(CONSUMER REPORTS/WTVF) — The Super Bowl is this weekend, and because of COVID-19, chances are you're going to be watching the big game from home. So how do you get the most out of your TV?
You can kick off game day with the best picture possible on your TV with these tips from the experts at Consumer Reports.
First up, sack the obvious preset mode.
“It may sound odd, but don’t use the sports mode for watching sports. It could artificially boost the color, contrast, and brightness too much,” said Jim Willcox, Consumer Reports’ Tech Editor.
CR says the presets that look best for sports include natural, cinema and movie mode. If you want to take it a step further, adjust your TV settings individually before the game begins.
To change the brightness or black level, CR says find a nighttime scene from a TV show or movie, then get to work tweaking it.
“So, basically you’re trying to turn up the brightness or black levels as high as you can and that’ll show you all the details in the image. But then you want to turn it down so the black areas look as dark as they can while still preserving some of the detail,” said Willcox.
Then there’s contrast or white level, which will affect how bright the field will look come game day. To adjust it, CR says use an image with a lot of white.
“Lower the contrast so you can see all the detail. Then raise it so you can get the picture looking as bright as you can without losing those details,” Willcox added.
Next, adjust the color temperature to make sure your team’s jerseys are the right shade. Choose the warm or low setting so the white yard lines don’t appear too blue. Then adjust the tint so the players’ flesh tones look natural, usually somewhere in the middle of the range.
And now that you have your picture looking its best, consider boosting your TV’s sound quality with the help of a sound bar. A basic option is the Creative Stage 2.1, a CR best buy for $80. It has good sound quality, and it comes with a wired subwoofer and Bluetooth.
Once you've got your TV ready to go, make sure you've got it on NewsChannel 5. You can watch the pre-game show starting at 5 p.m.
