Recommendations for a nice direct view set

Panasonic Tau or
Sony 36 something 300

Sony 36 something 800 is awesome but more money!

Do you need HDTV? If so the best value would be the 32" Samsung for $900 at Costco. Even with the compromised setup at Costco, the resolution and true whites surpass the Sony or Pana HDTVs at $1500. Or if you do not mind the scan lines, I think you can find a 36" non HDTV Sony or Pana. If you watch primarily movies you should get a good rear projection widescreen, like a 42" Toshiba Cinema Series for around the same price.

Several weeks ago, I made a post to a similar thread that summarized the ratings of TV's by "The Perfect Vision". If you are interested in the thread, here is the link:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?bhome&1038794285&openusid&zzSdcampbell&4&5#Sdcampbell

The Toshiba 36HFX72 was recently selected as product of the year by The Perfect Vision. It has more features than SONY and costs less. Highly recommended.