Crave Football: Big-screen TVs for less than £1,000

By Ian Morris on 07 August 2007, 12:02pm

If you don't care that the new Premier League season starts on Saturday, there probably isn't a great deal we can say to change your mind. So let's accept the fact that you enjoy watching 22 men running around after a truncated icosahedron and concentrate on what you watch it on. It's no secret that sport looks better on the biggest TV possible, so how can you supersize this season without having to grovel to your bank manager?

First of all, we'll start at the lower end of the possible size range. The Panasonic TH-42PX70 is a high-definition 720p plasma. At 42 inches it's not enormous, but you can pick it up for between £750 and £1,000, which makes it good value. Plasmas are slightly better than LCDs for watching sport, in general, because they have quicker response times. Add to that good performance in movies and this makes for a decent all-round TV.

Next up, consider a 50-inch Sony rear-projection TV. These screens aren't generally as popular here as they are in the States, but that's a shame, because they offer a lot of performance for very little money. As the name implies, rear-pros use a similar technology to video projectors. Instead of projecting on to a separate screen, these TVs have a clever system of mirrors which fire the image on to the screen in glorious hi-def quality. The KDF-50E2010 costs around £850 and can show HD at 720p resolutions.

Lastly, it doesn't get much better than a video projector for big-screen ball-kicking action. The only downside to projectors is that you'll need a dark room to really enjoy them. That needn't be a problem though, especially if you move your beer fridge into the lounge. Take a look at the Panasonic PT-AX100E, which is the best projector we've seen in its price range. It will cost you about £1,000, but for that you'll get an enormous image -- over 100 inches if your room is big and dark enough. Don't forget to buy a proper screen to go with it -- throwing an image on to a magnolia wall won't yield the same impressive results.

The larger the screen, the more you'll need a high-definition TV service. There's only really one that offers lots of hi-def sport, and that's Sky HD. So kiss goodbye to a reasonably large chunk of your salary (and any moral objections you might have to Rupert Murdoch) and get a Sky HD box ordered. And if your're going to be out and about a lot on Saturday afternoons, check out our mobile phone football tips. -Ian Morris