utterly confused, with no end in sight - re 1080p/24 & 120/240 etc

[cneo]

Ok, am completely confused, and research only adds to the confusion.

I've got two Sony XBR2's which aren't directly compatible with 1080p/24; they max out at 1080p/60 (which itself ticks me off since, like many, when I got these sets I assumed I had made a good investment for future viewing etc. But, what happens to a 1080p/24 signal on these sets, for example when I have 1080p/24 on my DMP-BD60 set to "on"? does it get converted to 1080p/60? And if I have the BD setting set to "off", does the signal from the BD still come in at or get converted to /60?

Also, (and I know this is a loaded question as I've been trying to clarify for myself for days now) what makes the picture from BD so much better on a newer tv vs. an older one (like my XBR2)? Is it the ability to take /24 directly or is it the 120/240 refresh rate etc?

The extremely smooth, almost surreal look, that I see in BB, Fry's etc., what's this from? I can't reproduce it on my BD w/ the XBR2, but can on my 3rd tv, an xbr4.