I just went through this process. I did very little research except I did go to the website below for advice. I ended up with a 52" Samsung LCD HDTV with 1080 pixels, 120 hz refresh rate and contrast ratio of 50000:1. The picture is outstanding. I can't wait until it arrives. Now I just have to pay extra to get HD through Dish Network.
This place is like the Pelican of audio/visual stuff.
http://www.avsforum.com/
One last thing, I bought the TV and home theater set up from Best Buy. They were throwing deals at me that I couldn't resist. They discounted everything beyond their advertised sale prices plus gave me 3 years interest free! They advertise 18 months same as cash but with great credit, they'll give you up to 3 years.