Plasma TV questions

[I.Rowboat]

Thinking of replacing our aging 27" CRT with a 42" plasma monitor. Looking at the Panasonic TH-42PWD7UY. It's a no-frills industrial display with no built-in tuner (which is fine) and somewhat limited inputs, but it's supposed to have the best picture in its class, which is what I care most about. It's also EDTV (not HDTV), but this isn't an issue with me, either, as there appears to be little quality difference between the two formats on screens smaller than 50" (reference). Unfortunately, it's also last year's model and I can't find one locally to check out, but I hope to pick one online after the holidays, when (presumably) I should be able to find a better deal on 2005 models...

Anyone here familiar with this display or with plasma TV's in general? Any opinions/experiences welcome.

Thanks.