If your TV’s got the latest tech, watching big sporting events can be really special. In fact, you’ll usually see and hear more than being at the event itself. So sit back, get comfy, and read all about how smart TV tech can make you feel like you’re in the best seat in the stadium.
The beautiful game – even more beautiful
No matter what sport you’re watching, colour is super important. Because of this, most TVs have a dedicated sport picture mode to really bring the match to life. It’ll boost your contrast, brightness and colour with one button press.
And with Samsung’s Neo QLED screen tech, everything’s more immersive because it nails that colour. Thanks to the 100% colour volume, any distractions around you will fade away. From the kits of each team, to flags in the stands, all of it will absolutely pop. It’s just like being sat in the stadium.
Ultra-fast processor. Ultra-fast action
Action-packed sporting events need a powerful TV to keep up with them. But that’s down to the chip that’s inside them. Some processors are smart enough to detect hundreds of objects in a single frame. This doesn’t just boost the colour – for games that really grab your attention. It also makes the motions of all the players nice and fluid.
And there’s nothing worse than blurry or laggy movements during those crucial minutes. That’s why you need a processor that makes the match look smoother. With a good one, following your favourite player will be as easy as a two-yard tap-in. Perfectly smooth motion, without a glitch or stutter in sight.
Sony’s ‘XR Motion Clarity’ and ‘XR OLED Motion’ are made for great sporting moments. They control your images by reducing blur – making a clear, bright, and smooth picture. You’ll be able to track the ball across every part of the pitch.
See all the big moments
When you’ve got all your friends or family over for a match, seating can be a big issue.
Is your sofa directly in line with your TV, or do you sit off centre? Will it be wall-mounted, or on a cabinet? If you want to get the perfect viewing experience, ideally you want to be parallel to your living room TV with a maximum 15-degree angle up or down and a maximum 40-degree angle to the left or right.
Then go for a bigger telly with an ultra-wide viewing angle, you’ll get a great view from anywhere in the room.
Recommended TV viewing distances
With amazing Ultra HD technology offered in most new televisions, you can sit closer to your set than ever without seeing the pixels or losing image quality.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should – for the best viewing experience you should follow our viewing distance guide. So measure the distance you’ll be sitting from your screen, then check out the diagram below.
Another rough guide is to divide your TV viewing distance inches by 2. This’ll give you a recommended TV size. So if your sofa is ten feet away from the wall you plan to mount your TV on, that’s 120 inches. 120 divided by two is60, so a TV of around 60” is a good fit for your room.
Keep up with the scores
Football usually means watching your team while keeping an eye on your rivals’ matches on your phone. But with LG’s built-in Sports Alert feature, you won’t have to split your attention. Register any number of favourite teams and get real-time alerts onscreen as the goals fly in. Even if your other half is in charge of the remote, you’ll still be able to follow all the scores. Phew.
Sounds of the stadium
For any sport, sound is half the experience. The songs and chants from the stands. Commentators describing an amazing goal. Managers barking orders to their team. It all adds up to make any fixture even more atmospheric. And brands like Sony and Samsung both offer their own sound-based star players.
Sony’s ‘Acoustic Surface Audio’ kicks off this Champion’s League level sound tech. As the game ebbs and flows, so does your audio. Speakers placed behind the screen vibrate, making sound which moves across the picture. While the fans anticipate a tournament winning finish, that buzz will literally ripple around the ground while you watch.
With Samsung’s ‘Object Tracking Sound’ your audio follows the action in real-time. When there’s a corner kick, you’ll hear it from the right corner of the screen. When the crowd madly celebrates a last-minute equaliser, you’ll hear it from the correct place. It’s down to smart AI - which sends audio to the speakers closest to the source of sound on your screen.
But if you’re more concerned about the stats than the scenes, their ‘Clear Voice’ setting puts dialogue in full focus. Boost the commentators’ voices while quieting down the rest of the stadium. Even the rowdiest home crowd won’t drown out the commentary box while this is on.
What’s more, all of this tech is packed straight into a bunch of their TVs too, so you don’t even need a sound bar.
Need more help?
If you’re still not sure on which type of TV is right for you, here are 5 questions to ask when buying a TV for watching sport. Our TV buying guide is also worth checking out.
And when you’ve got the TV sorted, make sure the rest of your living room is sports-ready in time for kick-off!
