I'd certainly go read the AVS Forum discussions of these sets, and they are extensive. The new Sony GW XBRs are second generation LCD RPTV and thus avoid issues of burn-in and convergence inherent to CRT RPTVs. The XBRs tend to be more expensive, and may not give quite as pleasing a picture...
Consumer Reports, Consumer Review, Epinions, this Forum, AVS Forum, Consumer Guide, etc. Also check out online mags like http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com./ and Amazon reviews.
TVs are in a time of rapid evolution. Plasma prices appear to be dropping daily. DLP RPTVs are just being introduced. No doubt whatever you buy tody will be obsolete tomorrow, just like your computer is obsolete the day after you buy. Nonetheless, the technology today is better than ever, so...
I'm no expert, but I've done a lot of reading about TVs lately, as I'm in the market for a large screen HDTV. Historically, at least, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, and Hitachi have generally superior ratings in RPTVs. Sony has had weaknesses in this area, but in the current model year, has come on...
Personally, I went with direct view for multiple reasons, but mostly because of the limited vertical viewing angle of RPTVs. From what I've been able to find out, the Sony direct views have DVI, while many others do not, and appear to have the best set of viewing modes and less compatability...