THE FRONT LINE: FEBRUARY 6, 2008
2008 Super Bowl HDTV Party
One HDTV for every five guests doesn’t sound like much — that is, unless you’re talking about 70 guests.
Figure 1. It was all about HD on Super Sunday,
and Sharp’s 32-inch LCD HDTV was front and center.
This year’s Super Bowl had everything a football fan could want — two marquee teams, an undefeated season on the line for the New England Patriots, and a Cinderella run through the playoffs by the New York Giants.
The high level of excitement and anticipation surrounding the game simply had to be matched by an equally impressive array of high definition displays, from my perspective. With that in mind, I started setting up 14 different screens a week before the game, experimenting with position and viewing angles, and dropping and tapping numerous RF feeds throughout the house.
As always, I relied 100% on terrestrial signal reception for the game. This year’s tilt was carried in 720p/60 by FOX affiliate WTXF-29 in Philadelphia, broadcasting on UHF channel 42. Both my rooftop and attic antennas were pressed into service to capture this signal, along with a couple of amplified indoor antennas and a tripod-mounted UHF yagi on my rear deck.
I had hoped to use at least one wireless (802.11 WiFi) connection this year to eliminate some cables, but that didn’t materialize. To clean up clutter, six different terrestrial set-top receivers were drafted into service, one of which replaced an intermittently functioning tuner inside a key HDTV an hour before game time.
And what would a Super Bowl HDTV Party be without a visit from Murphy, who jinxed the 19” LCD HDTV intended for the bathroom, along with the ATSC set-top I use in my home theater? (That’s why it pays to have plenty of spares on hand.)
For the technical details, let’s take a quick tour through each room:
Figure 2. Westinghouse’s 52-inch LCD HDTV commanded its space.
Figure 3. Dessert and Samsung’s 1080p LCD made for a tasty combo.
Living Room: This space was occupied by Westinghouse Digital’s TX-52F480S 52-inch 1080p LCD HDTV (SRP $2,199), and it was a real crowd-pleaser. The TX-52F480S is fresh off its debut last fall at Cedia Expo and delivered bright, contrasty images of the game from start to finish. It has a single RF connection for NTSC/ATSC/QAM signals, two component inputs, and four HDMI jacks.
Dining Room: Samsung’s LN-T4681F 46-inch 1080p LCD HDTV (SRP $3,999) was a winner all around. It uses an LED backlight and showed great color saturation and contrast. The LN-T4681F comes with dual RF inputs, a pair of component inputs, and three HDMI jacks (one on the side). The signal feed came from a Radio Shack 15-1882 amplified indoor antenna, sitting on the floor below the Samsung.
Front Hall, right: You couldn’t miss the bright pictures from Sharp’s LC-32GP3U 32-inch 1080p LCD HDTV (SRP $1,599), sitting atop a glass table by our hall closet. This model is aimed at both HDTV enthusiasts and gamers, with a single component video jack and two HDMI ports mounted on the rear, plus additional component video and HDMI ports on the right side. This HDTV took its signal from a Radio Shack 15-1862 indoor amplified antenna, located along the living room wall.
Figure 4. Might as well learn while you’re having fun, right?
Figure 5a. With an HDTV in a bathroom, no one would miss a second of the game.
Figure 5b. The definition of “comfortable” seems to vary with age.
Front Hall, left: This was one of two non-HDTVs I set up for the game. Zenith’s DTT900 digital television converter (SRP $59.95) was connected to a Dynex 13-inch CRT TV (which itself has an ATSC tuner). My intent was to showcase one of the new digital TV converter boxes to guests while also informing them of the upcoming “D-Day” — February 17, 2009. The down-converted signal from FOX29 was shown as a letterboxed image with analog stereo audio.
Main Bathroom: Westinghouse also provided a 19-inch set for this room, but Mr. Murphy got to it before I did! Subsequently, I had to swap it out for a Samsung LTM-1575W 15-inch 720p LCD TV, connected to a Samsung DTB-H260F terrestrial receiver. This combo worked very well in 2007 and didn’t miss a beat this year, either.
Kitchen: Versatility was the order of the day as Westinghouse’s L2410NM 24-inch 1080p LCD monitor (SRP $599) served up HD from the top of my refrigerator, in tandem with yet another Samsung DTB-H260F through the latter’s HDMI connection. This is a pretty nice computer monitor, but it also makes an excellent HDTV for small spaces.
Family Room: Viewers in my most comfortable seats (a leather couch and two leather recliners) were treated to views of the game through Pioneer’s PRO-950HD 42-inch 720p plasma HDTV (SRP $3,200). The PRO-950HD treated fans with rich blacks and great colors, along with the widest viewing angle of any room. It’s loaded for bear with two RF inputs, a pair of component video jacks, and four HDMI ports.
Figure 6. Pioneer’s 42-inch plasma was popular with the kids.
Figure 7. LG’s 42-inch 1080p LCD stood front and center at the entrance to the theaters.
Foot of Basement Stairs: LG’s 42LB5D 42-inch 1080p LCD HDTV ($1,700) greeted guests as they shuttled back and forth between the two main theaters and the kitchen. The 42LB5D has a pair of component inputs and three HDMI jacks and, once tuned up, made some great, contrasty pictures. (In fact, it was almost too bright for the rear of the main theater!)
Rear of Theater 1: This is where I set up my second technology demonstration, showing HDTV reception through my Acer notebook computer by using AutumnWave’s OnAir Solution HDTV-GT receiver (SRP $179.00). For added impact, I used Panasonic’s TH-50PF9UK 50-inch 1080p professional plasma (SRP $4,999) as the desktop monitor. This demo also allowed me to demonstrate transport stream monitoring with TSReader Pro software, also available from Autumnwave.
Theater 1: This was the most popular place to watch the game, and no wonder — Mitsubishi’s HC6000 1080p 3LCD projector (SRP $3,995 lit up a Stewart Communicator 82-inch front screen. Surround audio came from a Sony STR-DG500 Dolby Digital AVC receiver and fed five Snell mk.2 speakers, plus a Polk 200W subwoofer.
Theater 2: Sanyo’s PLV-Z2000 1080p 3LCD projector (SRP $2,995) ruled the roost here, illuminating a Vutec 82-inch Silver Star front screen. LG’s LST-4200A terrestrial set-top receiver provided the signals, and surround audio came from a Sony 100W 5.1 system with Bose speakers and an Accurian 100W subwoofer. This theater is actually my basement workshop the other 364 days of the year!
Figures 8a-b. Projecting on garage doors? All in a day’s work for Sanyo’s PLC-XL50.
Theater 2 monitoring: JVC’s DT-V24L1U 24-inch 1080p LCD monitor (SRP $2,499) was set up as my “air check” monitor, connected to an LG LST-3100A terrestrial set-top receiver. With this monitor and a nearby spectrum analyzer, I could keep close tabs on the quality of WTXF’s digital signal.
Outside Rear Deck: This rear-projection location is always popular, as guests can see the game through my deck doors. Epson’s Powerlite Home Cinema 720 3LCD 720p projector (SRP $1,299) was tapped to do the honors, enlarging the game onto a Vutec 62-inch rear screen. The digital signals were snatched from the airwaves by yet another Samsung DTB-H260F terrestrial receiver, connected to a Channel Master 4308 UHF yagi mounted nearby on a portable tripod.
Outside Garage Door: My final screen was also slightly less than HD resolution, but no less impressive. Sanyo’s PLC-XL50 short-throw 3LCD projector (SRP $3,495) turned one of my garage doors into a screen, projecting a six-foot-wide image of the game at 1024x576 resolution and drawing many guests outside to see one of the strangest demonstrations of high-definition TV ever. HD signals were provided courtesy of (what else?) another Samsung DTB-H260F.
Figures 9a-b. This Epson projector — Samsung tuner combo really lit up the rear deck doors.
GAME DAY
I usually start the set-up process the Thursday before the game, to allow enough time for finding and fixing electrical and mechanical problems. This year, I changed that game plan and was installing some HDTVs a week before. Thanks to a short spell of warm, dry weather, I was even able to install the rear deck projection system on Saturday evening.
As a result, all that remained to do on Sunday was to turn on and shake out each HDTV and projector, plus set out the PLC-XL50 and run coax to its set-top receiver. Once that was done, I discovered the first “bug” — the 19-inch LCD HDTV sent over my Westinghouse was locked onto its PC input, and wouldn’t display any menus for more than one second.
After that problem was fixed, I turned on the LG LST-3410A tuner for my main theater, only to find it completely dead — no power indicator, no “click” on power-up, nothing. (Funny, it was working perfectly the night before!) I tried it again on my repair bench only to get the same result. Fortunately, a spare was on hand.
Right after I fixed the problem, the signal from WTXF-DT began breaking up and dropping out on the PRO-950HD. A quick check with my test gear revealed plenty of signal, so I tried swapping out coax cables and splitters. I even re-scanned channels twice. But the problem wouldn’t abate, so I installed one of the ubiquitous DTB-H260Fs, plugged in the HDMI cable, and voila — problem solved.
About 5:30 PM, a reporter from the local paper (The Intelligencer) showed up to do a story on the game, which you can find at http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-02042008-1482051.html. She had asked previously how she and the photographer would know they were at the right house, to which I replied “oh, you’ll know it when you see it.” (Not too many people in my neighborhood project football games on their garage doors.)
Not long afterwards, the crowds began to arrive. In short order, the kitchen and hallway were jammed with guests, juggling trays of food, boxes of wine, and dishes of desserts. I left the reporter to wander around and check everything out while I began serving beverages and slicing up a three-foot-long Italian hoagie.
Figure 10. It was “sitting room only” in the living room.
By 7 PM, there were about 70 guests scattered around the house on both floors. Not surprisingly, the most popular spot was Theater 1 with its surround-sound system. But the living room and dining room were also jammed with people. (The fact that a dessert table was also along one wall in the dining room may have had something to do with that.)
My garage served as a “staging” area for all of the HDTVs, plus I had my tools, coaxial and video cables, and all of the ice and cold soda, wine, and beer stored out there. As a result, I found small groups standing outside numerous times, watching the game on the garage. One guest was excitedly describing the set-up on her cell phone to a friend.
As luck would have it, two guests were engineers and one even works in the display industry locally, plus he’s on the board of the local chapter of the Society for Information Display. Subsequently, we had a nice “tech talk” about the PLC-XL50, its optics, and the quality of the projected images.
As the game wore on, the true Giants and Patriots fans became more vocal with each missed first down, each dropped pass, and each fumble. At halftime, we held a drawing for an OPPO DV-980H upscaling DVD player, graciously donated by Jason Liao of OPPO Digital. The kids had fun ripping into packs of 2007 Bowman football cards, and of course there were just too many sweet desserts on hand.
Figure 11. “Hot dahgs! Get your hot dahgs heah!” (Just like Giants Stadium!)
The large crowd created a small problem when I realized my 20-year-old heat pump had died and I couldn’t circulate any air through the basement theaters! We quickly began opening windows to let the warm air out and improve circulation. Fortunately, there was lots of ice on hand to keep drinks cool and ample bottled and tap water.
The DTV converter box demo drew lots of attention. I had printed up a few dozen flyers from the DTV Transition Web site and placed them alongside the Zenith DTT900, and there weren’t too many left at the end. At least half a dozen guests asked me how they could “get free HDTV” and possibly reduce their cable bills. Surprisingly, a few already had older antenna installations still in place on roofs and in attics.
Although I’ve had HDTV in the downstairs bathroom for the past five HDTV Parties, there’s always a newcomer who is taken aback by the presence of a TV screen right across from the “throne!” The hallway also had its share of teenagers sitting on the floor, watching the proceedings on Sharp’s 32-incher with rapt attention.
Crowds were starting to thin out when Eli Manning led the Giants to the winning score with just over two minutes left in the game, a drive I watched parts of on five different screens as I finished the last of my “behind the scenes” tech tours for interested guests.
Figure 12. A leather couch, a flat screen HDTV…life is good…
EPILOGUE
All in all, it was an exhausting but fun day (except for Patriots fans). It took us until Monday evening (with the help of a cleaning service) to restore the house to its normal condition, not to mention clean up and haul out trash, put away leftovers, disconnect all of the temporary TV installations and match up the correct remotes and power cables with each HDTV.
This is the eighth time I’ve staged this event, starting with the 2000 Rams — Titans contest. (2006 was skipped for a medical reason.) Digital television and HDTV have come a long way since then, when all I had to show that game in 720p HD were two screens — Sony’s VPL-VW10HT LCD projector and Princeton’s AF3.0HD CRT HD monitor, both long since gone.
Today, HDTV is truly mainstream. Prices are lower than ever, screens are larger, and there’s plenty of HD content to watch on terrestrial, cable, and satellite TV networks.
Does that mean the HDTV Party has lost its significance? Well, I haven’t tried projecting into a waterfall yet, or onto floating glass. Nor have I had any OLED screens to show off, not to mention LED displays. (Hmm, gotta think about those for 2009…)
