Screener wrote:
Some opinion on the matter from the Minneapolis Star Tribune Multimedia columnist, who seems a plasma fan (at least for criteria of 42-inch, sub-$1000):
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/111683179.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU
It seems though that one of his faves is an LCD/LED over a plasma:
"One of my favorite televisions is the 1080p 42-inch Panasonic TC-L42D2, an LED-LCD HDTV that lists for $1,299 but sells for $849 and $899. It combines the best qualities of plasma TVs and LED-LCD TVs. It has the natural look and flesh tones of plasma combined with the hyper-sharpness and bright, deep color of an LED-LCD set.
To achieve this picture quality, all I had to do is set the television on the standard picture setting and the color temperature to warm. Motion rendition was excellent, as well, and it had none of the slightly unnatural look I see in many flat-panel LCD sets with strong motion processing.
The TC-L42D2 is a model I would strongly consider over comparably sized plasma sets and is worth checking out for anyone seeking a sub-$1,000 television."