Hello,
I saw an ad in a 'Vegas paper on Thursday.
The ad was for a factory rep demo of the new Toshiba HD-DVD player (pre-order at $499.00 -yipee).
These appear to be right around the corner.
If your new plasma doesn't do at least 1080i and have HDMI connection, I'd reconsider the purchase.
Not trying to rain on your parade Audiogon friend...