Considering purchasing a Panasonic TC-P50UT50 but have a few questions

If it comes down to IR and Viewing Angles the IR will be less noticeable since you have to look for it whereas washed out viewing angles will always be there. The IR dissolves over time.

Not totally sure if this will help but when watching static images use a lower contrast preset like standard or cinema with low settings. Then balance it out with high contrast full screen viewing like in custom mode to even out the IR if you have any,

I went through a similar process recently.

Opted to try the 55UT50 as I do watch movies and was intrigued by the better blacks etc.--and there was a good deal on it that priced it a few hundred below the LED sets I was looking at.

I got it a couple weeks ago. Loved the picture, but it had an audible buzz on bright scenes that drove me nuts. And after I started using it more normally (after running slides etc. for 100 hours) I was getting some IR after watching ESPN or playing games for a few hours. The UT50 also lacks the filter on the screen so it's very reflective. I can control light, but I hate having my blinds shut all day as I have a nice view (21st story).

I had them send a tech out to see if the buzz could be quieted, they replaced screws but it didn't help.

So I decided to return it to Amazon. The buzz was too much to tolerate, especially combined with the IR worries (I watch TON of ESPN and play a lot of video games) and the reflective screen.

I opted for the Panasonic VIERA TC-L55ET5 edge lit LED LCD TV. It was on sale the other day for $110 more than I paid for the UT50--though the price has since jumped back up to $1,259. Will be delivered, and the old one taken away, on Monday so I have no impressions yet. But it will be nice to have no buzz and be able to leave it on ESPN all day with no worries etc.

Viewing angles aren't a concern for me though as I'm in a condo and the only place to watch is the couch right in front of the TV anyway. But the IPS sets like the one I got are supposed to have pretty good viewing angles.

I'm sure I'll be fine with it though. I"m really not a videophile type, would never get a professional calibration etc. I just like sports, TV, games and movies and use sites like this to make sure I don't buy junk and at least get the decent lower end models from reputable brands.

In this case I should have just stuck to my gut and waited for a deal on the LED as I'd tried plasma before (a Vizio several years back) and had returned it for the same reasons. Just not the right tech for me. Sounds like you're probably the same as you just can't have total piece of mind about IR with plasma. Especially if you have the wife and kids watching channels with static logos for hours on end. Most of it is temporary. But still annoying to have logos visible in bright scenes for hours after it happens.

So my advice would be check out more TVs and see what you think about the viewing angles on some LCD/LED sets.