Well, DLP is the best technology you can buy now, IMO.
LCD burns out, expected lifespan 3yrs, pixels themselves have a definitely limited lifespan.
Plasma deteriorates until it burns out, again a projected lifespan of about 3yrs.
With DLP, you have a $200 bulb that can be replaced, expected bulb life is 2-3yrs minimum. So for longevity and cost effective repair, DLP wins. It has nice picture quality as well.
I don't want to get into truly flat TVs until I can feel confident my $3,000 purchase is going to last me ten years, which you can expect out of CRT (tube) televisions/monitors. Otherwise, LCD/Plasma prices need to come way down, if they're not going to last, and due to inherent flaws in the technology, it's a given that they won't last.
Anyways, I found this good compromise and bought it on Monday.
http://www.samsung.com/Products/TV/Slim ... HKXXAA.asp
My price was $699 +tax
I'm currently waiting on HDMI cables, Hi-def DVD player, HD cable upgrade, etc... so I'm in the middle of setup and as such, I can't really comment on overall performance yet... I've only seen SDTV (digital cable) on it, and sampled a few DVDs. From what I see so far, it's a real nice improvement over my old Toshiba Cinema Series 32" CRT. Digital cable does look alot crisper/cleaner.
The set has more inputs than you could really need. I do wish it had a TOSLINK input, for Playstation audio, but component cables will suffice. For a TV, it has really nice audio. (my reciever isn't hooked up yet either)
It's a very heavy set, about 120lbs. so good furniture is required. It's a "slimfit" design, so it's not very deep at all.
I shopped around awhile and found this to offer all the features you'd want right now like widescreen and hdtv, without fear of burnout, for close to standard tv prices. Best bang for the buck, IMO.