Stacey,
I find the 880 very exciting for the same reasons. I was thinking about going for an 800, but I might splurge on the 880 and just get my Panny H1000 upgraded to SDI output as I am less excited by DVD-A and while the budget is generous, its not 880+800+ a bunch of 8000s generous [Linked Image from softronix.com]

Best regards,
Jerry
Main System: 861v6, DSP8000s in corners, DSP7000s Center and Sides, 1-9 humans.