I finally ordered myself an A1U after a month of searches and asking stupid questions (thanks you all!).

I tried calling EVS, who are one of the sponsors here at dvinfo. First time I called, I was just asking for information and Ryan at EVS was extremely helpful and he was knowledgeable about the A1s. Mentioned I was a member here at DVInfo and got a good price.
It was such a pleasure compared to the horrors that I usually experience with customer service folks.

After talking with them, I felt certain I could trust them, so for me it quickly became a no-brainer: good treatment, good price, trust.

So I pick up my A1 in Burbank on Friday!

I often hear people raving about B & H, and I gather they are THE place on the East Coast.

But if you are on the Left Coast, I strongly suggest you try EVS.

How much does the camera cost from EVS? (and tell us if that includes the $500 extra that you will receive from the rebate or not, and if mentioning that you are a DV Info member gets you a discount and how much)

The official price is $2,549.95 (before rebate), and when I asked if DVInfo members get a discount they immediately knocked it down.
I don't want to say by how much on here, as Your Mileage May Vary. But I'd say it is definitely worth a toll free call to them.

Well, even if different people might get more or less of a discount (as DV Info members), how much did you get? Was it more than $50?

Yeah, I got a little more than $50 off.

Also, it was a pleasure dealing with people who had a clue and were nice. Not to mention a place you can trust.

You're going to love your A1! I know I did! You're going to feel like a little kid at Christmas!

Congrats!

Oh yeah! I am reallllly looking forward to tomorrow.
After all the research I did and the soul searching and the second guessing myself I kept coming back to the sheer beauty of the footage I saw on the web.

And I haven't even seen anything on an HD TV yet...