After doing extensive research and numerous side-by-side comparisons, I elected to go with the Samsung HP-4252. It just arrived yesterday and I am floored. Have been unable to take advantage of the HDMI monster cables that I bought yet, but the picture - right out of the box - is still incredible. I considered panasonic, sony and pioneer and this latest version of Samsung just seemed the best unison of price and performance. In my opinion, the pioneer PDP-4350 clearly has the best picture, but the extra cost was not worth it for me. It would be nice to have the pioneer, but I am thrilled to have the Samsung in my home and the extra $1400 I saved in my pocket.
I've been trying to read up on all the latest HDTV options (LCD, Plasma, DLP) and came across Samsung's website where the HP-4252 is available. 1080i with HDTV tuner, burn-in resistance, 60,000 hrs of life, 42". But I haven't seen any reviews on this TV...anywhere - which may be a bad sign (or it may just be very new).
I'm looking for something in the 42" range with a depth of approx 13" or less due to the somewhat narrow room the TV will be in. I'm concerned with what I've been hearing about replacement bulbs on DLP and LCD, slow speeds on LCD, and much smaller viewing angle on DLP.
The reviews on the Panasonic's look good; how would the Samsung compare to the Panasonic TH-42PX50U?
I don't like how Plasma generates a lot more heat and is more fragil, but I guess there's no utopia. Any advice on a 42" that could fit my situation.
Thanks for any help. I'm just starting to understand some difference between all different options.

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