I also have a 100 Hz 32'' HD CRT (Philips), which I bought not long ago. It offers great image quality (better contrast than LCDs or Plasmas, true 480p resolution for the Wii, 720p/1080i for the 360 although at least one of them is probably downscaled), as well as supporting HD signals through HDMI or component cables. It was also cheaper than corresponding LCD/Plasmas, weighing 50 kg which is not that bad.

Unfortunately, most or all companies are not producing HD CRTs anymore, maybe the demand is not there anymore.

I my self will be getting a HDtv with in the next month or two, and thus far I'm leaning towards getting a Plasma Panasonic 42" TH-42PZ800A, going for about $2400AU.

It's a 1080p set, and since I plan on watching blu-ray movies it's a perfect fit, I also plan on gaming with it. Now the reason I chose plasma over LCD was simple, picture quality, the deep blacks just bring out the colour. One thing I dislike about LCDs is that when the lights go out the blacks look washed out, and I don't want to keep readjusting the tv settings each time I watch day and night stuff. I've also always preferred plasma tech anyways.

listen to my advice

buy the 42 inch pnansonic 1080p plasma, if ur wanting a 42inch u need to go for a plasma because well lcd's look mince especially for watching sport all the players have ghost images also the plasma has far quicker response times than a lcd, also lcd's are all backlit to hide the poorer contrast compared to the plasma

and yes it is true 1080p

one bad thing with a plasma its more likely to break down than a lcd especially with screen burn

oh yeah forgot to say there are new tv's coming out with 1440p and 12 bit colour as oppose to 8 bit colour but im not sure if the ps3 or 360 well ever get patches to support these new versions of teles

also the panasonic plasmas now have a special refresh rate system to prevent screen burning

Bullshit. You could say: For smaller screens you will be sitting closer and might notice the large pixels even more. Truth is that higher resolution is higher resolution. How much you notice it depends upon how good your vision is and how much the screen takes up your field of view. Generally he rule of thumb is that the viewing distance should be 2.5 times the diameter, but there's a little room for personal prefernce.

Mainly though, it depends what the source is. 720p content (which is native for most PS3/XBOX360 games) looks best on a 720p screen. Bluray movies look a lot better on a 1080p screen than a 720p screen. For standard definition, a 1080p screen is also better than a 720p one. That pretty much covers all common resolutons.

There's not that many new large-format 720p TVs on the market anyhow, they're being faded out.

That doesn't make sense. Bleeding backlight is the reason why LCDs have lower contrast. (Local dimming LED backlit LCDs can kick Plasmas ass, but there aren't many to choose from yet).

Realistically though you shouldn't trust the labels. Compare Plasma and a good glossy LCD with your own eyes. If you think the Plasma has a nicer picture go for that.

Get a Mirai 42 inch LCD tv. Best evar. And cheap because the company isn't that well known. Produces some of the sharpest images of any company and at 1080p. Look it up.

Plasma is on its way out. Over the past year major plasma manufacturers have either dropped out or significantly reduced their product lines. Plasma only manufacturers have gone over to LCD.

Plasma is still superior in terms of absolute PQ, but LCD is quickly gaining. 120hz, LED backlights and improved panels are doing wonders and making this gap between the two fairly insignificant.

Uhh plasma boost a 60,000 hour lifespan too.
http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatv/plasmatv-lifespan.html

Plus I own a Panasonic and even i know the Pioneer makes the best plasma TV's.

A. Some high end plasmas now claim 60,000 hour lifespans. That lifespan is standard and minimum for LCDs. As I've said, in general, LCDs will last longer.

B. Depending on how much lower than 50", then 1080p is negligable. 42" I would recommend 720p, at 32", the difference isn't determinable by the human eye, of anyone, period, no one can tell the difference, it's impossible. You don't need 1080p even for future proofing, unless your TV is over 50". That's my, and most peoples opinions, yes.

C. Plasma is being supported less and less, that's true. LCDs have become the most common TV on the market and are the "mainstream" product. Like 720p, Plasmas are slowly being phased out and moved towards the "high end" spectrum of the industry, only.

D. TVs get burnin. Plasma TVs get burnin more. Currently, new plasma TVs don't have permanent burnin. It's temporary, but it's still an issue.

E. Plasma or LCD aren't the biggest factor in picture quality. A Samsung TV will still blow a Panasonic or Vizio TV out of the water no matter what type of screen the picture is displayed with.

Again, for a 42" television, I recommend a 720p LCD. It's the safest and most dependable option for many reasons, as well as the best value for the price. See my original post.