How to Get Your TV Ready for the Super Bowl
Check your connections, settings and speakers now to prepare for the big game.
- Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
The big game calls for a big screen. Make sure yours is ready for game day.
The Super Bowl is tomorrow, but if you're not attending the game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale you'll be among the 100 million-plus people watching it on TV. Whether you're streaming the game or watching via cable you'll want to make sure your TV and sound system are prepared.
Many people use the Super Bowl as an excuse to buy a new TV or soundbar, but most of you will be sticking with your existing home entertainment setup. In either case, you'll want to make sure your system has its game face on, especially if you're hosting a watch party. Here's how.
Go big
Football is a complicated visual experience, with lots of wide-angle views where big swaths of the field are visible at once, often studded with all-too-tiny players. More so than most TV programs, it's best suited to larger screens. You'll get a better experience watching on as large a TV as you have available.
If your TV is smaller, you can get a similar effect by sitting closer. The game is available in 4K this year, but standard high-def images look great even from close distances, so it might be worthwhile to move your seat closer to the TV for the game. Geoff Morrison includes a handy viewing chart in this 4K article which shows how close you need to sit based on the size and resolution of your screen.
Read more: Comcast Will Air the Super Bowl in 4K With Dolby Vision HDR
Check the setup: HDMI, high-def and Wi-Fi
The first thing you want to do is make sure the TV is set up correctly. If you have a high-definition cable or satellite box, make sure it's connected via HDMI for the best fidelity. You'll also want to make sure you're tuned to the high-def version of the broadcast -- available on Fox. If you're a Comcast subscriber you'll even be able to watch a 4K telecast.
If you're streaming on busy Super Bowl Sunday along with the rest of the world, your internet connection is crucial.
These days, the Super Bowl is available to stream live online from more places than ever. If you're streaming the game, you'll want to have plenty of bandwidth. Make sure other devices in your house beyond your TV -- like the kids streaming 4K Netflix upstairs -- aren't using the Wi-Fi at the same time. You can also try moving stuff around, going with a wired Ethernet connection or, if all else fails, upgrading your internet speed. We have a full guide to avoiding buffering during the big game with all the details.
Super Bowl Sunday will be a busy one on the internet and depending on your provider you might experience drop-outs or buffering that's out of your control. It pays to have a backup plan in the worst-case scenario, for example hooking up an antenna to watch Fox's over-the-air broadcast.
Read more: Watch TV for Free: How to Install an Over-the-Air Indoor Antenna
A soundbar is a smart move to improve the game's audio beyond your TV's crappy speakers.
Sound matters
You should definitely get your audio set up correctly, too. Hopefully you're using an external audio system or soundbar, which can not only deliver real or simulated surround sound but also much better dialogue. If you're are stuck with the TV speakers for audio, set your box or device to output stereo as opposed to 5.1 surround sound (Dolby Digital).
Read more: Best Soundbars and Audio for the Big Game 2023
Maybe you're the kind of person who prefers to listen to the crowd and turn down the announcers. If that's the case, try playing around with the sound controls. Many TVs and external sound systems have a multiband equalizer that lets you decrease certain frequencies independently of others, quieting those sounds you don't want to hear. If your equipment doesn't have an equalizer, try experimenting with a sound mode or even the basic bass and treble controls.
And if you happen to be listening to the surround-sound broadcast on a surround system, you can turn down the center channel to minimize the dialogue from the announcers. Conversely, if you'd rather hear them over the crowd, turn down the other speakers (left, right and surround) and turn up the center.
Read more: Can't Hear That Play-by-Play? Check These TV Sound Settings
If the most accurate picture mode isn't bright enough, try a couple of user adjustments.
Picture settings: Bright ideas
At CNET, we calibrate the picture settings of every TV we review to get the best picture quality. Our calibrations happen in a dark room, and with a kickoff time of 6:30 p.m. ET, that's how most Americans will be able to best view the game. Unless you're having a party, that is, and will be watching in a lit room.
"Too bright" is arguably not a problem with most modern TVs, but being too dim is. If the picture seems too dark, try increasing the backlight control, which boosts the power of the illumination (typically LEDs) behind the LCD screen. If you have an OLED TV, try increasing OLED Light instead. Also, be sure to disable any room lighting sensors, automatic brightness controls or energy saver controls.
Depending on your TV, you might also have a picture mode designed for a bright room. Look for something like "Brighter" or "Calibrated bright" to get a brightness boost without the terrible color of a Vivid or Dynamic mode. If your TV doesn't have a mode like that you should choose the Movie or Cinema mode and again, if it seems too dark, bump up the brightness as described above.
Accurate color is worth celebrating.
Not easy being green
During our calibrations we attempt to get the most accurate color possible. For football, the most common color you'll see is the green of the field, and if it's not accurate, it's pretty easy to notice. The human eye is sensitive to green, and you can usually tell if it looks too brownish or dull, or too yellowish or vibrant.
If you don't have access to our picture settings, one of the best ways to assure accurate colors, including green, is to engage the Movie or Cinema preset. Yes, it sounds counterintuitive, but Movie usually provides a more accurate color green than Sports or other picture modes. Those are often punched-up and oversaturated-looking, with greens that are much more intense than in real life. If you like the punchy look, on the other hand, maybe you'll prefer one of those modes to a more accurate one.
On some TVs, Movie settings will look too dark, even if you turn up the backlight all the way. If that's the case, choose a different picture mode and look for a control called "color space" or something similar. There, you'll want to choose the "HD" or "Auto" or "Rec 709" setting, not the "Native" setting. You may also be able to get the grass looking more natural by decreasing the color control.
Our advice with the soap opera effect and football: It pays to experiment beforehand.
If you have a TV equipped with smoothing or dejudder (aka the soap opera effect), you may want to do some experimenting with those settings as well. Look for a setting called Auto Motion Plus or Picture Clarity on Samsung, TruMotion on LG, Action Smoothing on TCL, Smooth Motion Effect on Vizio and MotionFlow on Sony TVs. Football can sometimes benefit from the blur-reduction effects of those settings, but on the other hand, you may notice artifacts, for example trails behind fast-moving objects like a ball during a quick pass or goal kick. If you notice these effects, try turning the setting off completely.
Final step: Kick back and enjoy
If you haven't made the trek to Arizona or have bought a new TV, at least you now have some ideas for getting your TV into game-time shape. Now feel free to redecorate your home theater in Eagles or Chiefs glory, stock up on snacks and scream at the screen.
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