I second what Justin says........
I have multiple Sony's with absolutely no HDMI ssues. Old boxes and new boxes and it doesn't seem to matter. Sammy's seem to have more issues. I personally would buy a Sammy now and use some sort of work around to not have the HDMI issue. ie... use component cables. But that is just my humble opinion. I still would stay away from plasmas unless you have a bright room. Even the best still have some burn in issues.