After months of anticipation, the wait is finally over to see your favorite team score a touchdown, nail a 3-pointer or smack a homer.
While getting together with friends or heading to the stadium on game day may be on hold for a while, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the viewing experience and bring the game home. Most of us are spending more hours at home than ever before, which makes this the perfect time to invest in your space and treat yourself to an upgraded entertainment setup.
The fan experience is only as good as your tech. We’re talking more than just a comfortable couch and a crystal-clear 4K TV. There are many great (and affordable) ways to transform your space into the ultimate party zone whether you’re watching the game solo, keeping the crowd safe and small, or cuddling up to your favorite pet.
To help get your gears turning on how you can transform your living room into the ultimate luxury suite, we chatted with Alex Keith, a Best Buy Home Expert in Boston. He has some great advice to make sure you score big this year.
TVs… Where to start?
Some of the most important aspects to consider when picking out a new TV, according to Alex, are picture quality, screen size and room layout.
“Picture quality should be at the forefront of your decision,” Alex says. “A huge TV is great, but if it doesn’t have the latest picture technology, like 4K, HDR, or OLED, you’re going to miss out on all the details these glorious new TVs are showing.”
There are lots of great options, no matter how much you’re looking to spend. And starting Sept. 4, you can save on select big screen TVs from Samsung, LG and Sony, including up to $1,000 in savings on select LG NanoCell and OLED TVs. Plus, there are plenty of other great savings on smaller TVs, too.
Alex also mentioned how TVs today are sleeker than ever before, so larger screens will take up much less space than you think. That’s because the size of the bezel (the outside edge that wraps around your screen) has become much thinner in recent years, so much so that the dimensions of a new 60″ class TV with a thin bezel are roughly the same as an older 55″ class TV.
A great way to help you find a TV size that fits perfectly in your space is by using Best Buy’s AR Viewer on the Best Buy mobile app, which shows you exactly how a TV will look in your home. You can also schedule a free In-Home Consultation with a home expert, like Alex, who can help you measure and choose the right TV for your home.
If you decide to go big while you’re staying at home, keep in mind that the latest TV designs and tech means you can fit a bigger TV than ever when you replace your old one. And be sure to check out our Best Buy TV Promise.
Finally, Alex said it’s crucial to think about how much light the room will get throughout the day. For example, if there’s too much light, it can cause a lot of glare on your TV. One of the best ways to combat that is by getting an OLED TV, which gives you brighter brights and darker darks.
Don’t sleep on sound
As TVs continue to get thinner and thinner, there’s less and less room for built-in, quality speakers, so adding an audio component to the mix is essential, especially when it comes to watching sports.
“Audio is the forgotten piece when it comes to home entertainment,” Alex said. “Adding a soundbar to your home theater helps increase the performance and depth of your new TV.”
Whether it’s a just a soundbar or an all-out surround sound system, upgrading your sound will truly make you feel like your at the game, and not stuck inside the house.
“Sound quality has improved just as much as picture quality has with TVs,” Alex said. “Audio can do so much more than just be used for watching movies now.”
‘Smart’ out the entertainment
Is there anything better than being able to just tell your TV “pause” while your on the couch and the remote is stuck between the cushions somewhere? Smart home tech, like a smart speaker or display, can truly elevate your home entertainment game.
“Not only can you control your entire entertainment experience with your voice, but you can even do things like check your home security cameras using an app from your smart TV,” Alex says. “The experience is completely immersive now. You can control how hot or cold the room is with a smart thermostat, tell your TV to change the channel, or set the mood for the big game with smart lighting.”
Alex noted that the majority of TVs today actually have voice assistants included into them, too, so you can tell your TV exactly what kind of content you want to watch. Check out BestBuy.com for more ways you can integrate smart home tech into your home entertainment space.
Make sure it all runs smoothly
While it might not be the most glamorous piece of your home entertainment space, it’s imperative you have a solid home network. As you add more devices to your entertainment space, you need to make sure you have enough bandwidth to run it all as smooth and fast as possible.
“Your Wi-Fi network is the backbone of all the tech you have in your home,” says Alex. “You want to make sure you have a quality network and speedy Wi-Fi to ensure your network isn’t getting overwhelmed by all of these new devices.”
Alex recommends picking a powerful router or mesh Wi-Fi system, so you know all your entertainment tech will work flawlessly.
We’ve got tons of great TV deals, like saving up to $800 on select Samsung QLED TVs. Check out BestBuy.com for more details.