Agreed, but lots of people do it. It would be OK so long as you had a comfortable seating distance. A friend of mine has a similar setup and it's not as odd a viewing experience as one might think. Works very well into existing decor.
I wish I could offer some pics for you Craig but unfortunately no dice. Try doing some searches on net for "plasma fireplace" or such. Or look for plasma mounting bracket suppliers and they might have a gallery.