The Best TV for World Cup 2007

With the World Cup fast approaching everybody’s making plans to head to bars with their buddies to support India (or whatever other team you’re supporting you desh drohi), and just have a good time. But with the way people head to these places and jump straight for the best seats, its unlikely you’ll be able to accommodate all your mates on good seats without some really good brawling skills.

But the thing is if you want to get your buddies to your place instead, you create the high energy environment in your living room itself; The most important part of that environment being the display.

So, in case you’re planning on spending on a new television set that will help you make the most of the upcoming ICC World Cup, we’ll help you decide, how you can spend it on the right product. We have listed the most likely candidates that you may consider, and put them up against the next best options, just to make it easier for you to evaluate your choices. We begin with the most predictable option out there—

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High Definition TVs (LCDs and Plasmas)
Hah! you knew I would head straight to these didn’t you? But believe it or not, since we don’t have any real high definition broadcast system in place, an HDTV would be overkill for something like a standard definition broadcast of the cricket match. The image would be stretched to fit the wide-screen aspect ratio and since the broadcast won’t be in the TV’s native resolution, the quality will seem choppy too.

Probably by the next World Cup, a HD broadcast system may be in place in India (we hope), but for this time you’ll probably be better off with a display that’s native to standard definition broadcasts.

Pros: Well at least you know your TV is better than the best broadcasting system in the country.
Cons: The ‘Jhingalala’ life looks like fat pixels here.
Bottom Line: If you’re planning to get a high definition display just for the World Cup, don’t!

29-inch CRT TV
Believe it or not this is still one of the best options for watching this year’s World Cup at home. You’ll get the best contrast ratios, and the best image overall image quality, as compared to all other options. Not to mention, the speakers in this TV will also be a lot better than most high definition TVs out there, as these TVs come with enough space at the back to produce a deeper bass. The best part about them is that these days you can get yourself a decent 29" CRT TV for just around Rs. 16,000, making it the cheapest solution in this feature.

Puts a new meaning to the saying “Old is Gold” doesn’t it?

Still the problem with CRT TVs is the size limitation and the obvious lack of novelty. I doubt a lot of your friends would be interested in watching it on a TV that they probably have in their own homes.

Pros: Excellent picture and sound quality at the most economical price.
Cons: Lack of novelty. You’ll be watching the World Cup 2007 on a TV that people have been using for ages to watch saas bahu soaps.
Bottom Line: To have a real ball with your friends, you need a bigger screen and an atmosphere that will do justice to your mania.
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Enhanced Definition Plasma TV
These TVs are perfect examples of same ‘sh*t different pot’. These TVs cost a bomb only to give you resolutions that you can get at one-third the price, with minor benefits like progressive scan and space saving size. Connecting it your PC is a good thing, because then you can play all those little downloaded videos on it. The thing with many of the TVs is that though many of them will give you an advantage over a regular TV if you’re using a DVD player with component cables, using composite cables out of your DTH or CAS connection is not going to do jack for you.

Since these TVs are also widescreen (unless you’re going for those ridiculous 4:3 aspect ratio 20" displays, pshhh!!), the World Cup broadcast will not be able to make good use out of the gigantic size in its normal aspect ratio. You can always stretch the image to fit the TV screen, but that would just mess up the quality for you.

Pros: Will still look better than the HDTV option.
Cons: No the players haven’t gotten fat, your image is vertically stretched.
Bottom Line: If this is your option, then stick to your nice little CRT TV instead.

SVGA Projectors
Uh-huh… I’m talking about the same thing that all your favorite bars, pubs and cafe’s use during the World Cup, but there’s a difference. You wouldn’t have to be with a whole bunch of strange people crowding all around you when you cheer for your team with the people you care about.

The best part about the projector is that when it comes to pure size, there’s absolutely no competition. You can fill a wall with the picture and get all the details flashed right in your face, so you’ll have a better idea about the action on the field than even the umpire.

Of course you’ll have to take some pains in setting up your room to be completely dark for best image quality, but once again—the experience is worth it. These babies are available for as low as Rs. 55,000 these days, making them a good option for anyone who’s not too hyped up about high definition technology.

Pros: Big… BIGGG picture size.
Cons: You’ll need to hook it up with a good sound system for that complete experience.
Bottom Line: This is not just for the ICC Cricket World Cup. If you like sports, a projector will give you the best experience.