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He's got my attention.

Was at a Best Buy store in Greensboro yesterday checking out LCD HDTVs when a sales guy told me that I should take a closer look at the plasmas.

At first, I had no intention of buying a plasma, figuring they're out of my price range.

Boy, was I surprised, for a couple of reasons. Not only was the plasma he asked me to take a look at under $1,000 (It's a Samsung 42-inch for $799.99), but he was recommending I take a look at a 720p resolution model versus the more expensive but higher quality 1080p models.

Here's the thing, he told me: you don't need a 1080p HDTV if your screen is 42 inches or less. Your eyes won't notice the difference. So I'm staring into that screen to see for myself while comparing the resolutions of nearby 1080ps and you know what? He's right.

Now, there may be some video purists out there who will insist you will notice the difference, but see for yourself.

By the way, a column at the tech product review site CNET does a good job comparing 720p versus 1080p.

Good advice from one CNET commenter, who stresses you need to look at the brand, not just the resolution, when deciding what to get. Plus some good advice on plasma's shelf-life, which is longer than you may think (something the Best Buy sales guy told me, too):

"A 720p Panasonic will look a lot better than a 1080p Vizio of the same size. Just do your research. You will pay the same price or less and experience a better picture with a quality 720p set than you will for a lesser quality 1080p set. Also, when you are trying to pick out a set from the wall of TV's at Best Buy, don't confuse picture brightness with picture quality. Generally, Plasmas look better than LCD's, but the LCD's are always brighter in their default out of the box. Slight picture adjustment with a Plasma will usually yield a better picture than an LCD. Don't believe the misconceptions about Plasma either. They used to have a short shelf live, but that is no longer an issue. They used to have burn-in problems, but that has been resolved as well. I know that it must seem like I own stock in Plasma or something, but it is just from research and experience."

The agency mailing coupons for those digital TV converter boxes plans to eliminate its waiting list in less than three weeks.

Helped by $650 million from the economic stimulus package, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration begain mailing them to the 2.3 million households on the wait list, according to the AP story.

U.S. full-power TV stations were scheduled to turn off their analog signals on Feb. 17. But due to the coupon backlog, the deadline was extended to June 12.

Last month, two Triad TV stations, WXLV (ABC, Channel 45) and WMYV (Channel 48), dropped their analog signals and switched to all-digital.

Consumer Reports' March issue ranks the best plasma and LCD TVs (story link accessible by subscribers only) .

Highlights:

In the plasma category, the magazine picked a 50-inch Samsung (PN50A550) as a best buy, meaning "these models offer the best combination of performance and price." Amazon.com has it on sale for $1,350.

In the LCD category, the magazine picked four TVs as best buys:

* 52-inch Toshiba Regza (52XV545U). Prices start in the $1,600s.

* 47-inch Insignia (NS-LCD47HD-09). Prices start in the $800s.

* 46-inch Samsung (LN46A550). Prices start around $885.

* 40-inch Sharp Aquos (LC-42D65U) . Prices start in in the $800s.

All those TVs have 1080p resolution.

Still confused by the difference between between 1080p and 720p? News & Record artist Tim Rickard created a graphic that simplifies the resolution confusion surrounding HDTVs.

I recently posted a deal on a 42-inch Olevia HDTV at Target for $897, which is pretty darn good. Then I did a double-take when I came across an Office Depot ad showing what appeared to be the exact same model at an even cheaper price: $799.

But there's a difference, although you wouldn't know it by looking at the Office Depot ad. Conspicuously absent is the TV's resolution: 720 or 1080? The resolution, is, you guessed it: 720.

That's still a good deal, but you might get more bang for your buck in the long run by spending about $100 more for the 1080P version.

Get a 42-inch Olevia 1080 p HD LCD TV (model 242TFHD) at Target for $897 (regular $1,097).

Olevia isn't one of the more well-known brands out there, but I've been sold on the company since buying a 32-incher at Circuit City in August. Customer reviews about Olevia, although scarce regarding this particular model, have been generally favorable.

Not sure what you want or need? A handy-dandy guide News & Record's Tim Rickard created a few months ago sorts it all out.