And what are the necessary accessories? Are cables as uniform in quality as the popular press suggests?
i really like Hitachi and Samsung HDTV's. For cables, I ONLY buy the Monster brand. I also bought this: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8296952&type=product&id=1172881564111
Samsung puts out very good HD LCD TV's. I bought one after researching. Supposedly the Panasonic's are good, but I have a 4 year old one that was repaired once, and now shuts off for no reason every so often, so for now I piss on Panasonic. As far as cables I have done some research and don't get sucked into expensive cables as the reality is they aren't worth the money.
One thing you might want to keep in mind if you're in the market is plasma screens are very reflective. If you're going to mount it in a room where a window will be across from it and can't shut out all the light then an lcd might suit you better. If you subscribe to HD with your provider than the difference in sports broadcasts will be one of the best investments you'll make.