When sports fans sink into their couches and easy chairs to view a game, many no doubt will be seeing it on a flat-screen TV, while others will be wishing they'd already purchased one.
And as prices for big-screen televisions have dropped in recent years, consumers have found them more affordable and decided that bigger is indeed better. Of course, there are still gender differences.
"I was talking to a husband and wife the other day, and he wanted bigger, bigger, and she's saying, 'I'm sure 46 inches is plenty,'" recalled Stewart. "And I said, 'You know how guys are. It's all about size.' The guy won out, and he got that 50-inch plasma. He said to his wife, 'What's 4 inches?'"
With clear distinctions between plasma and LCD televisions diminishing and bulkier rear-screen TVs declining in popularity, size is often a key consideration when making a choice among the myriad big-screen offerings.
According to DisplaySearch, a market research company, the average television size in North America was 29 inches in the first quarter of 2006 and is expected to expand to nearly 35 inches during the first quarter of this year.
Overall sales of flat-panel televisions also have been accelerating, although at a faster rate for LCDs compared with plasmas, said Paul Gagnon, director of North America TV research for DisplaySearch.
For instance, LCD sales for the last quarter of 2007 are expected to total 7.7 million, compared with 5.5 million during the same period in 2006, said Gagnon. By comparison, sales of plasma televisions in the last quarter of 2007 were an estimated 1.5 million, 400,000 more than in the same period in 2006.
Prices have come down, too, even in the last year, noted Gagnon. The average price of a 42-inch plasma set in 2006 was $1,412, a 46% drop from 2005 prices, and the average price last year was estimated at $975.
"It definitely is the case that sales ramp up in January," said Gagnon. "Typically, retailers run promotions the final two weeks before Super Bowl Sunday, and they count on it to extend the holiday selling season. But unlike the sales we get during November and December, these sales are typically focused on 40 inches and larger.
"In the past, there was a barrier to buying a bigger TV because they take up a lot of space in the home, but with flat-panel televisions, you can mount them on the wall, so there's a lot more flexibility for consumers."
Size was a key consideration for Vince Brunkow, who was recently shopping for his first big-screen TV at Best Buy, but he confessed he had his marching orders from his wife.
"The biggest I can get is 46 inches, and I've set my own minimum at 42 inches," said Brunkow, 39. "My wife said, any bigger, and our living room will look like a bachelor pad."
The couple currently owns a 47-inch rear-projection television, and Wendy Stangl wanted to get a 52-inch flat-screen TV.
"It's the 'ah' factor," said her husband, checking out flat panels at Best Buy.
When choosing between plasma and LCD models, experts say let the conditions in the room where you'll be viewing the screen be your guide.
"The plasma-LCD debate has been raging for four or five years, and there's no single right answer that applies for everybody," said Mark Kersey, who works as an HDTV analyst. "Typically, you can get a plasma in the bigger sizes for less money than a comparably sized LCD."
In rooms with a lot of sunlight that can't be shaded, LCD televisions tend to perform better because plasma sets are more reflective, which can lead to more glare, say the experts. Some manufacturers like Panasonic, however, have come up with ways to minimize glare.
Plasma sets are sometimes touted as better for movie viewing because they can offer deeper black levels and greater contrast. Sports, too, can look better on plasmas because the refresh rate of the actual screen image as it reconstructs itself is quicker, resulting in a smoother image, said Kersey.
"I recommend that consumers take a multipronged approach. Start online, go to a review site like cnet.com or mine (1080eyes.com), see what the experts say. Consumers should go into the stores, but try not to get educated in the store. It's just like buying a car. You're not going to go to a car lot and expect unbiased research from the car salesman."
And once you buy your big-screen television, there's always the question of where to put it. Interior designer Norma Byrd recommends that consumers take into consideration the size of the viewing room before determining how large a screen to purchase.
She's also a fan of designing cabinetry to house the television.
"I don't happen to like to look at a television if it's not on. I like to have it hidden but that's problematic for the very large screens, and it's expensive," said Byrd.
"If it's mounted in a niche, I like to have the opening as near the size of the screen as possible so you don't have a lot of open space around it. That's one of the things that make them objectionable."
Then, of course, there's the most confounding challenge of all - hooking up your new television without becoming entangled in a morass of wires and cables. Retailers like Circuit City and Best Buy, well aware of the difficulties involved, have specialized installers to help consumers make their new sets operational.
The cost, which varies among retailers, typically ranges from a low of $150 for a basic installation that doesn't include mounting on the wall to $300 to $500, which would include a wall mount. More complicated setups could cost more.
Even Stewart, the Circuit City store manager, admitted she needed help hooking up her own big-screen TV.
"I would never dream of hanging it myself, and I'm electronically savvy," she said. "Not in a million years. I'd leave it to an expert."
