Hi Signals,
FWIW, I just bought a DLP from a local dealer. I shopped the internet first, and used prices I got there (from factory authorized internet dealers only) to negotiate a better deal. I was very quickly glad that I stayed local, because the tv has a problem that is necessitating an exchange. Because I stayed local, the exchange will cost me no headache and only a $40 delivery and pickup fee. I have to think that sending a huge tv back to an internet dealer would be a giant, expensive headache. My feeling is that I would not hesitate to buy a smaller item on the internet, but for a large tv, no way. I'd also say that if you do go with the internet, you might want to stick with an authorized dealer like One Call or Vanns. One Call essentially has great unadvertised sales with their "find the best price" feature. This appears to rotate to different items over time: that is, you'll see a tv at list price for weeks, then suddenly it'll have the "best price available" search option, and when you click it you end up with a huge discount.
Just my $0.02. Good luck, JJ