Ignore the comment on 1080p HDTVs because 1080p sources are not even out and won't be for a long while. Plus, with DLP, some people get some serious eye fatigue and headache since DLP works off of a mechanical, spinning color-wheel. So it's very smart to preview DLPs beforehand for many hours before buying them.
With a budget of 2 grand, I would suggest you get the biggest screen using an LCD-RPTV format. Best bang for the buck. Plasmas are nice but they still have a small chance of serious burn-in despite today's latest technology preventing such problems. You can easily land a 42" Sony LCD-RPTV for under 2k.
Also, stay away from any CRT-RPTVs. Poor viewing angles and they are actually being phased out of existence (same goes along with direct-view CRTs).
I would suggest you seriously consider DLP and LCD-RPTV and if you think DLP is nice, make sure you sit down at a store and stare at one for a while to see if you can see any of those dreaded "rainbow effects". LCD-RPTVs have their own drawbacks as well, such as the screen-door-effect, the silk-screen effect, and also have poor black levels (the darkest blacks on LCD-RPTVs will appear dark gray instead of near-black as seen in direct-view CRTs).
Also keep in mind that you should get an HDTV that is HD-ready instead of HD "upgradeable". An HD-ready TV can take a digital source and automatically convert the signal into HDTV format while an HD upgradeable TV requires a converter (usually in the form of an annoying set-top-box).
I highly suggest you go to the audio visual science forum at
www.avsforum.com. Your question has been asked already on that forum a hundred times so a simple search would suffice.