How can I really compare an LED/LCD to Plasma at a place like Best Buy?

Do you know if there is a best buy with your panel and a decent lcd next to it, or close to it in your area? If so, you can go look thru the calibration threads for both panels, write down the most popular or generally approved settings, then go to your best buy and ask one of the salesman to set both panels to your settings. Then ask to see decent content. Preferably some you are familiar with. If they don't want to help you, tell them you'll be returning your panel because "bob" (or whatever his or her name is) wasn't cooperative. Smile as you say that.

Other than that, I don't know how much you can expect. Best buy etc. are not ideal places to view. We don't have Magnolia as part of best buy here, so perhaps that is a much better env. The biggest problem with the showroom floor is the fact there are so many panels next to the one you are interested in, all at different settings. They can be distracting. You are also so much closer than you'd usually be at home. The tv sections of best buy here are usually dimly lit, so I personally don't find the lighting in the stores to be much of a factor.

I recently bought a Panasonic P60U50. I went to best buy to see if I should exclude it than anything else. The problems I saw there on the panel there, I don't actually have with mine. That is why I made my decision more from what I read here than from a side by side comparison. Also, that is a pretty inexpensive panel, and is reported to have very good picture quality for the price. So I didn't think I could go too far wrong. Fairly happy so far, but had it less than a week, so time will tell.

That Panasonic GT will blow away any LCD panel at Best Buy including the Sharp Elite. Stop listening to voices and enjoy your TV.

Well, I can only tell you what you've already read elsewhere. In a dimly lit room, the thing should have plenty of brightness and extra "pop", if you are inclined to go that route, rather than "accurate". In a sunny livingroom, I would have gone with lcd, but just for the extra brightness to watch sports in the afternoon. Though sports are usually pretty bright in the first place, so maybe that wouldn't be necessary. I never watch movies or shows during the day. Or at least not so often that it would bother me if the image where too dim once in a while.

My comment about sports is just that it is normally brighter than prime time tv, therefore light output may not be a problem with plasma in the living room even though it might be for dramas, at least for me. And no, I don't watch "daytime dramas".

I see no reason to think that movies vs. prime time tv would be significantly different on plasma. At least not the dramas, and I personally don't care about video quality of game shows, reality tv, or talk shows.

Well, I ended up 'demoing' Samsung/lg's latest and greatest 46-47" screens in my living room and after returning those for a 50UT50 I knew within minutes of making te right choice. In other words, I couldn't make the distinction without binging the sets home as like you, the plasmas were set to dim mode at BB. Must be some stupid EPA reg that forces them to do that.

.......OR.......they want to lessen their chances of BI/IR? Nothing sells a TV quite like a ghost image of an ESPN logo.....