This should be a really easy question to answer, but the saga of my first HDTV buying experience (during college) is a unique one. I got bad buyer's remorse and couldn't make up my mind.
1) I saw that Future Shop was having a sale for Thanksgiving and I'd wanted a TV for my newly constructed bedroom, so that I could game. The 32" Sharp Aquos looked nice (this was a 2006 model, so likely LC32D62U or something along those lines), so I bought it. However, when I got it home and had yet to open it, I decided it was too small.
2) I was talked into buying a floor model DLP TV at the Sony Store for a discount, because I was an idiot. They sent it on a truck with straps over it, and it arrived scratched so I sent it back. Man, am I glad that I did.
3) Ended up buying a Samsung 1080i/720p TV. It's 40" and my parents still use it in our family room.
However, after setting it up and using it for a while, I got buyer's remorse and wanted 1080p so I sold it to my parents and bought the TV I'm still using: a Sharp, 42" LC42D62U Aquos.
It makes a whirring noise during black screens and loading screens that are black, and the HDMI ports need to be reset when the sound cuts off from time to time, but it's okay for now. It's been a spectacular TV. And it still seems to have better sound than some of the modern TVs I've listened to, especially my friend's Samsung.