I have been looking at Samsung, Sony Bravia and Panasonic Viera's. Which one would people recommend? or if there are any others which are good.

Sony Bravia is a excellent brand and line from Sony.

In that case, plasma might not be a bad option for you. It has improved black levels and lifespan shouldn't be a concern if you don't plan on keeping it that long. LCD has a lot of issues, color quality and black level being the worst of them. The big advantages of LCD don't seem to be of much help to you (brightness, life, resolution, size, weight).

If you do opt for a 720p set, make sure that it deinterlaces 1080i properly. I have a few sites that list models at home so if you have a set in mind, I can look it up for you (just bought a new HDTV after about four months of research).

BTW, I love how half the people here recommend a brand without actually asking what the hell the OP needs from the TV. There's a big "Just buy what I bought!" mentality around here.

I never knew LCD were awful.

They're not. They're better at some things than other sets and worse in other areas.

In the current HD world, everything is give and take. There isn't a perfect set out there and you have to compromise no matter what route you take. 

what is better for gaming, LCD or Plasma? or isn't there any difference?

I'd go with LCD just because they last longer and the produce less heat.

And I'd probably buy a Sony Bravia.

They're both acceptable for gaming. Most LCD sets have a fast enough response time now so it's not an issue.

You will get better black levels and color depth from a decent plasma, though. It's still a weak point in LCDs.

It all depends on what is most important to you... Life and brightness or color and black levels?

Also, if you watch a lot of SDTV, LCD is still pretty terrible at upscaling to fit resolution. 

wont be able to respond for awhile, going to sleep now.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me.