I'm tech saavy and more confused about back lighting then before...please help!

I've been on and off these boards for several years. I've designed my home theater and purchased at least 2 screens and a projector from AVS. Now I want/need a TV for my family room, am 90% sure I want an LCD, and am very confused as to which backlighting is preferable. By preferable I mean the combination of being able to achieve 6500k or close (which I know in part is a function of the TV), price, longevity (I only care if there's a huge different; not for 40k hours vs 50k), and the best black levels. I'm aware that LCD TVs need a light source, and then when advertised as an LED TV, they really mean (and maybe should be saying), "LCD TV with LED backlighting." I understand the theoretical differences between the potential light sources: CCFL, HCFL, LED and ELP, and that until LED backlighting became mainstream, CCFL was used. I'm not so worried about energy efficiency, weight or thickness. I'm trying to figure out if there are objective facts about black levels, color accuracy and the lighting anomalies (uneven lighting, bright spots) that could help me chose between CCFL and LED. It certainly seems that one reason for LED is to increase profit margins as CCFL margins have dropped to better compete with plasma. That doesn't make it better, but more expensive (and maybe thinner like the Samsung 9000). So, I don't know whether I should go back and research what a high end CCFL backlit LCD would be (and whether manufacturers have stopped improving them bc they're pushing LED), or pay a premium for an LED backlit LCD because there are observable materially better differences. I was down to the Sony 55HX909 and the Samsung 55" 9000 (which I think has edge backlighting). Now I'm wondering if I should re-think it or even go with a Panny Plasma. The room is fairly bright in the morning, but we're putting on a screened-in porch that will cut it down a bunch, so brightness is not unimportant but not as critical as it is now. Please help!

You guys are so right. I research and get caught up with the specs and reviews (here, amazon, etc), and then look for the equivalent competitors. That just scrambles my brain. Thanks. By the time I read the responses, I already got caught up in the Vizeo 55" 3d554. Most say the PQ is great for the price, with full led backlight, etc. But there seems to be quite a few DOA sets with bad power supplies. Ugh. I need to go to an actual store...