Friday, February 04, 2011

Big Game, Big Screens - What's Your Setup?


Super Bowl weekend is a huge time for electronics retailers when it comes to selling televisions and other home theater related equipment. There are tons of specials in the weekly circulars. Avoiding the temptation to upgrade my television takes every ounce of will power I can muster.

As a hobby for several years, I have performed several small to medium home theater installations. I've rented box trucks to transport mammoth 60" plasmas, audio setups, and speakers to install in customers homes. I am the go-to guy in my family, in my office, and in my neighborhood when people have questions about the latest gear. Home theater technology is a passion of mine. Yet, I have an extremely basic and modest home theater.

My setup currently consists of a 46" Samsung 1080i LCD television that I purchased in 2007, and a PS3 for my Blu-Ray DVD player and media-streaming device. That's it. I'm not kidding.  I also use the PS3 for gaming and also have a Wii that the kids play games on a lot.

Currently, I do not have a receiver, as my living room needs some modification to allow for proper placement. I haven't yet had the time to make the modifications for the receiver and surround speakers. It will be a challenging project and will be tackled when I have the time to research and purchase the components, as well as make the needed changes. It will all happen, just not right now. I'll keep you posted.

When watching football and other sports, a great picture and sound do a great job of pulling you into the action. An effective large screen TV and surround sound setup is certainly the next best thing to being there. An added bonus is that the refreshments are cheaper at home and the bathroom line is certainly shorter.

People always ask me, "what size TV should I buy?" The answer to that is simple. As big as you can afford. Period. Has anyone ever sat at home and thought, "I should've bought a smaller TV?" No, not likely. Buy the biggest and best you can afford. The newer LED-lit LCD TV's offer a much richer picture and contrast level than the fluorescent-tube-lit LCD's like I have. It's painful to think about what I paid for my TV four years ago. I can get a much larger LED-lit TV for less than I paid for my current set.

I am often asked whether or not people should buy 3D-ready TV sets. My opinion is... Not really. There isn't a lot of content currently available that utilizes the technology, and since each viewer of 3D programming needs special expensive glasses, it isn't practical if you want to view content with Larger audiences.

In a couple of years, all available TV sets will have the 3D capability built-in, and that technology will no longer command a premium over sets that lack it. By this time, hopefully, there will be more 3D content available for home consumers a well.

Unless you are gung-ho on buying the latest and greatest, I'd recommend waiting it out. You can get a great non-3D set now, and maybe even add a great Blu-Ray DVD player for significantly less than the 3D sets cost. Add a good receiver and speaker setup, and everyone will be raving about how your place is the best spot to watch the next big game.

What kinds of equipment don you have in your home theater or family room? Are you planning to add or upgrade what you have? I love to hear from you, so please leave a comment below.

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