Best Tech DealsThe best tech deals from around the web, updated daily.A good friend of mine has this running joke where he says “Super Bowl’s coming up” anytime there’s a lull in a conversation, regardless of what time of year it is. That joke works best when March rolls around and the Super Bowl most certainly is not coming up. However, this time, the Super Bowl really is coming up. This weekend we’ll see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers go head to head with the Kansas City Chiefs. That means we’ll see Patrick Mahomes try to cement his legacy with a symbolic win over Tom Brady. It’s a can’t-miss game, but there’s one problem: You can’t mooch off your one friend with a nice TV this year. Social distancing means no big Super Bowl parties where you can head over to that one friend’s house to watch the game on a giant screen. And so today, dear reader, we’re here to ask: What’s the best TV for watching Super Bowl LV this year?
For this exercise, let’s say you’re someone who has a 42” cheapo TV and you want to upgrade in time for the game. Purely hypothetical, and not me of course. Obviously, you need to think long term, but what are the immediate needs to get the most out of the potentially legendary matchup? For starters, a big screen and a high enough resolution to see the details of every play are essential. There’s nothing worse than seeing a big catch and squinting to see the receiver’s jersey number to figure out who caught it (note that this year’s game won’t be broadcast in 4K, so you don’t need to destroy your wallet here). A halfway decent refresh rate comes in handy too, either native or in the form of software interpolation, so that running backs don’t just look like tiny blurs barreling up the field. And if you don’t have a big sound setup at home, you’ll want to get one with built-in speakers good enough to capture the very essence of The Weeknd.
Of course, a good TV for the big game isn’t necessarily too different from a good TV for anything. That’s also why we’re raising this to our readers. A lot of people might be tempted to impulse buy a cheap TV for the game, but that’s not the best long term decision. Simply going up a few inches of screen size to better see Tom Brady’s ageless face may seem like an easy solution, but there’s plenty of modern improvements on newer TVs that are worth taking into account so you can be the friend with the good TV next year.
In the spirit of steering your fellow readers in the right direction, let us know what the best TVs for sports watching are. Take a peek through our rules below and leave us a comment with your nomination. Go Pats.
1) Your nomination should contain the name of a specific TV, why you think it’s the best, a link where it can be purchased, and an image.
2) You can nominate multiple products, but please put each one in a separate comment.
3) Vote by starring someone else’s nomination.