LCD vs. Plasma Televisions?

I'm aware of the intricacies and differences of the two types of televisions. However, upon visiting several stores and witnessing the technology for myself firsthand, I found it hard to tell the difference in overall video quality. Some plasmas and LCD's had very little differences in terms of contrast and brightness of colors. Some plasmas looked better than LCD's, and some LCD's looked better than plasmas. Even the high refresh rates of plasmas seemed insignificant when watching a sporting event when compared to the LCD's. Motion blur didn't seem noticeable on either. After seeing both for myself, I must ask: Is simply having a more colorful picture with darker blacks and whiter whites and less motion blur really necessary? I'm begging the question: Are the differences in video quality so significant that I should go with a plasma? Because the features that plasmas boast such as bright color, darker blacks, and high refresh rates are very important to me. Does anyone own one of both? How are they?