Best TVs for the Superbowl 2012; Top Big Televisions
Large LED Televisions and Plasma TVs top the list
Choices and Commentary by Editor Jack Burden
Want that huge LED TV that's going to impress the entire suburban neighborhood for the Superbowl? Guess what? You no longer have to pay exorbitant amounts if your purpose for this television is a large bright display with great color. One way to select a large TV that's right for you is to consider the viewing room first. Will it have black out curtains or little outside ambient light penetrating the room? Do you have easy control over the room light. Will you be watching it a lot in daylight hours with some light coming in from windows?
Answering these questions will help with your quest for the perfect sports large TV. One of the points we strive to get across to consumers is that there are general characteristics to look for in the choice based on your individual situation. Generally, the plasma TVs will perform better in that low light environment and the LED backlit TVs in the brighter room light. Read the short summaries in the list below to determine which of these big televisions is right for you:
Sharp LC-60LE835U 60" LED Edge Lit Superbowl TV $2199
Sharp has recently been specializing in huge TVs. This 60" unit is fairly priced and gives you 240Hz refresh rate which is a pretty good feature on these Sharp TVs. It has Sharp's latest X-Gen panel and the Quad pixel technology with an extra yellow pixel gives you better gold and yellows (think New Orleans, or Pittsburgh).
Sony XBR65HX929 65" LED local dimming TV $5399
OK so it's got a hefty price tag. But if you want to go "all in" and have a television that you can show off for years, this true full array local dimming LED backlit TV has lots going for it. It's at the top of the heap for Sony's offerings and did not hit the market until early fall 2011. It will continue to be produced until September of 2012. It has Sony's 960Hz Motionflow XR feature which is a backlight manipulated specification that reflects how fast the native 240Hz processing in the TV appears. For you this means no problem for really fast motion or side to side panning. It means smooth images. You also of course get 3D compatibility, a 1 inch super thin depth, and Sony's Internet suite.
Samsung PN64D7000 64" Plasma 3D Superbowl TV $2800
This enormous Samsung plasma TV not only has a huge screen that will show fantastic realism in its colors for the Superbowl or other sports programming, it also has no problem in displaying fast motion images due to its 600Hz sub field drive – a specification designed to allow you to understand how it processes compared to LED Televisions. In other words, faster. It has a lower contrast than the brightly lit LED TVs so will perform better in a darker or controlled light environment. The colors are amazing though, and there is a full web browser. The appearance is also stunning
Panasonic TC-P65ST30 65" Plasma 3D TV $2200
This Panasonic Superbowl TV candidate has tons of good features but without the most updated cabinet and frame. It's also not as thin as the more expensive models. Aside from that it's loaded with 3D, Internet, and Panasonic's best Infinity 2 Black panel. This Television is a great value and there is also a 60" unit in case you want to go down to that size and lower the price tag even more. One thing to remember though is that the preset picture modes that the TV comes with are pretty dim. In order to ramp up those colors and generate more contrast and brightness – follow our recommended calibrated picture settings.
