catching up very quickly, though.

Pros and cons to both...

IMHO, plasmas provide better black levels, which make for deeper images. They also work better for fast action video in sports and movies. Expected useful life of most plasmas is in the 40K-60K hours.

Most LCDs are on a par with the best plasmas with respect to colors and brightness. But can be noticeably different (worse) when showing scenes with a lot of shadow or low lighting. There are also a lot more choices of LCD with the highest resolution to support 1080p, which is important if you are considering an HD-DVD or Blu-Ray player. But as I mentioned, they don't handle fast action as well and are prone to suffer from "artifacting" or the what's called the screen-door effect.

If you watch satellite/cable HDTV and regular DVDs a plasma will suffice. If you are a tech-junkie and are an early adopter of new technology get a 1080p LCD.

If you can afford it at around $10K there is the best of both worlds in the Pioneer 1080p plasma. =)

has advanced considerably since 2004, but it still contains some relevant points of comparison. FWIW, I have both (a 50" Marantz 5050D plasma, and a 32" Samsung LN3296 LCD), and, even though the Sammy is two years newer, the Marantz plasma picture quality is noticeably superior (using the same sources).<ul><li><a href="http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatvreviews/plasma-vs-lcd.html">http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatvreviews/plasma-vs-lcd.html</a</li></ul>

for now

I was just replying to 80sailor's reference for a 42"-50". LG has a 71" and Panasonic has the 65" unless your a big spender and can pick up a 103".... Now that would be sweet!

Just by virtue of the way the tech works, plasma has an easier time displaying black.

But the best LCDs are getting close enough.

Cheap LCDs still have sh!t black levels.

Sharp had a "1,000,000:1" 37" at CES this year.<ul><li><a href="http://www.engadget.com/photos/sharps-1-000-000-1-mega-contrast-premium-lcd-vs-regular-lcd">http://www.engadget.com/photos/sharps-1-000-000-1-mega-contrast-premium-lcd-vs-regular-lcd</a</li></ul>

I own both a Pioneer 43" and a Sharp Aquos 32" for a while now.

You asked, thats my answer.