I think any of the 42-46 inch range should be in your price range. You will want 1080p and either plasma or LCD maybe the LED has gone down in price since I last looked at it... but they tend to be a bit more expensive.. you shouldn't compare contrast ratio's because usually manufacturers use different measuring methods, just go look at how they look first. If you go with Sony/Samsung/Sharp you don't usually have to worry about contrast ratios as they are all pretty similar. I am not too familiar with plasmas but are usually pretty nice if you go with panasonic, I believe Samsung makes a nice one as well?
Plasma has improved a lot and burn in is pretty much non-existent...
It basically comes down to what you want to do and how much money you want to throw at them. I am partial to my speakers but just do some research and stay away from Bose
-Colin