Do you really need a smart TV for watching sports?

Of course you do! If you’re the ultimate sports fan, you won’t be content to just tune in a game, switch the TV off when it’s over, and then wait until next week to repeat the process. You’ll want to use your Smart TV or Streamer to watch highlights from last week’s game, coach’s interviews, or even brush up on your team’s fight song on YouTube. Was there a controversial call or an on-field altercation you missed? Not to worry – we can promise you it will be posted to YouTube almost immediately.

Yahoo SportsGreat sports apps are available like Yahoo sports and Fantasy Football that add another dimension to the experience.   Another super way to use your smart TV to get you sports fix is with the tunein app. Your TV becomes the world’s radio that lets you listen to a college radio broadcast from anywhere in the country, minor league baseball games that are unavailable otherwise, and premier broadcasts from Major League Baseball, ESPN Radio, and CBS and NBC Sports Radio.

Remember, if your man cave TV is not internet enabled, a streaming player can easily and inexpensively fix that before next weekend. We like the Vizio Co-Star Streaming Player for all the features it offers, and the NetGear NeoTV Streaming Player is a super great deal. Enjoy the ride.

Do you need an expensive HDMI cable?

Do you need an expensive HDMI cable to get better video and audio?  The answer is no.  The answer is till no regardless of what some salesperson has told you.This is an area where the sky is the limit where markups are concerned, and the uninformed buyer is ready to purchase the best equipment in an attempt to maximize the enjoyment of their new big-screen TV.

All HDMI cables are pretty much the same, and the more expensive ones offer no difference in picture quality over the cheap ones.  The only possible exception would be if you needed a really long one to go from one end of the house to the other.  An HDMI cable either works like it should, or it doesn’t work at all leaving you with no picture whatsoever.

I’ve bought HDMI cables on Amazon for $2-3 that were virtually identical to cables at Walmart for $30.  Do yourself a big favor and spend that disposable income rattling around in your pocket on DVDs and Blu-rays.  You don’t have to take my word for it – the reliable folks at CNET have run tests that verify this.  Click here to dig into this a lot deeper.