You are right that nobody will care about the numbers.
BUT, these contrast numbers translate into a dramatically better defined picture under all sorts of photographic lighting conditions.
No more will night scenes be a washed out muddied black, but you will actually be able to see things on the screen.
I am dead certain that SED TVs will be the must have consumer electronic item in 2008.
For your very highend consumer. After a certain point you get to the point of diminishing returns. Yeah night scenes will look awesome. But most consumers will not compare night scenes. They will be looking at the ultra-bright scenes in a darkened corner of Best Buy.
"No more will night scenes be a washed out muddied black, but you will actually be able to see things on the screen."
Assuming you're watching in a darkened room. In even a moderately normally lit room, you'll never notice the difference. Still, current plamas and LCDs can't beat the old CRT's contrast and black levels, so maybe this will be the way to go. I wonder if it will be hideously expensive, which is the real deal breaker for many people. Actually I'm surprised as many people as have done so have shelled out as much as they have for the relatively mediocre picture of (most) large plasmas.