Kick off for Super Bowl 50 is in less than one week, but there is still time to upgrade your home theater setup for the big game. We’ve rounded up some of the best deals available on HDTVs and soundbars to make your house the place to be this Sunday. Down below you’ll find our favorite deals and a full breakdown on which products we’d opt for in our own home.
HDTVs
A perfect home theater setup is comprised of two key areas: video and audio. We’ll get to the speakers in a minute, but for know lets focus on the visuals. Last year we saw a bevy of features like 4K, OLED and smart functionality come down in price while being regularly available from brands across the board. While there are a lot of flashy add-ons, there are only a few key areas that you need to focus on:
- Size – most likely, your current HDTV is too small for your living space. At least according to THX, that is. Generally, a good rule of thumb is to multiply the distance in feet away by 7.7 (for 1080p) or 12 (for 4K) to see the size in inches needed to maximize your setup. Example: 8 feet x 7.7 = 62-inches. Check out this handy guide for more information
- Resolution – 4K or 1080p: At this point, there isn’t a lot of 4K content out there to consume. If you can afford a quality TV with this higher resolution, you’ll future-proof yourself for some time.
- Refresh rate – This specification is particularly worth noting for sports. We recommend going with a 120Hz refresh rate, which will help smooth out the action on the screen during pass plays and quick moving shots. Note: Most 4K set advertise effective refresh rates, a handy trick is to divide the number in 2 for the native speed. i.e. 240CMR = 120Hz.
- Inputs – This is key. We recommend selecting a HDTV with three inputs or more. Consider this, most homes have a cable or satellite DVR, a gaming system and a streaming media player. Four is ideal, but three is highly-recommended.
Before you check out some of the more notable deals we’ve spotted below, be sure to swing by today’s Amazon Gold Box for an all-time low price on Mohu’s popular Leaf antenna. It’s a great way to grab free over-the-air channels or to grab one as a backup in case the cable goes out.
LG (60UF7300) 60-inch 4K UHDTV: $900 (Orig. $1,500) | BuyDig via eBay
- 240Hz TruMotion Refresh Rate
- Smart Capabilities w/ webOS 2.0
- 3 HDMI inputs
LG (50LF6100) 50-inch 1080p HDTV: $470 (Reg. $550+) | Amazon
- 120Hz Effective Refresh Rate
- Smart Capabilities
- 3 HDMI inputs
VIZIO (E40-C2) 40-inch 1080p HDTV: $299 (Orig. $380) | Amazon
- 120Hz Effective Refresh Rate
- Smart Capabilities
- 2 HDMI Inputs
More:
- Samsung 55″ 1080p Smart LED LCD TV (UN55J620DAFXZA): $550 (Orig. $700) | Costco
- VIZIO 43″ 1080p 120Hz LED HDTV Refurbished (D43-C1): $240 (Orig. $465) | Walmart
- LG 60″ 1080p Smart LED TV HDTV (60LF6100): $850 (Orig. $1,350) | Dell
- w/ free $200 eGift Card
- Panasonic 55″ 4K Ultra HDTV (TC-55CX420U): $901 (Orig. $1,300) | Panasonic
- w/ code FOOTBALL
Soundbars
Another area worth paying extra attention to is your audio setup. As we’ve covered before, many HDTVs on the market today suffer from terrible speaker placement. Often times, these components are firing downward towards a wall. As you might guess, you’ll enjoy the best and most immersive experience when your speakers are facing towards you. We recommend going with a soundbar for its ease of setup and myriad of potential features. We recommend grabbing one with Bluetooth connectivity, HDMI inputs and a wireless subwoofer. Below are our favorite deals at the moment:
Sony (HTCT370) Soundbar: $180 (Reg. $300) | Target
- 5.1-Channel Design w/ Wireless Subwoofer
- 300W
- Bluetooth and Optical Connectivity
VIZIO (SB3851-C0) Soundbar: $198 w/ Prime (Orig. $250) | Amazon
- 5.1-Channel Design w/ Wireless Subwoofer + Satellite Speaker
- Dolby Digital Support
- Bluetooth and Optical Connectivity
LG (LAS454B) Soundbar: $130 (Orig. $280) | Best Buy
- 2.1-Ch. Design w/ Wireless Subwoofer
- 300W
- Bluetooth and Optical Connectivity
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