HELP! PS3 v. Panny DMP-BD605

[volntn2000]

Ok, I admit that I'm a noob. I have a PS3, a Samsung HLT6176S DLP, and a Onkyo TXSR605. Yesterday I was at Sam's and they were displaying a Panasonic DMP-BD605. The picture was INCREDIBLE - almost 3D'ish or close to a digital home video. They were playing Twilight and it looked almost life-like. Well, for some time, while I have been happy with the picture that I get from my PS3 it is NOTHING compared to what I saw. So, I decided to buy the Panasonic for comparison. To my surprise, the PS3 and the Panasonic looked pretty much the same on my setup - though the Panasonic colors seem a little richer. So, my question is "why did the setup at Sam's look so much different?"

1. Is it my HDMI cables? I know there's not supposed to be a difference between the mega-expensive ones and the run of the mill ones, but my cables were some of the first reasonably priced versions from ~2 yrs ago. Is an upgrade in order? Would it make a difference?

2. I'm afraid the difference is my Samsung HLT6176S DLP vs. whatever plasma they were using (I didn't pay any attention to it at the time). I'm about to upgrade my firmware and when I compare specs my TV to the higher priced flat screens on the Sam's site I don't see a lot of difference in the specs - except contrast ratio (mine 10,000:1, theirs 30,000:1). Is that the difference?

3. If either of the two above is not the issue, then what the heck is it? Any suggestions on optimal settings for my setup would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!!