Do not get your TV at Wal-Mart....you may get lucky or you may not. Wal-mart forces electronic suppliers to give them electronics at lower prices. To make a profit the suppliers have to put cheaper made components in place of better ones so they can sell their product at Wal-Mart. Even big brand name companies do it, if you look at the model number, it will be different than the one listed on the website (it will have an identifier like WM, N, or A, this letter differs per company, at the beginning or end of the model number).
Thats why I never buy anything electronic worth more than 200 dollars at walmart...
As far as Plasma TVs go, they have come up in quality a lot since the early 2000s and will last a lot longer from what I hear.
I have an 32" Samsung LCD and its lasted me over 2 years so far and the picture quality is really good.
Also don't be fooled by the sales people saying that 1080p is so much better than 720p. There is a difference...but to the human eye, few can tell without being told. The main stats you want to look at is hertz and of course the back light type.
And finally, if they try to sell you an HDMI cable, dont let them convince you that a gold plated one is better than a regular one...HDMI cables either work or the dont, thats the beauty of Digital. So if you by the cheap HDMI cable it will have just as good a picture as a $60. The only time that you need the more expensive kind is if you are burying it, running it over 25 ft, or running it through walls.
If you want an HDMI cable this is the site where I got mine, works great and much cheaper than any retail store.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/se...d=hdmi&x=0&y=0