Well... The HD DVD is a Toshiba invention and I stick with Toshiba, however I Have a High End Toshiba laptop with built in HD DVD and I have an external Blu ray writer, which I believe to be Sony's rival format...
As a data medium and a finished product the Blu ray discs are a dream to work with.
HD DVD when used as a video medium throws up numerous glitches and has huge incompatibilites with playing equipment, HD TV screens, and some video production software will not write correctly to it.
Every Blu-ray disc has burned sucessfully with awesome picture quality and no equipment incompatibilities either.
Interestingly enough HD footage from a SONY HD camera causes the most problems with the HD DVD when written to a disc!

Ask any AV specialist what to go for at 42".

Here is a clue, it isn't LCD.

i am not saying LCD beats plasma in that size. i am only suggesting your view (from what i gather) that plasma beats lcd everytime, every size, every situation is now begining to be out dated, if you acknowledge there will be varying quality between manufactures of LCD or Plasma.

i agree most 'average' plasma sets beat most 'average' LCD sets, however if you take a top LCD, again i use the sony X series as an example,
and compare it to plasma, the spec is very very similar to, or beats many sets.
however if you compare that same 'top' LCd to a top plasma, say a pioneer kuro, the sony would come no where near it.

i just think you should not be so total in your view of plasma sets. some people can only fit/afford a smaller set, in which case LCD will be better. 52 inch and plasma is better screen. ??