EDTV is a small step away from regular TV, and not even close to HDTV.
Regular, Standard Definition TV (SDTV) runs at 480i
That means the TV draws the picture by drawing 480 lines. The 'i' means 'interlaced', so the first time it TV draws the picture, it draws lines 1, 3, 5, 7 and so one, and on the next pass it draws lines 2, 4, 6, 8 and so on.
Therefore, if draws half the picture 60 times a second (so theoretically it draws 30 pictures a second)
Enhanced(or Extended) Definition TV (EDTV) runs at 480p.
In this case, the 'p' mean progressive; it draws all the lines every pass. It also runs 60 times a second, but since it draws the full screen each time
, it actually draws 60 frames per second, and looks better.
Now HDTV breaks the screen up into even smaller lines so you can see more detail. The common ones today are 720p (720 lines drawn each pass) and 1080i (1080 lines, drawing 1/2 the lines each pass(540 even numbered lined then 540 odd numbered lines)).
There is a bit more to it than that, but that is a quick primer.
HD>>ED>SD
The TV you linked to can accept all of 480i, 480p, 720p & 1080i and will display it on a 720p screen.
As for Plasma vs LCD (and there are a bunch of different types of LCD), there are pluses and minuses for each. I'm not sure that one is absolutely better than the other. You should go by what looks best to you.
Ken seems to be on top of this tech, so maybe when he sees this thread he'll jump in with his insight.
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