I purchased the Samsung HPT5054 online from Abesofmaine.com and I'm totally happy with it. The picture quality is excellent, especially when you compare it with other models side by side. I had done some research on different models and decided to go with the Panasonic... until I saw the Panasonic and the Samsung side by side in a store. The picture quality of the Samsung was far superior to the Panasonic, mainly because of the 15000-1 contrast ratio verses the Panasonic 10000-1 ratio. The TV also looks good just sitting because of the sleek design. I made the decision to purchase the Samsung but I ordered it online, paid $1575.55 for it but got a 3 year extended warranty for an additional $225.00, making my total $1800.55. This was a savings of 654.12 because purchasing the same TV and warranty at the best price I found at a retail location would have been 2454.67 with tax and everything included. Anyway, I received the TV 5 days later plugged it in and everything worked great. I didn't have HD satellite though so I thought I would plug in an antenna and see what HD channels I could pick up. I was amazed at the picture quality that I got with a cheap antenna that I had laying around the house! It was so good that I think I'm going to just stick with the free TV for a while and see how things go. There are several settings on the TV to adjust picture and sound but I just use the presets to minimize the confusion. I'm not sure why there have been bad reviews on sound quality of this TV on other websites but I think it's just fine. About the screen burn in or image retention... with any plasma TV you'll experience some temporary image retention. For example, if the TV goes from a bright scene and flashes to a black screen quickly, such as when a show goes to a commercial, you might see some image retention but it's not permanent. Over time on-screen logos for TV stations could cause some image retention but there are settings on this TV to get rid of that as well... personally, because of this I think it should be illegal for the broadcasters to leave the logos on the screen, but that's my opinion. Anyway, unless you plan on going sitting and watching an all white or black screen for any extended period of time, don't worry about burn in or image retention. Don't listen to the few bad reviews about this TV. They are probably coming from the few people that you just can't please no matter what you do. This TV is the best TV that you are going to find in this price range. I have absolutely no regrets!

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 1575.00