HiDef DVD vs. High End Legacy

I am looking at the new Levinson 51 which will not be upgradeable to HiDef. Levinson says this unit will be superior in sound and video to anything on the market and that HiDef won't be a factor in quality. I would like input from the group on these issues. Whether its Levinson or one of the other manufacturers of quality audio/video transports I am concerned about making the investment in light of changing technology. HiDef has been fumbled for years with the industry failing to reach consensus on a standard. It appears to be years before anything is worked out and reviews of equipment being marketed in the first generation are not encouraging despite the excellent resolution. With a high end video display system an excellent picture can be produced without HiDef. Weigh in.