I would like to know if there is a TV set that meets all of these criteria: 
Less than $3,000; not more than 18 inch depth; horizontal picture.

One of my favorite sites for comparison shopping is Epinions. Here
you'll find a selection of flat-panel televisions which are HDTV-ready
and which sell for under $3000:

Epinions: Flat Panel Televisions
http://www.epinions.com/Flat_Panel_Televisions-HDTV_Ready-price_bucket_2

Note that several of the 29 televisions listed in this category offer
consumer reviews of the product. This is an area where Epinions
excels; the reviews are from actual users, and are quite unbiased,
even though Epinions carries advertising from some merchants. I've
seen high praise in reviews, but I've also seen very harsh
condemnation of products.

The standout product among those rated by Epinions' users is the
Panasonic PT-42PD3-P, a 42-inch (diagonal) plasma unit which is only
3.5 inches in depth:

"One look at the new wide-screen multimedia plasma display units
introduced by Panasonic is enough to appreciate how this new digital
technology has been elevated to an art form. The leading marketer of
digital television products adds new state-of-the-art plasma display
panel to its extensive DTV line. The PT-42PD3-P plasma TV looks like
no other television you've ever seen. This lightweight plasma TV has a
huge screen. Its ultra-thin design is only half the picture. You'll
also appreciate outstanding picture quality. The PT-42PD3-P is digital
ready, with UXGA compatibility to hook up to your PC. A real work of
art (which can actually be hung on a wall!), Panasonic's plasma TV
never fails to turn heads."

Epinions: Panasonic PT-42PD3-P 42 in. Flat Panel Television
http://www.epinions.com/Panasonic_42_Plaasma_Display_DTV_Monitor_PT_42PD3_P__T/display_~full_specs

The user reviews of the Panasonic PT-42PD3-P are uniformly favorable:

Epinions: Panasonic PT-42PD3-P 42 in. Flat Panel Television
http://www.epinions.com/Panasonic_42_Plaasma_Display_DTV_Monitor_PT_42PD3_P__T/display_~reviews

The Panasonic PT-42PD3-P is a discontinued model, and many vendors no
longer carry it, but it is listed for purchase by these two merchants
for under $3000:

PlasmaKings
http://www.plasmakings.com/productdetail.asp?level=45&catid=50&productid=227

PlasmaGuru
http://www.plasmaguru.com/Air/?p=uvl&id=117

Here you'll find a good comparison of several 42-inch plasma televisions:

CNET: 42-inch plasma potpourri
http://att.com.com/4520-6482_7-5094491.html

Similar to Epinions are BizRate, DealTime, and NexTag. These are the
selections of under-$3000 flat panel televisions listed by those
sites:

BizRate: Plasma TV
http://bizrate.com/buy/products__keyword--plasma%20tv,cat_id--11520000,att259818--260023-.html

DealTime: Flat Panel Televisions
http://ic.dealtime.com/xPP-Flat_Panel_Televisions-plasma_hdtv-9872__1500____3000

NexTag: Flat Panel Televisions
http://www.nextag.com/Plasma~500021z2,800z0zBpb4zmainz5-htm

Top-rated by NexTag's consumer reviewers is the Gateway 42-inch ED
Plasma TV, which was mentioned earlier in a comment by elric-ga. Note,
however, that although the ED line offers greater resolution than a
standard television, this is not an HDTV-ready set. 'ED' stands for
'extended definition'.

A website called cheap-plasma-tv.com has just what you'd expect from a
site by that name: guidelines toward finding the best plasma sets at
the lowest prices. There's lots of useful information here:

Cheap Plasma TV
http://www.cheap-plasma-tv.com/

You can get suggestions from the Active Buyer's Guide's "Plasma
Display Recommender" by selecting the features that are most important
to you:

Active Buyer's Guide: Plasma Display Recommender
http://www10.activebuyersguide.com/abg/nav/StartPageHandler.cfm?PID=55X10X146X53249X82622&option=power&CatID=134&RefID=55&check=0&cmp=6

You'll find many links to reviews and articles about plasma TVs here:

Plasma TV Buying Guide: Plasma / Flat Screen TV Display Monitors Reviews
http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatv/reviews.html

This buyer's guide offers some sensible, unbiased advice:

Plasma TV Buying Guide: How To Buy A Plasma Television in 10 easy steps
http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatelevision.html

Be sure to read these warnings before shopping for your TV online:

Plasma TV Buying Guide:Avoiding Plasma TV Auction Scams
http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatvreviews/onlineauctionscams.html

Plasma TV Buying Guide: FRAUD ALERT!
http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatvreviews/wirescams.html

These sites can provide a wealth of information about plasma televisions:

Plasma TV Guide
http://www.plasmatvguide.com/

Our Plasma Picks
http://www.plasma.com/ourplasmapicks.htm

DTV City: Plasma TV & Display Monitor Reviews
http://www.dtvcity.com/plasma/plasmatvreviews.html

I hope this information is helpful! If anything is unclear, if you
have a question about my research, or if a link doesn't work for you,
please request clarification; I'll gladly offer further assistance
before you rate my answer.

Best regards,
pinkfreud

---

Request for Answer Clarification by wryter-ga on 01 Dec 2003 09:26 PST

Thanks for all the info on plasma TVs. I'm assuming no LCD or
"regular" TVs meet the criteria I initially listed. An article in the
Wall Street Journal last week is steering buyers away from plasma TVs
in favor of LCD, which the author feels is the technology of the
future. The author also said a lot of people are in the same boat I'm
in -- TV options now are very confusing and buying the wrong one can
be a costly mistake.

BTW, you have answered my original question; don't mean to keep
pumping you for more info, but one question leads to another ... If
you feel you've responded adequately, just say so.

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 01 Dec 2003 12:34 PST

I am quite enamored of plasma sets, but LCD televisions are certainly
a viable option. I know of no "regular" CRT television that would meet
your depth requirement.

Below are some links that will lead you to useful info about LCD TVs
in your price range.

Epinions
http://www.epinions.com/Flat_Panel_Televisions-LCD-price_bucket_2

Dealtime
http://www.shopping.com/xPP-Flat_Panel_Televisions-lcd_television-9872__1500____3000~LO-0

Bizrate
http://shop.bizrate.com/buy/products__keyword--lcd%20television,cat_id--11520000,att259818--260023-.html

Here's an article that discusses the relative merits of plasma versus LCD:

High Tech Toys
http://www.hightechtoys.net/technews/plasma%20vs%20lcd%20displays.html

Another good article comparing these two technologies:

Louisville Courier-Journal
http://www.courier-journal.com/gizweb/cols/03/030802.htm

You might be interested in reading my answer to an earlier question
about LCD televisions. While I didn't get into the matter of choosing
a specific set, there are some links here that I think you'll find
helpful:

Google Answers
http://www.answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=217713

~pinkfreud

If you want a large screen that takes up very little space, you can
now get a 42" Plasma screen (4" depth) for less than $3,000 from
Gateway.

http://products.gateway.com/products/GConfig/proddetails.asp?system_id=plsmtv&seg=hm

Is it also high definition? Do you know of any
reviews/recommendations? Also, is this the only one you know that
meets the criteria?

Look into LCD or DLP technology.

I strongly recommend you take a look at DLP televisions. DLP stands
for Digital Light Processing, and is a new technology invented by
Texas Instruments. To my knowledge, only Samsung uses DLP.

What is is, basically: a rear projection television with astounding
quality. Normally rear projection means low contrast and low
brightness. Not with DLP projection televisions. They have a picture
which far surpasses typical projection sets, and they don't suffer
from the poor black levels associated with plasma and LCD sets. In
fact, DLP sets rival good old tube TVs in quality, but they're
hundreds of pounds lighter and several feet thinner. The Samsung 43"
model, which is $2999 at several authorized dealers, is about 15"
deep. Larger models are just 18" deep.

Plasmas and LCDs are great. But if you don't need to hang your TV on a
wall and you don't need that extra foot of space, you might take a
look at these.