LCD or Plasma for movies & gaming in the sub-2K group?  

Go with LCD. I have the Hitachi and the tv only has HDMI ports, no dvi/vga. I can't find drivers to run the computer on, much less use this for gaming. Also, the Hitachi has a res of 1024x1080. My ATI video card can't do that res, so good luck with that one.

However, the tv is PHENOMINAL for tv/hdtv and dvd viewing. If you want one in the same, I don't think this is the tv for you.

I know someone with the same setup- XBOX 360- Westy 42" with vga. It was a fantastic image for the pc and the xbox. I would investigate that tv for more troubleshooting.

Also, LCD will burn, so be careful with all products.

Plasma would be able to keep up with fast motion of video games unlike LCD (admittedly this doesn't occur often, but when it does it's glaring).

I too, have been doing research on what to buy next for sets that are 40-46" big.

For the products you listed, here is what I researched and discovered about them...

Plasma-

Hitachi 42HDS69 = great image quality, 3 hdmi ports, highest 42" plasma resolution for the money 1024x1080i ....... has signicant issues with "screen flicker". There is a whole page of thread on it. But otherwise a great plasma

Panasonic TH-42PX60U - can't go wrong with this one...Walmart is actually selling this one fairly cheap.. haven't discovered too much complaint.but the only thing is less features than the hitachi.

Samsung HP-S4253 - great image quality and price..but has a significant issue with "buzzing" noise. Many owners report a buzzing noise coming from the top right on the screen. Samsung usually can or can not fix it... most buyers returned the item to the store.

LCD-

Sharp AQUOS LC-42D62U - decent LCD for the money, but suffers from poor off-axis viewing angles..many buyers returned it. The big brothers 46" and 52" D62U series has great off-axis viewing but suffers heavily from "banding issues". There are significant quality control issue with the 46" and 52" d62u model because it is built from the new Kameyama #2 plant. The 42" looks to be from the older D90 series so doesnt suffer from banding. (this is after i spent about a few days reading thru D62U thread)

Sony KDL-40S2010 - haven't read much about Sony. Not a big fan of Sony because they don't even make some of their own panels. THey are known to share factory with Samsung.

Samsung LN-S4041D - haven't read up on this one. seems outdated.




= My recommendations = :

After some extensive research...

Plasma
-Hitachi 42HDS69 - fantabulous price! lots of hdmi ports, has a native 1080i resolution boasting 1024x1080i.

-Samsung 4273 - decent plasma for the price, seems to be the successor to the 4253.


LCD (my favorite section)

- Samsung LN-S4095/4695/4096/4696 - 40" and 46" for 95 series and 96 series. All four shares the same panel technology. The 96 series just features USB 1.1 and some extra ports and cable card slot. The best image quality for your money LCD. Only has an issue with overscan if you can live with it. Otherwise, no known issues with these sets. Blu-Ray is stunning on these sets.

-Sony XBR2,XBR3 - need I say more? if you got money to throw around, go for it.

-NEC M40 LCD TV, M46 LCD TV and LCD5710 LCD TV. (Coming out end of the year..something to look at.)

- JVC LT-40FN97 1080p, LT-40FH97, LT-46FN97 and LT-46FH97 - can upscale to 1080p??


just my 2 cent... feel free to correct me

^ I've been trying to decide between the LN-S4096D and the Pio 4270HD plasma. The Samsung has higher resolution, but the Pio has better saturated blacks and color contrast... I'll be doing heavy gaming but I'm not too worried about burn-in on the Pio (proper break in and common sense prevent this).

I'd say shoot high and go Pan 50" 9UK and be awed!
None of this 42" stuff. ;)

If you do get a Hitachi plasma, buying their "Director" series gives you a 2-year manufacture warranty! So that's something to consider as well.

Also LG has recently announced about 20 LCD's . Half of which are 1080p from 40"+. Seems very promising.

Apple and Dell both uses LG panels. Hence, thats why the 20" 2005FPW and 20" Apple wide screen LCD look the same, image quality wise, because LG makes 'em!!

LG can beat out Samsung only if they implement HDMI 1.3 ports. If they do, then that is going to be a big advantage to LG. NEC may be coming out strong but we'll see.

BTW, my recommendations are based on best-bang for your buck. I take into consideration of service, construction quality, image quality and price.

Of course a Westinghouse 42" may be decent for your money, 1080p, lots of features but there are some image quality issues with the set.

I still believe in the term 'You Get What You Pay For'. (atleast in America)

The problem is, you just have to be smart about not paying too little and not paying too much.