Samsung PN43E450

Pros: Had a great picture, when it used to work.

Cons: Not reliable, if it cracks, the repair will cost twice as much as the set costs new. Not sure they will even cover it under warranty, from what I've seen elsewhere.

Summary: I got this TV for my kids to play X-box on and to watch TVs and movies in the basement. For about 22 months, it worked absolutely great, and the picture was fantastic. Until, one day, a crack appeared, sort of under the glass. There was no apparent damage to the outer glass, and though I suspected maybe something hit the TV, my kids (who are honest and responsible) insisted it just stopped working while they were playing a game. I had a service tech come out, who advised that the entire panel would have to be replaced, at a cost of over $800! I called Samsung to complain about this apparent design or manufacturing defect, and hoped that they would do something even though the TV was several months off warranty. As I waited, I researched "cracked Samsung plasma" online, and realized I was one of probably thousands experiencing the same type of crack suddenly appearing in a Samsung plasma TV. My experience with Samsung was identical to the hundreds of other reviews online - they simply said there was nothing they would do since it was caused by physical damage. I've since bought a new TV (not a Samsung), and you can see the damage to my tv at crackedplasma dot com.