Are you willing to pay more for brand name products? Just because it's a well-known brand name doesn't mean it's any better than a third-party product made by a not-so-well-known company.
In terms of plasma televisions, the first products that come to mind are those made by Sharp and Sony, respectively. But if you're looking for a 42" model, expect to pay upwards of $1,200. On the other hand, there are brands such as Akai, which offer close to, or exactly, the same product, but for $400 cheaper. Although the company isn't as well recognized by the public, its televisions are still constructed out of high quality parts. In fact, some people have actually complained about buying a defective Sony product and having to return it.
There are positives and negatives associated with each brand, but no one brand is better than another. With every brand, you can be sure to find at least one person who is completely satisfied with it, and at least one person who is completely enraged by it.
The only time that brand name is important is when only one kind of product associated with said brand exists. For example, although Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft all have their own video game consoles, each company has certain specific games that only they produce. Only Nintendo themselves produce Pokémon games, so it's not like you can purchase a copy of Pokémon Battle Revolution from a third-party publisher for less than half the price of the actual copy.
So the next time you look at purchasing a product, whether from the electronics store or the grocery market, make sure you check out ALL the brands that offer it. Remember - you can save hundreds of dollars just depending on the company name.
