High-end TVs and the Super Bowl going hand-in-hand this year
Benjamin Nagy
ELYRIA — It’s not good enough to watch the big game on a fuzzy, rinky-dink TV set.
That’s why NFL fans are turning out in droves to buy high-definition, big-screen TVs in time for Sunday’s game, Elyria Best Buy manager Mike O’Neill said.
“They want to see the Super Bowl in the biggest, brightest picture they can,” he said. “They want to see every detail of the game.”
| THE TV LINGO There are a lot of initials involved in buying a new TV, which can make the process confusing. There are two major technologies on the shelves — Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and plasma. To make matters worse, both can support high definition (HD). Plasma televisions use neon-xenon gas that glows red, green or blue when electrified. They typically have better color and contrast than LCD, come in bigger sizes and don’t have any lag. LCD televisions use crystals between two transparent sheets, which glow when light passes through. They tend to be brighter, run cooler than plasma, last longer and there’s no damage of screen burn-in with video games. |
His recommendation for die-hard sports buffs isn’t for the faint of heart: the $6,500 Pioneer KURO flat-screen plasma HDTV.
“We’re not selling a lot of them, but we’ve sold a couple,” he said. “It’s going to give you the best overall experience Sunday, and some people really want the absolute best.”
If that price tag’s a bit much, more affordable models range from just under $500 to as much as $2,300, he said.
Frank Storch, who supervises the home theater department at Best Buy, said there are some details to keep in mind when shopping for a Super Bowl screen.
“You want to get HD through your cable provider, and since the game is going to be broadcast in HD, you need surround sound,” he said.
Screens that scan and update the picture faster are better for sports, too. A slow screen can cause lag, which can lead to choppy action on the field, he said.
And don’t forget that it’s also a bad idea to buy a TV that’s too big, said Niki Lisi, a sales associate at Stewart’s Appliances in Elyria.
“If you have a small living room, you don’t want to get too big a TV or it’s going to look fuzzy,” she said.
Lisi said another often-overlooked feature is contrast ratio — the higher it is, the crisper the color.
O’Neill said there always are some people who sort of borrow a big screen for the big game — buying it before the game, and returning it right afterward.
It happens, but it isn’t often, he said.
“Most of them find out that once they have it set up at home, they like it too much to bring it back,” he laughed.
Rest assured that whichever new television you buy, it will be compliant with the new digital signals stations will switch to next year, O’Neill said.
“A lot of people are confused. They think that in 2009 when you have to get the converter boxes it’s because of HD. It’s actually because of digital,” he said.
Starting next February, stations will stop broadcasting old-style signals and start using all-digital signals. That doesn’t mean everything will be broadcast is high definition, but it will mean a small improvement in picture and sound quality.
Unfortunately, it also means some older TVs won’t be able to pick up the signals without a converter box.
U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton, D-Copley Township, said Friday that each Ohio household can pick up two $40 coupons to offset the costs of the converters, which run between $50 and $75 each.
Cable and satellite users won’t need the converters unless they have old analog-only TV sets.
To request a coupon, call (888) 388-2009 or visit www.dtv2009.gov.
Contact Jason Hawk at 329-7148 or jhawk@chroniclet.com.
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Filed by Benjamin Nagy February 2nd, 2008 in Top Stories.
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