I have this unit and am extremely pleased with it. I don't have cable TV, so no HD signals. I mostly watch DVDs, which aren't HD. That was a big factor in buying the ED version.
I also went into stores and looked at the Panasonic consumer plasma units. Up close, the HD version is definitely more detailed (with an HD signal) than the ED version, but if you back off 10 feet there is little difference. I also read that DVDs look better on an ED unit, because there is no up-conversion of the signal to HD resolution.
Go to pricegrabber.com and enter Panasonic TH-42PWD6UY to get price comparisons. I bought from Visual Apex, which is not the absolute cheapest price, but they have great reviews from buyers, including a few whose plasma units were damaged in shipping and they got new ones promptly and with no additional charges. Visual Apex gave me great service when I ordered (answered my questions, no pressure to buy extra stuff), they included the necessary adapters to use RCA component video cable, it shipped when they said it would, and they also gave great service afterwards, responding promptly by both email and phone call when I emailed them some questions about how to avoid screen burnin or image retention. Peace of mind was well worth the extra money over buying from the cheapest New York sellers. I bought a wall mount bracket from them, and it was a lower price than many other sellers, so consider the total cost of the plasma and whatever other accessories you want to buy.
