Is it time for me to pull the trigger?
I had been waiting for Pan50X1 to fall into my price range and was content to settle for 720p. However today I stumbled on a Samsung 50B550 for just $125 more than my target price. I know 1080p viewing options are limited at this time but if I'm going to keep the set for a long time, would I be smart to go ahead and invest the extra bucks now?

1080p is the way to go. there are plenty of 1080 sources out there. HD cable and satellite is broadcast in 1080i, there is of course blu-ray, and there are quite a few 1080p games. why take the 1080p sources and down convert them to 720p(768p actually).