I'm in the camp that blacks on LCD's in a dark room just aren't black (except on the best, most expensive sets, where they are black, but only when viewed head on). Plasma is obviously better.
I also urge you to compare a 1024 x 768 set with your current display (unless your current display is also 1024 x 768).
Despite the manufacturers marketing hoo-hah, 1024 x 768 is not HD. It is only 80% of the resolution of a 720p signal and only about one-third the resolution of a 1080i/p signal.
In addition, that arrangement of pixels in a widescreen display means the pixels are rectangular, rather than square as they are with 1280 x 720, 1366 x 768 or 1920 x 1080 displays and 720p or 1080i/p signals. This inevitably leads to scaling errors and artifacts.
Will it look bad? No.
Will it look as sharp and detailed on HD signals as a 1366 x 768 or 1920 x 1080 display? No.
Only you can decide if the difference is worth the extra price.
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