If you pay close attention you see the difference between EDTV and HDTV. The lines are more separated and visible on EDTV (because of less resolution) than HDTV. Yes your dvd's will look fine on an EDTV but with the new upconvert DVD players using HDMI or DVI cables you see better contrast on an HDTV plasma then you would on an EDTV plasma. The images are more solid because of the higher lines of resolution on an HDTV plasma as well. However, I do agree that a high end ED Plasma (like a Panasonic) will look better than a low end HD Plasma (like Magnavox or Maxent) because it would have better contrast and better connections available. Right cables are neccessary ofcourse. For people justifying that these are temporary sets to provide a temporary upgrade? How much money do you have lying around that 1000 bucks (997) is a temporary upgrade. If you have SD cable you are better off getting a HD tube for half the price and still have your tv looking great. You will probably argue and say I wanted a bigger size....well it's just a temporary solution isn't it? Also HDTV subscription is not an arm and a leg. If you just wanted regular cable/satellite channels with HD your looking at 50 to 60 a month. If you wanted all the premium channels as well, you already are paying close to 100 a month and its only 5 dollars extra. You are paying for a service to use higher capacity cables (HDMI, DVI). Go to any retail store and observe the HDTVs with EDTVs. Images, letters, overall pictures will have a screen door effect that is more visible on EDTVs. Most HDTV plasmas (the good ones) will also have a built in ATSC tuner which gives you off the air broadcast HDTV. This justifies you not having to pay for HDTV until you deem it worth your price (when more channels are in HD). Also, Many of the new DLP's are in 1080P but no TV broadcast will be in 1080P. Blu - Ray disc players will also cost you in the thousands when first introduced.
