Wow, there is some great info and lots to think about in this thread.
For those following, the closest viewing seat on the couch is about 8' away, so and all others farther out. So from the graph that photon put up, it sounds like the 1080p might not be too noticeable. Having said that, there are a number of compelling reasons to make sure were not obsolete any time soon.
Needless to say this needs some more thinking, and since we're not in too much of a hurry we'll spend some time looking at TVs in stores (and maybe bringing a couple home
)
Thanks again to everyone!