1080p an issue for now?

Well, my perception is that a 1080p screen is worth the extra money but NOT because of BluRay or HDDVD.
BluRay and HDDVD are just like DVD-A and SACD.
Formats that the corp. giants brought out ONLY BECAUSE the 'other' one threatened to bring it out.. maybe.. so they BOTH rushed them into the retail market, even though they offered no real advantage to the normal consumer. BluRay and HDDVD will die the same slow death as the failed 'hi-res' sound formats. Five years from now 4X higher resolution than 1080p stuff will be coming.

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. ; )

If you are a bit confused by all of this try going over to AVSFORUM.com

I would get 1080p because: it's the best that's out there, the premium is low, software is available for it, and scaled material may benefit. But at 12-14' I think 50" is just too small, I'm the same distance and wouldn't have less than the 73" I'm now using. You don't have to go that big but 57-65's are reasonably priced and looking very good (assuming you have HD OTA or Sat. material also available.) The 50" plasma may give you a better picture but might not give you a better "experience".

hang on...the premium for 1080p is actually quite high for plasma. i didn't really like rear projection, which can be had with 1080p relatively cheaply. you can't get it in plasma for under 5 or 6k at least.

i have been wondering if 50 inches isn't going to be big enough. the panasonic 58 inch is at least 3500, and the hitachi 55 inch is around 3k. but, neither has 1080p. does anyone know of a plasma with 1080p that's not going to cost upwards of 5k? thanks. -dave