I'll concur with Guido - my Sony 40W4100 is proving to be a great set. It's one of a number of good options out there, but it's one that's worked out well for me and I would expect the 52W4100 to be equally good.

I'll repeat my advice to check Consumer Reports. Its tone is, for the most part, refreshingly (or depressingly?) mundane - but the tests involve simultaneously comparing the sets they evaluate. How many other testers do that?

I'd look at the Samsung 52" LCDs. My friend just got an LN52A650 and really likes it.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN52A650-5...32724896&sr=8-1

We've installed quite a few different brands of flatscreens where I work. In my opinion, Panasonic does the best with the picture quality, at a price. I think the best value for the money is the Samsung.