I have seen many of the sets you describe above and considering your budget in order to get the biggest plasma as possible the LG would be, by far, your best choice. I don't know whether or not you have been able to see the picture in comparison to the others, but the LG is no slouch. Unfortunately, there are only three companies left making plasmas(Panasonic,Samsung and LG) but when you get in to the larger monitors and has been said, Panasonic and Samsung are still too expensive, usually $4000 and up. Panasonic and Samsung have a number of models with different features so it requires further investigation to see what you are getting for your money. Some of the cheaper plasmas out there are only providing 1080i max in resolution(not 1080p), so you have to be careful what you are buying. The LED's in larger models are still pretty expensive and I don't see anyone making a large set(60" and up) other than Sharp who wants over $10,000 for their newer LED LCD televisions.
