Do your homework, and don't even think of buying one without going out and looking at various models that interest you. It's also important to read some reliable reviews to get an idea about performance and service problems that may not be immediately apparent. A low price on a less than satisfactory set will leave you disappointed for a long time.
One good way to look for both competitive prices and reviews is to search Google for just the model number. Don't forget to enclose any model number containing spaces, hyphens, etc. in quotes so it searches first for the complete number.
I've been really impressed with the current crop of Samsung LCD's. They've got exceptionally good contrast, and very very low light leakage on black, including on the side panels when displaying 4:3 ratio pictures.
HDTV's are one of the few items where I'd recommend buying an extended warranty for a combination of reasons. The most common expensive item to fail is the flourescent backlight. The technology of flat panel HDTV's is advancing and prices are falling so quickly, that, if it goes shortly after the manufacturer's warranty is up, the cost of fixing it may be too great compared to buying a newer, better set that will cost even less than you'll have paid for the one you have.
I bought my Samsung 32" LCD last October, and I'm very happy with it... At least, I was until I took my Mom shopping for one a few weeks ago. She also ended up liking the current Samsung, and she paid about the same price as I paid. The performance of her set is about the same as mine, except that it has more features and the blacks are so much better than mine.
Once you've narrowed your choices, then, it's time to go foraging for coupons, specials and price matching. I did for both my set and my Mom's and in both cases, I was able to knock the bottom line down several hundred dollars from where we started.
Last item -- LCD TV's are light. If you live in an area that has competitive B&M stores (for example, Circuit City vs. Best Buy), you can save the shipping charges if you have vehichle large enough to transport it home. Unless you're going to hang it on the wall, if you can deal with the innards of your puter, setting up an HDTV's a no brainer.
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