1080p an issue for now?

Liz - I'm a little lost here. What Hi Rez format has died...even a slow death? "Five years from now 4X higher resolution than 1080p stuff will be coming."

This scenario is the same as the evolution of the computer. I can guarentee you're not using the same 386 you used 15 years ago. Or even the 2.5 Ghz Pentium D computer from 3 years ago. Technology has advanced by leaps and bounds since then. Computers have becuase amazingly faster then the 386. And even remarkable faster and better within the last 3 years. So did the computer die a slow death? Of course not. As technology advanced, so did the computer. Same thing here. BluRay and HDDVD are just advancements of the video formats. Video didn't die, it just got better as research and technology allowed it to.

"my perception is that a 1080p screen is worth the extra money but NOT because of BluRay or HDDVD."

These are the only available mediums that offer 1080p information. Outside of BluRay and HDDVD, there isn't anything else offering 1080p, other than a video scaler. Thats a whole nother topic and forum to itself.

Believe it or not, techonology does have some bearing on the market...every now and again. ; )

Dbwl - Get the 1080p plasma. Yes, 1080p won't be broadcasted for a while, but HD DVD and other 1080p sources are available, if you need 1080p to ease your fears. Also keep in mind, 1080i or 720p is HD. If you have plasma that can hanlde 1080p very well, you can only imagine how 720p will look.

DBW1 - Crutchfield.com

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-XfNaUKiM947/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=146350&I=284LC52D62

Dbw1 - I found these on the net @ vanns.com. No tax or shipping. Both are 50" or over full 1080p LCD. I'll post again if I stumble across any more.

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/462999246

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/462999810

Dave...it seems as if its more of a budget issue than technology issue. If you're looking into getting a 1080p LCD along with some type of 1080p media, then yes its truely worth every dime. However, if you're only gonna feed the 1080p LCD 720p or 1080i, then it may not be worth it at this point. BluRay or HDDVD isn't going anyware for the time being. They will get better yes, but they are here for a while. Remember, they said the same thing about digital CD's. And don't forget, BetaMax was the thing of the future, not VHS.

IMO, your safe either way. If upgrading in 5 years or so is not an issue to contemplate, then spend the 2G's. This will more than likely be the very earliest you would have media available to upgrade to. If you wanna future proof, now isn't the best time. Also, keep in mind, 1080p may be broadcasted in 5 years or so. Maybe. But it will be probably another 5-7 years or so after that before a higher resolution than 1080p is broadcasted. That could easily be about 10 years before you would be "forced" to upgrade. Even then, you're not forced to do that.

Here's a suggestion for the "best bang for your buck". If you wanna get the 1080p but don't wanna chance HDDVD or BluRay, then take the money for the HD player and get a low priced video scaler. New or used, its your call. You may end up spending roughly the same price overall ($1000 vs. $15-1800). That way, every signal you feed the scaler can be processed to whatever your LCD can handle. If your LCD can handle 1080p, then everything the scaler processes with be output to 1080p. This includes, video games, dvd's, cable/satallite, etc. Same rules for 720p or 1080i, or any point in between.

"a related question - if plasma has better picture quality than rear projection (to my eyes it does), will that continue to be true if the source is 1080p and the rear projection handles 1080p but the plasma doesn't?"

Yes...unless the "foundation" of rear projection is further developed and upgraded. 1080p will remain 1080p; Plasma will just do a better job of showing it than RP, until RP is upgraded and developed. Meaning, since plasma does a better job at showing the media, be it 720p or 1080p, the plasma will produce a better picture than RP because it can do the job better...until RP is further developed. When this happens, RP can take the place of plasma because the "foundation" is stronger and development has taken place. Its a huge claim to say now, but it can happen; should RP be further developed and upgraded. Its actually taking place now; DLP is incorporated with RP. The more DLP is developed, the better RP gets, and so on.

Scalers actually take the 480p, 720p, 1080i or whathaveyou signal, processes it (de-interlace for XXXi signals and progressively scans the signal), then outputs it to the specified resolution. You are correct, they upscale the signal.

Check out DVDO.com. They offer scalers in the $1200 to 2K range. I was thinking of the iScale HD+ in particular, which scales up to 1080p. The MSRP from DVDO.com is $1500. Play your cards right and shop around, you probably can find it a little cheaper. Plus they have liturature for scalers in general and how DVDO scalers work too.

The VP20/30/50 are a little more expensive the higher you progress but they also offer 1080p and are better processors. IMO, they have a scaler that might fit your budget and offer the performance you're looking for.