I'm in the process of moving up from my 4-5 year old Sony LCD Bravia 32XBR4 to a 50" plasma. I'm now down to a Samsung and a Panasonic. I briefly demo'd the Panny GT30 but want to get more time with it and check out the competing Samsung as well.

I got two independent opinions from salesmen at different retailers preferring the Panasonic, particularly the VT series. Sadly, Panasonic did not decide to offer it in a 50" size. A 55" model is the smallest and I can't accomodate it in my setup. They still praise the GT series over the Samsung. Prices are comparable.

Any people care to chime in on these models? At present I'm leaning towards the Panasonic but there are pluses on the Samsung side from what I see: more comprehensive apps/internet suite, much better power consumption figures and a larger set of settings/controls options.

This is my first plasma so I want to make a good informed choice. Suggestions are certainly welcome.