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LCDs are. There are only a handful of manufacturers in the world who make the actual screens. The features around the screen though are what differ between manufacturers.

And I wouldn't worry about the longevity. I bought my HDTV in 2002, 7 years ago. It's a 65" rear-projection. It's never blown a bulb or required service. It doesn't have any HDMI inputs, but the components work just well, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a dvd/blu-ray player that doesn't offer component outs still. Even after all this time, it's 1080i display is perfect for DirecTV's 1080i streams.

I believe that whatever you buy today will still be compatible with the hardware of 7-10 years from now.

And oh yes, Vizio is a remarkable buy for its price. CostCo and Sam's Club typically stock them dirt cheap.