Well, after visiting one of the local AV stores to check out the Panasonic AE700 and a few other LCD units, I have returned to my senses.
A friend of mine has a Sanyo Z2, and I’ve even seen in in an A/B comparison with my CRT. The screendoor effect really, really bugged me – but softening the focus on the LCD helped that to an acceptable level with no real apparent loss of detail (from DVD mind you, which is being scaled up) — an HD feed would probably look overly soft.
I’d have to say that the Sanyo Z2 really impressed me. I still may end up with one. However, after seeing the current ‘state of the art’ on display I’m disappointed. I don’t think I would be happy in my price range with what is availble now – so I’m going to stick with the CRT for a bit longer.