Plasmas have been taking a big hit in prices lately because of the recently published decay rates of the contrast ratio/brightness. Although it shouldn't be a big surprise, and I forget the exact numbers, but after a half dozen years or so, the contrast of the tv will be significantly less than when new, although I am under the impression that they have some firmware that attempts to mitigate its effects. The half life of the picture brightness is apparently 27 years at 10 hours per day. I'm sure other panel types have their own wear and tear drawbacks as well, and if you're the type to replace your tv after 5-10 years, this sounds like a good deal.
