I have narrowed down my options of a new tv to these two choices. I was wondering if the 25K contrast compared to 30K contrast really made a big difference. Also does the amp really make the picture that much smoother or is it the same without it? All said which one should I buy. Other models could be mentioned if there are better sets than these but my price cap is 1.7K. Thanks for the help.

To be honest, you don't really use the amp at all while watching movies, atleast if you want to see the movie the way it was intended. The amp is pretty good when you are wathcing sports, but even then, it boils down to how you want to see it.