So I'm sitting on money waiting for the 2008 Panasonics to hit the streets before I make a purchase - the last two weeks have been brutal, the next 2-4 will be interminable. The problem with all this time is I'm reading way too much (not sure if that's bad) on plasmas here!! :D

Looking at my budget, I've decided that the 42pz80 or 42pz85 would be good for my first HD set. Leaves me with some money to spend on a tv stand (plus I just bought a PS3 a few weeks ago w/ part of my tv funds).

Now the big BUT...

I know a lot of posters here say go for the biggest size panel you can afford, but would you do that at the sacrifice of resolution (PQ is a given first for me)? My viewing distance is around 7-8 ft (max), but would you choose to go w/ a 50" 720p panel over a 42" 1080p? Would I be overwhelmed with a 50" at that distance? The 50" has the flexibility that if I move into a larger place one day and sit further away, my screen won't be "tiny." I wear contacts, so obviously my vision isn't pristine. :D Movies or sports watching will consume 90% of the TV usage.

Best of both worlds would say I could afford a 50" 1080p, but as stated, I'd like to pick up a few accessories to complement the tv (looking at my ancient boston acoustic speakers....). So any thoughts?

That's a tough call. At that distance I don't think most would see a big difference in 720 vs 1080. But....if you get it home and notice SDE then you will be disappointed :( Would be nice if you could view a 720 from that distance somewhere to see if you notice any SDE.

I don't think 50 would be too big by any means though....I recently got a 42 and think I could have easily went 50 all the time :D

Or you could go for the new lowest model 46" Panasonic that is coming out which is 1080p, if you can go up to that price range. The mrsp is 1,999 but I am thinking should be able to get for at least a couple hundred less online. I was torn betweeen 42" and 50" myself but when I saw Panny was adding the 46" line I decided I am going to go with that.

So I'm sitting on money waiting for the 2008 Panasonics to hit the streets before I make a purchase - the last two weeks have been brutal, the next 2-4 will be interminable. The problem with all this time is I'm reading way too much (not sure if that's bad) on plasmas here!! :D

Looking at my budget, I've decided that the 42pz80 or 42pz85 would be good for my first HD set. Leaves me with some money to spend on a tv stand (plus I just bought a PS3 a few weeks ago w/ part of my tv funds).

Now the big BUT...

I know a lot of posters here say go for the biggest size panel you can afford, but would you do that at the sacrifice of resolution (PQ is a given first for me)? My viewing distance is around 7-8 ft (max), but would you choose to go w/ a 50" 720p panel over a 42" 1080p? Would I be overwhelmed with a 50" at that distance? The 50" has the flexibility that if I move into a larger place one day and sit further away, my screen won't be "tiny." I wear contacts, so obviously my vision isn't pristine. :D Movies or sports watching will consume 90% of the TV usage.

Best of both worlds would say I could afford a 50" 1080p, but as stated, I'd like to pick up a few accessories to complement the tv (looking at my ancient boston acoustic speakers....). So any thoughts?

At that distance it's hard to make a strong decision. Personally, I have 20/20 and while I don't "notice" SDE consciously until about 6.5 feet on a 50" 768p, I can clearly see a more "realistic" picture at 8 feet versus 7 feet, and I attribute this to seeing a deterioration in PQ due to the SDE even though I can't consciously see it.

I was really bothered with the resolution of my 1150hd (768p) at 7 feet, but moved the couch back 1 foot the other day and it looks SO much better -- so much, in fact, that instead of returning it and spending $2k more on the 1080p version, I think I will be happy to keep this.

I guess what I'm getting at is that only you can tell for yourself if you would be bothered by the SDE at your distance. Obviously you're sacrificing resolution, but I would be more concerned about SDE than the increased clarity.

BTW -- at 7-8 feet, I wouldn't spend 1080p money on a 42". It's just not worth it. You're not going to see the extra resolution, although the picture might be just a tiny bit crisper than a 42" at 768p.

So I went to a BB today to check out some plasmas. The 42px80 was there, looks really nice (although BB prices are still outrageous). Anyhow, I peeked at the 50" panels. Big mistake in terms of how my wallet will get thinner if I keep going back to look at them. The 42s looked big, the 50s were like wow, then I saw a set-up where it was 42" on top of 50" on top of 58". Yeah, that 58" made the 42" look like a computer monitor. ;)

Anyhow, the BB had a set-up of 3 uncalibrated 50s side-by-side, a Samsung 5054, Pioneer 5080 and Panasonic px75u. The Pio black levels looked incredible, but its pretty much out of the question budget-wise. The interesting thing was the Samsung looked like it had better blacks than the Panasonic.

I tried to see if I could spot the issues forum users have mentioned on the repsective Samsungs and Panasonic. Really tough, I couldn't. I'm reaching that "paralysis by analysis" point I think. 50" at 720p looked really good. But this little voice in my head kept saying 1080p. So I'd peek at the 42" 1080p plasmas, trying to find the difference. I would think I'd see something, then looking again, not see it. Is it in the realm of possibility to get a 50" 720p Panny or Sammy calibrated to look a smidge below the 5080? They had one calibrated elsewhere and wow. If so, then I could "live" with 720p. If not, then it might be back to 42" 1080p. :(

I know a lot of posters here say go for the biggest size panel you can afford, but would you do that at the sacrifice of resolution (PQ is a given first for me)? My viewing distance is around 7-8 ft (max), but would you choose to go w/ a 50" 720p panel over a 42" 1080p? Would I be overwhelmed with a 50" at that distance? The 50" has the flexibility that if I move into a larger place one day and sit further away, my screen won't be "tiny." I wear contacts, so obviously my vision isn't pristine. :D Movies or sports watching will consume 90% of the TV usage.

Best of both worlds would say I could afford a 50" 1080p, but as stated, I'd like to pick up a few accessories to complement the tv (looking at my ancient boston acoustic speakers....). So any thoughts?
I vote for the 50" 720P :D

I vote for the 50" 720P :D

+1. For your usage (movies or sports watching), a larger screen is better than a higher resolution but smaller one.