Samsung have a rep for building and selling a lot of good stuff at rock bottom prices but getting pretty snarly when some nobody gets stuck with one of their lemons. It is an attitude that seems to be gaining ground among many foreign appliance makers these days and some that are native to North America as well. Given the odds, your best bet is getting the Costco Samsung you like with the total of 5 years Costco/SquareDeal warranty coverage (final three for an extra $100). Good viewing!

Golly-by-gosh! You sure brought up quite a comparison for me to comment on! Yes, what the salesman told you was true, but a little bit more 10 years ago... LCD displays have improved dramatically. The viewing angle is hardly applicable since who is going to watch a television 160 degrees from center? Yes, blacks are better, but it's a relative contrast ratio when actually viewing video. Many people in broadcast and video editing prefer older CRT displays because of their ability to better display blacks and help them match up video scenes and get better edits. But NO televisions produce black - just turn the TV off... is the screen really black? No, it's only the perceived black to white ratio. While Sony has had a history of very well designed and built products for years, I believe, they have had more than their share of problems in recent years. Panasonic has a very good reputation in design and engineering over the years, and I personally now tend to have a little more faith in them. So, the difference here is now that the Panasonic plasmas will use up to three times the electrical power (roughly 450 watts versus around 150 watts for a 55 inch), weigh about twice as much (could be a concern if wall mounting), and plasmas have problems with reflections and sometimes remote controls (due to them generating IR light energy). But if those were my ONLY two choices, I'd have to go with the Panasonic - but neither would really be one of my first choices. Look at other major brands such as Sharp, Toshiba, and Vizio. Also compare remote control functions and feel, on-screen menu intuitiveness, and sound quality.

We have a similar layout with the fireplace in the corner. And the tv on that wall. In our case we really needed a BIG tv to watch while working in the kitchen or from the breakfast nook. Make sure you get the biggest tv right off the bat to choose the right size console. I'm looking at floating and free standing, but the larger floating ones come in three pieces with seams on the top that I do not like. For our space I'm looking at sectionals. I'm following to see what happens here. Here is a picture of our space.

I just finished a new second story on our home. We now have an ocean view so I had a little fun by downloading an image and making a custom wave mural. I entered the company's contest (murals your way) and I am a finalist! I only have till April 11th to win their contest. Since I am not a big social media person, this is my shameless plug can you go on facebook and vote for me? Just click on the link, click on my wave photo and hit "like"-thats it! Many many thanks in advance....https://bit.ly/2q44fi7