My HDTV doesn't have HDMI, either - it has DVI, and I've got four different HDMI sources (OPPO 983H, HD cable, BD30, and HD-A2) connected to it. The key is to have that DVI input include HDCP - if it does that, you're all set. If you don't have HDCP, you can only use component input or sources like the 971H that use DVI outputs without adding HDCP.

I've done some poking around to see if I could find anything on the specifics of your Sony's DVI input. Online resources were very sketchy, but I finally found the manual and came across a reference on page 8 to support for HDCP. You should be able to connect HDMI sources to that display without trouble.

If you need an HDMI switch at some point, I've had good luck with my OPPO Digital HM-31 . There are others available from places like MonoPrice and Gefen.
The current state of our hobby is a bit more confusing than it probably ought to be. (I had some interesting conversations this week with a secretary at work who is trying to get a handle on what the analog broadcast cut-off means for her, and it reminded me of just how much more complex everything has become in the last decade or so.)

The issue of " profiles " for Blu-ray is an unfortunate side-effect of Blu-ray being rushed to market to compete with HD-DVD. There are three main levels of compatibility with extra features.

The most basic (profile 1.0) is no longer allowed, unless the player was brought to market before the end of last October. It is the most basic of options, and the players that fall into this category not only lack support for some bonus content (because they don't meet a higher profile rating) but also generally exhibit very slow disc load times (because they were early generation hardware).

Next is profile 1.1, which didn't actually exist in hardware until the Panasonic BD30 came out of nowhere last November, although the PS3 also received a firmware update to support it at about the same time. It requires 256MB of local data storage, a secondary audio decoder (for mixing the main soundtrack with a secondary track such as a commentary track or disc menu sound effects), a secondary video decoder (for PiP), and a virtual file system.

Profile 2.0 takes profile 1.1 and adds internet connectivity and more memory (1GB).

There's also a profile 3.0, but it's just for BD-Audio (sort of like DVD-Audio) and I've seen no talk of software that supports it. I don't know of any reason by a profile 3.0 disc would require a special Blu-ray player to play, but I really haven't seen enough info on profile 3.0 to know for certain either way.