1080p an issue for now?

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.

thanks folks for the info on scalers. looks like a 1080p plasma and a video scaler are not in the budget right now. i'll probably just go with either the panasonic 50 inch (60u) or the hitachi 55hds69. i seem to be getting a new tv every 7 to 8 years anyway, so i guess that'll be the plan. i think the panasonic is supposed to have a slightly better picture quality, but the hitachi is probably a better size for me (12 to 14 feet from the screen). thoughts?

If you can get due without the 1080p then you are in luck as there will soon be many 1080p units available and dealers will have to get rid of the old. I think December and January will be good times to go for the deal. I bought my plasma over the internet and the savings are really good. I got my choices down to Panasonic, LG and NEC. I bought the commercial NEC unit from Cleveland Plasma and I ordered it on Monday and it was installed on Friday. For videophile comparisons between these units go to AVSFORUM.com, paying special attention to the NEW NEC (50XM5 and 50XR5) thread. Over four thousands posts and hardly a single regret.

Oh, my 50XM5 will input 1080p over DVI and I got mine for roughly $3,800.00, including shipping.

Dave,

I second the comment by Bmcleod that a 50" display at 12' - 14' is too small. I have been using a 61" display sitting about 10' feet away, and I just orderd a 71" display to replace the 61". Just my own perspective, but I would quickly become disenchanted and want a larger display than 50" at that distance.

Bruce

To touch on the original post - 1080p is a "nice to have" but far and away not the most important thing. For a screen in the 50" or 55", a solid 720p image is going to look outstanding. Even 1080p Blue ray scaled down to 720p is going to look really, really good.

Could you tell the difference 6-7 feet away between 720p and 1080p on a 50" plasma?

Maybe - But it's going to be subtle. But given the fact that right now there is hardly any 1080p content in existance, and that it's unlikely that more will be showing up any time soon... it makes the choice clear for a plasma.

720p is just fine, especially when $$ is a factor