Whether you are going for the Cowboys or the Packers, the Gators or the Sooners, you will probably agree that if you have ever experienced the game in HD, there is no substitute…with the right set, it can be the next best thing to actually being at the game. These televisions bring all the excitement of the game…the sights and sounds of the stadium up close and personal, putting you in the game. It may be a guy thing, but in my world, on game day there is nothing more important than my remote and a big screen with all the action…no matter what the final score.

Get Ready :

January 5 @ 8 p.m. – FOX
Ohio State vs. Texas, University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

February 1 @ 6 p.m. – NBC
Super Bowl will be held at Ramond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

January 8 @ 8 p.m. – FOX
Florida vs. Oklahoma, Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Fla.

Did You Know?
— Super Bowl XLII was the most-watched Super Bowl ever, and the second-most watched broadcast in television history.

—The number one televised event with more viewers was the M*A*S*H finale. Super Bowl XLII had 97.5 million. The M*A*S*H finale had 106 million viewers.

-The Super Bowl will be held on February 1, 2009 in Tampa Bay, Florida. The NFL distributes approximately 1% of the tickets to fans through an annual Super Bowl random drawing.

-This is the NFL’s only method of distributing tickets to the general public. The NFL does not sell tickets to travel or ticket agents.

LG Dare, $149.99 after $50 rebate and two-year customer agreement
Take the Dare! This new handset will surpass your expectations with a large 3-inch touch screen that recognizes your handwriting and gives you tactile feedback. Zoom in closer to find a 3.2 megapixel camera/camcorder with a Schneider-Kreuznach lens for outstanding image quality, and advanced features like face detection. Of course, the Dare sounds just as good as it looks with a music player and Bluetooth® stereo. With HTML web browsing and a host of other alluring features, it’s up to any mobile challenge.

LG Lotus, $149.99
Fans of the fashion runways will appreciate the couture style of LG Lotus, exclusive to Sprint. LG Lotus is the recipient of the prestigious Red Dot Design Award for its unique, chic and sleek form factor. It is one of the first Sprint devices to offer One Click, a highly-customizable user interface that makes texting, Web access, email, Sprint Navigation, Sprint TV, Sprint Music StoreSM and other features easier to access. It offers the perfect combination of both style and substance with a full QWERTY keyboard that is ideal for quick text messaging, email or instant messaging. LG Lotus also boasts advanced features including stereo Bluetooth , a 2.0 MP camera/camcorder and Wireless Backup for safekeeping your contact list in the event that the device is lost, stolen or damaged.

Location: If you read my article in the previous issue about how to decide on the size of a screen, you were probably surprised by how large of a screen was recommended for a really immersive experience (for a viewing distance of 15 feet, the recommended screen size ranged from 110” to 135”). Does the room you’re thinking about for this home theater have a wall that can be used for that size screen? Or are there immovable objects in each wall?

Lighting: Too much light in the room used to be the Achilles’ heel of projectors. It would wash out the picture, making objects on the screen look like just different shades of grey. But recent advancements in screen technology have helped this situation tremendously. For instance, Screen Innovations (an Austin-based company) makes the new Black Diamond projection screen. This screen will give you a great picture in almost any lighting situation! A large projected picture in a light-filled environment is no longer an oxymoron.

Lifestyle: One of the best parts of having a dedicated home theater with a giant screen is the control it offers. Instead of having to pay to sit in seats next to crying babies, people talking on cell phones, eating $5 popcorn, and missing part of the movie if “nature calls”, you’re in total control. On the other hand, if you have three-yearolds that like to write on the walls with crayons and markers, a projector and screen is probably not your best bet at this point in your life. How about the idea of playing Halo or Wii Sports on a life-size screen – sound good?

Loot: Most people believe that they will have to spend much more to get a front projector than it would cost to get a flatpanel. But this is really one of the biggest misconceptions about front projectors.

Today’s flat-panel television prices start to show diminishing returns around 58”. To get a larger TV, you’ll have to spend significantly more money for a couple more inches. Want a 100” diagonal screen? That’ll set you back around $100,000. Want a nice 100” projected screen? Maybe one-tenth of that figure.

With current prices, the crossover – the size at which front projectors become less expensive than good flat panels – is about 65”.

So, Jim, a little analysis of your current situation – and perhaps a home visit by an audio-video professional – can help you determine what’s best for you.

P.S. This issue of Your Address is all about giving back. As a cancer survivor, one of my favorite charities is the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org/ctx). Literally hundreds of thousands of people are alive today due to the research work they’ve provided.

Tom Wilkinson is a home theater enthusiast, and is owner of Xpress Home Theaters. You can reach him at Tom@XpressHomeTheaters.com or at 512-217-6668.