I know this is a big jump of thoughts, but I would suggest you seriously consider a
front projector as well, provided that you can control ambient light at least part-time (for example, in the nighttime). Just like you, I was only thinking about RPTV or plasma, until one day I saw a front projector in action at one of my local AV stores. And that entirely changed my purchase decisions.
As long as you can control ambient light, a front projector can produce much bigger picture, with at least comparable image qualities. I can tell you that the large image size really brings about a serious WOW factor. Plus, the image is inherently more "film-like" (after all, what you watch in the movie theater is a front-projected image). Combine this with a surround sound system, and it will give you a truly "in-theater" experience. My wife, who was initially weary of the thought of an FP, now loves ours; she says the whole experience at home is better than those in the local movie theater.
Most importantly, excellent HT projectors are available from as low as US$1500. And they will readily throw an awesome image of up to 100"-120" diagonal. Of course, all of today's HT projectors are HDTV compatible, and many native 16:9 models available. You can always keep your existing TV for daytime or casual watching of TV shows, like I did.
I suggest you visit your local AV dealers and see if they have a
good demo setup of a front projector (the demo room should have a complete ambient light control). Also, surf the AVSforum as suggested by Semi.
Happy shopping!
