We also have a Panny plasma -- the 65VT, bought a year ago, and it is terrific. Only downside is the glare in a bright room, but we generally watch movies at night. Panasonic made an even better model last year -- the ZT series, which set the standard for plasmas currently made in terms of black levels. Unfortunately, Panasonic is getting out of the plasma business. At the time, it was priced within your price range.