[Groesbeck Hurricane]

I think Greg has the best reasons for LCD: Total cost of ownership.

The issue is not when you watch, the issue is the sunlight interacting with the TV set. Plasma fades. If the room where the tv will sit during the day is bathed in light then the set will not last as long, significantly shorter lifespan on the picture quality. I believe the life of the screen on Plasma is shorter than the LCD as well for total hours watched. My in-laws keep their set on almost 24/7. Even when no one is home. No issues in over two years and still a lovely picture without fading (wife checked it against her Apple just a couple of weeks ago). Their living room is bathed in light all day long with windows on both the east and west.

I have not been looking for over a year. At that time there were several 720p LCD available. Could this just be an issue in your area? What is the price difference between 720p Plasma and 1080p LCD?

I just never understood the trade-offs between the two and why Plasma would be a better way to go for someone who keeps the equipment for long term. Like you, I kept a picture tube for years after the newer style sets came out. It wasn't until about 2007 that we bought an LCD and that was only because the picture tube went out on our 15 year old Hitachi. Same reason we replaced my moms 15+ year old Sony and in-laws ~7 year old Samsung.

All three of the sets we bought were previous year models that were on deep discounts.