(FYI, I've sold and financed TVs for over 10 years and the ones we carry are low end models, so I may not be a TV "expert", but I do have lots of experience with low-priced models)
Even though plasmas do not burn in as bad as they used to, they are still heavy, run hot, usually aren't 1080p, easier to break, and have serious issues with the screen being reflective. I would personally not buy one. Stick with an LED.
All of the major companies make low-priced models and most of them are pretty good, for example LG, Sony, and Samsung. Another brand you might consider is Sanyo. Sanyo TVs have fewer features, but they have some of the best pricing and in my experience they are extremely reliable. Vizio I would avoid at all costs(extremely high amount of service issues).