I don't think $1000 is the price point either for a beginner. I think the $500 range is a better range for an entry level camera. I suppose it would have made my earlier post better to have mentioned that, and I do apologize.
I think the upgrade in sensors and features is pretty dramatic...
At that price point a DLSR is not worth what you pay for it. You will get a lot more bang for your buck out of a point in shoot at those prices, something like the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS. If you really want DLSR then I recommend saving your money for a while and buying something worth...
I was playing Warioware and when I got home I decided to pop it in the old GBP. You know how much dust I had to clean? Then I had to play around with the system selector to remember which console it was. Think I'm spending a little too much time on XBox Live?