Originally Posted by alanw
I think the picture is the last thing I would consider seriously in the store. Like CPRich says, once you get used to an ISF-calibrated picture, the others look like an acid trip. Find a model that has the features and price you like, then invest the $300 or so for a calibration.
While I agree that calibration does make a difference, some things cannot be calibrated. I can attest that, for example, there is a noticable difference in the picture quality of, say, a Samsung and a Westinghouse LCD. Likewise a Maxent 50" Plasma may have similar features to a Hitachi plasma, the Hitachi is lightyears ahead. (I know that Hitachi does not make a 50", only the 42" and the 55")