Sure, the Wall Street Journal says there's only 11 minutes
of actual action in every NFL game, but on Super Bowl Sunday we'll
be prepped to catch every one of them -- and all the commercials,
play stoppages and halftime shows in between -- in the best quality
possible. The Colts and Saints both came close to racking up
undefeated regular season records but missed, due either to
lackluster play and late season injuries or just a decision to play
Curtis Painter. While that means the '72 Dolphins get to hang onto
a glorious past for one more year, these pass-happy offenses of the
future are expected to light up the scoreboard all night and we'll
need to make sure our equipment is up to par for a
2010 Super Bowl experience.
The HDTV
While 2010's finest HDTVs are still caught in post-CES /
pre-shipping limbo, there are plenty of televisions from 2009 (and
even 2008) that will do Miami justice. Want to bridge the past and
future in glorious style?
Mitsubishi kept DLP going last year while offering sets in
sizes from 60- to 82-inches -- bring home a
73-inch WD-73837 now for $2,249 before for the game, then reup
with a 3D
adapter and Blu-ray player just in time for Avatar in
a few months. Samsung's 55-inch LED backlit
UN55B8000 is available for less than we'd seen over the
holidays at just $2,799 and will even let you Twitter during the
game -- good luck getting your guests to go for that. Going green
for the environment and your wallet? Sharp fills that spot with the
energy efficient 32-inch LED packing
LC32LE700UN which currently carries a $736 price tag on Amazon.
If you still feel the need for an even bigger LCD, the
65-inch Samsung LN65B650 can be found for around $5,000 but at
that size we'd likely choose to watch Peyton make adjustments at
the line on a plasma; at the high end a 65-inch
Panasonic TC-P65V10 is very easy on the eyes for just under
$4,000 while at the low end the company's 50-inch TC-P50S1 gets it
done for around $1,000.
Of course, if going big is your goal, the only sensible choice is a
projector. The well heeled have many options, among them are Sony's
latest
VPL-HW15 beamer for $2,800, a 10,000:1 contrast ratio unit from
Runco for a mere $5,000, or JVC's
$10k DLA-HD990. Even if you're just projecting on a blank wall
or a bed sheet, 1080p PJs dipped under the $1,000 barrier last year
-- look for the
Optoma HD20 or
Vivitek H1080FD and spend the rest on Steel Reserve and no one
will ever know the difference. Ultimately, for true Captain
Showstopper status nothing beats an outdoor setup. Although getting
the combination of balmy early February weather and sunset in time
for a 6:28 p.m. EST kickoff is a trick few can pull off, once
you've committed $1,200 for a blow-up 220-inch screen from
Open Air Cinema squinting through the first quarter or throwing
on a jacket, hat and gloves for OT is only a trivial matter.
The signal
CBS already has its own
plan to blow out the big game with 50 HD cameras, including
lots of up close and super slow motion setups. Just in case you
only turn on your TV one day a year, now might be a good time to
mention the digital transition has happened, and if you were
planning on catching the game on that old television in the
basement, an adapter (and possibly some antenna tweaking to pick up
the new digital signals) is likely in order, even if you're on cable. Still, we'd hope
you got your OTA situation cleared up at some point in the last
nine months, if not or if you're just looking for a backup in case
of an untimely outage, check out our
DTV converter tips from the wild, crazy days of 2009. Even if
you have an HD box, is it set up properly? Connected via component
cables or HDMI? Far too many people still believe they're watching
HDTV when they aren't -- double check the settings on your
television, cable box and which station you'll be tuning into ahead
of time so any standard-def follies can be avoided. Say it with us:
no 480i in 2010. Another habit we're hoping to see you break this
year is paying too much for cables: Order HDMI cables from online
sellers at Amazon, Blue Jeans Cable or Monoprice now to avoid
getting ripped off in cable scams later.
The HD DVR
Unfortunately CableCARD has
failed to create opportunities for any new competitors here, so
in 2010 we're left with roughly the same options as last year.
Still, whether your DVR box comes from the TV provider or a
standalone unit, there have been a slew of multiroom viewing
updates, internet access and other features tossed in over the last
year. Check in with us to make sure you're up to speed on
everything your box can do and which channels are available just in
case someone wants to watch something other than the game. Moxi
just deployed an update for the Moxi Mate add-on, DirecTV launched
a
multiroom beta and
Android scheduling, Comcast is
unleashing remote DVR features and U-Verse has its Total Home
DVR functions. February 7 is not the day to realize you don't know
how to make sure the main television is tuned to the right channel
and stays there.
The audio
New Orleans defensive coordinator has already stated a goal of
making sure his players hit Peyton Manning as hard and as often as
possible, if you want to maximize each impact those integrated TV
speakers just won't cut it. In a compact package, VIZIO's VSB210WS soundbar
system will deliver high quality stereo audio and can be found
for as little as $232, but if enjoying all 5.1 channels of Dolby
Surround delivered by CBS is your aim, the Onkyo
HT-S7200 HTIB delivers quality sound as well as the auto
calibration ease to get everything up and running quickly for as
little as $699.
The laptop / smartphone
Pulling up stats, replays and keeping up with Super Bowl related
Twitter posts (#SB44) is highly
necessary. You can stick with the smartphone only approach, but in
order to share the thrill of victory / agony of defeat with friends
a slightly larger screen may be in order. Sporting a 10+ hour
battery life, the
ASUS 1005PE can crank through entire game, halftime show with
The Who and postgame victorious Skype video chats without plugging
in, and at just $319, you won't be too worried about any key drops
or fumbles if Braylon Edwards or Adrian Peterson stops by. With
mobile TV still in its infancy, if you absolutely must be away from
home after kickoff a Slingbox (and Sling Player
over 3G compatible phone, sorry iPhone) is probably your best
bet.
The Pre-Game Game and the payback
We're sure you've already run through several seasons in your
Madden 2010 online franchise and tweaked the sliders just so to
give the perfect dash of realism, but why not take a step back and
enjoy some 5-on-5 football? Madden NFL
Arcade is up on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade
for about $15, and it might just be the quicker, simpler game that
everyone can enjoy before the real thing. Hidden bonus? Loser swaps
out their Xbox Live / PlayStation Home avatar's gear for the
winning team's full outfit -- permanently. It's the gift that keeps
on giving all offseason long.
Obviously, we wouldn't be shocked to find that your favorite wares
weren't listed here, so be our guest and shout out your
recommendations in comments below!
See just how far we've come:
Totally blow out the big game! Part I: Super Bowl XXXIX
Totally blow out the big game! Part II: Super Bowl XL
Totally blow out the big game! Part III: Super Bowl XLII
Totally blow out the big game! Part IV: Super Bowl XLIII
Regardless up of a couple harrying run-ins allowing for a handful of large white tents at Manhattan's Fashion Week-hosting Bryant Park, we have a tendency to could be enough to be in a position to truthfully say we haven't any concept what is "in" about which year for arcade gaming headgear.
