Good timing for this thread. I am looking for a 50" or greater flat-panel. The newer plasmas do not have burn-in happening before 60k hours as ChriF mentioned. I already have an Aquos and happy with it. Sharp now has a 65" LCD but very expensive. Sony Bravia is a joint veture between Sony and another brand.
I am exploring plasma options. Pioneer recently came out with new 50" PRO-1130HD WXGA screen with brightness of 1100 and contrast of 4000:1. I have heard most plasma screens are made by Fujitsu-Hitachi joint venture. Fujitsu plasmas are also very good.