first off best buy has a bunch of morons working there. for sports plasma is actually better right now as it does better with fast action than LCD. but, you need a slightly darker room than with an lcd. so if you have a huge southern exposure window, you might want to go with lcd. as for 1080p, the only thing that is broadcast in that right now is BluRay. and networks won't be broadcasting in it for about 5-7 when you will most likely be looking for a new tv anyway. i mean all channels are not even broadcast in HD yet, let alone a need for 1080p. also, many channels broadcast sports in 1080i which using interlacing. i would say do not skimp, but you do not need to kill yourself. if you go plasma the two top brands are Pioneer Elite or Panasonic. I went with Panasonic since it did just as well as the Pioneer Elite in screen performance but didn't have as many inputs. The other thing to realize is that sound with HD has as much to with your experience as the picture. I upgraded my receiver this year so it can do all of my switching for me so i don't have to worry about changing my TV inputs. The receiver also will upconvert my DVD's to help get them a stronger picture. I would say go to Flanner's and talk to the people. They are really helpful. I went to Circuit City and found the people there to be more knowledgeable than Best Buy. Also check out this forum for some good local HD talk www.milwaukeehdtv.org/