Generally, the later you get the TV, the better it is ;-p
My 1.7K 23" 2 yrs ago is already obselete now. ;-p
Anyway, LG / Samsung is the cheapest decent brands (Emm, they make all the LCD Panels anyway).
However, personally I preferred Jap Brands like Sharp.
Why? I would say the intuitiveness of the control layout. Most of them can have the same thing, but the controls are different.
I have 3 LCD TVs at home, a Samsung, a Sharp & a LG.
I would say that the best of the lot will be Sharp. Donno how to explain but use it and you know.
However, I think that the sharp's darkest black (You know, the LCD True-Black thingy) is not dark enuff.
One thing, Sony's "Display Quality" always looks good is b'cos they have the post-process image.
As for me, I think that it is too fake.
Also, I think to get a LCD TV at $3600 before discount is not a good pricing.
It is at the 3rd Tier range which is still very prone to major depreciations.
1st Tier: Around $9999 - $19999
2nd Tier: $5000 - $6000
3rd Tier: $3200 - $3800
4th Tier: $2400 - $2999
5th Tier: $1600 - $2199
6th Tier: $1199 - $1499
Run of the mill: $699 - $999
Basically, Best is buy at around 5th Tier.
A balance between Value vs Technological advancements at consumer levels (at the Point of purchase)