Cindy had never purchased a television until she turned 50 at which point she bought a 60" plasma, a 42" plasma, and a 27" lcd. Of course I helped her shop and my preference is lcd.
I would also recommend HD (1080p) so that as technology advances your TV can take advantage of it. One thing to consider about an HD set is that a standard signal looks horrible on one. I had purchased satellite TV with standard def receivers and it worked fine on my tiny TV, but when I hooked up Cindy's HD sets the picture was unwatchable. I had to upgrade to HD receivers which is costing me significantly more.
HD TV with standard signal = bad.
