Not really. There are equally good and bad examples of all display types. It's not so much what's in the screen as it is what's behind it. Crappy electronics, unfortunately, are common. Many people find that rear projection LYCOS-type sets provide the best combination of large screen size, price and picture quality. As costs decline, plasma and LCD will probably become the norm, and rear projection may eventually die off. But your best bet is to preview all the types, and don't rule out 1080i or even 720p sets either, until you see them. Ignore prices until you settle on a particular technology and brand. You will not see much, if any, difference between 720p and 1080p on screens smaller than 50" unless you sit VERY close.

IMHO, the fastest way to separate the good electronics from the crap is to view them while displaying DVD content, or even broadcast quality. If they can upscale and create a good image from that, you're bound to be satisfied.