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Get the Right Big Screen for the Big Game in the Man Cave

By The MC Guru on Monday, 24th January 2011

The big game is a little over 2 weeks away. And just in case you need to get your big screen squared away for the game, We put together a down to earth way to hunt down your TV. There are about 3 million specs and features on TVs today. As great as these features are, there really is an easier way to get the right TV for your cave. And yes, there is still time to get your TV delivered and set up for the Super Bowl!

Before you set out on the hunt

Scout out the location for your new TV. By taking a good look at your cave and making a few notes, you won’t get snowed when you head into the store and are confronted with walls of good looking TV options.

Measure the space you have for your TV. Height, width and depth. Even though flat panel TVs (Plasma and LCD) are thin, they all have a base that takes up some space.

Brightness Level: Look at your cave to get an idea of how bright the room is. Count your lights and note them down. Then look at how bright the TV showroom floor is. Count those lights. The showroom floor will typically be much brighter than your cave, so don’t be fooled by TV that looks really bright in the store. The TV needs to look good in your cave. Try to find a showroom with a similar amount of light to your cave. This will eliminate some surprises when you get home and find the picture way too bright. Most TV manufacturers have a retail mode that is intended to be mega bright on the retail floor, but not intended to be used at home.

Components: Note down how many components you have plugged into your TV and the types of cables. You want to be certain that your new TV will be compatible with all your stuff.

Top three things to look for

Get your game plan ready before you hit the stores. It’s so easy to get distracted when you are in the fury and pressure of the hunt. Be ready before you walk through the door. Here are three key features to look for while you looking at all the shiny new options for a TV.

Screen size: Look at your measurements and select screen sizes that maximize your space. Go as big as your room and wallet will allow! You will never think to yourself “I wish I had bought a little smaller TV”! Seriously, bigger is better with TVs. If you want optimum viewing distance recommendations based on screen size, you can check out http://inthemancave.com/2010/11/24/looking-for-a-new-tv-for-the-man-cave-for-christmas-find-out-the-optimum-viewing-distances/hdtv-viewing-distances_v2-0/

On the wall or on furniture? If you are going to hang your TV on the wall in your cave, you need to think about fishing cables and power to the TV. Typical installation will run you another $500. The other option is to put your TV an a piece of audio video furniture. There are some really good options that even your cave girl will approve of. AV furniture provides a clean set up, a place to house your components and DVDs and Blu-rays. I have a BDI cabinet and love it. There is room for all the cables and power supply inside the cabinet. It has wheels to make setting up new stuff easy.

Internet connectivity: Why? because this is the way to expand what you watch. The web is invading TV. More and more content and services will be available through the web to your TV. Some TVs can be diagnosed or fixed over the net too, a huge benefit as this technology matures. VUDU, Netflix, Pandora and many applications gets your TV pumped into a whole new world of entertainment.

Top Three Things to Ignore

In the consumer electronic world there is a proliferation of confusing acronym features. This really does not help the regular guy find the right TV for his cave. On top of that, there are some myths that just won’t go away. Don’t be distracted by too much hype. Stay focused, you are in the home stretch! Here are the top three things to ignore:

Viewing Angles: Older projection TVs and LCDs had trouble focusing light forward and looked weird from some angles. This has been solved for a few years. No picture looks good from an extreme angle. Don’t worry about it. Focus on the important things.

Picture Quality: Picture quality is good with all top tier brands. They all look great! This frees you up to make sure the relevant details for your cave are addressed.

The Sales Guy: You may know more about TVs than the guy you meet at the store. Many stores have scaled back on in-store experts. You are on your own in shopping clubs, Target and Wal Mart. You won’t be disappointed if you focus on getting the right size, setting it up correctly and getting connected to the web. Do ask the sales guy where the audio is for your surround sound, he will know where to send you.

More Techy Hunters

I have two suggestions if you do want to get more technical about hunting down your new TV. First, run through Cnet’s TV buying guide. This will give you an idea of price, screen sizes, features and suggested models. Second, find a specialty retailer in your area. They will take the time to learn what you want and how to best meet your needs and install the TV. In the case of a specialty retailer the sales guy will know a lot about the TVs, so he will be the exception to the third item to ignore.