Haier 42EP24S plasma TV?

I'm getting my bonus tomorrow and my TV (NEVER BUY PHILIPS TVS FOR THEY ARE MADE OF SUCK AND AWFUL) has been dying for the past year and a half or so.  It's got two big blotches after watching for 20 minutes; they dim the brightness and leech away the color.  It's really on the crap. 

I want a plasma TV.  Plasma is preferable to LCD for me from what I've been told, and this looks like a pretty good deal:

http://www.electronics-expo.com/product.jsp?x=42EP24S

It seems to good to be true.  Of course, it's a no-name brand and has no HD/ED tuner, but I can always get one of those in the future if the need arises.  It looks solid, I can always get a replacement plan, and with the new iPod Hi-Fi, I can have a pretty decent set-up for now and when the PS3 comes out, too. 

I'm not a huge TV watcher, but I game a lot, and the TV we have in our living room is also a Philips that is crap.  It's blurry, not enough to affect regular TV watching TOO much, but playing RPGs is out of the question; the text is unreadable.

Any thoughts or experience?

go for it.

Don't know about the plasma screen, but the (haier)air conditioner is total crap. Turns out Haier products is made in china -_-

>> Maximum Resolution: 852 x 480

I don't think you have realized the glaring difference between EDTV and HDTV. Let me point it out now.

HDTV supports, at absolute minimum, 1024x720 (or 1024x768 with your ps3).

Upshoot is that you are going to be less than pleased with your ps3 experience if you see your friend running his on a real HDTV. I GUARANTEE IT.

| NEVER BUY PHILIPS TVS FOR THEY ARE MADE OF SUCK AND AWFUL

I can wholeheartedly agree. Stay away from their DVD players/recorders as well.

Buying a plasma now is just throwing your money away. Unless your going to be sitting VERY far away the picture is going to be shit, and most likely the thing will have burn in and die in a couple of years of regualr usage.