If you're looking to upgrade your TV for football season, experts say you need this

EXPLAINS WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR SO YOU TRY TO OPEN A FAMILIAR STREAMING SERVICE ON YOUR SMART TV, BUT YOU CAN’T LOG IN. INSTEAD, A POP UP APPEARS TELLING YOU THERE’S A PROBLEM WITH YOUR DEVICE AND YOU NEED TO CALL A PHONE NUMBER OR VISIT A WEBSITE TO FIX IT. DON’T FALL FOR THIS, FOLKS. IF YOU CALL THE NUMBER, SCAMMERS PRETEND TO BE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS AND THEY INSIST THAT YOU PAY AN ACTIVATION FEE OR ALLOW THEM REMOTE ACCESS TO YOUR SMART TV IF YOU GIVE THEM ACCESS TO YOUR DEVICE OR CLICK ON A LINK THEY PROVIDE, THE SCAMMERS MAY INSTALL MALWARE ON YOUR TV AND USE IT TO GAIN ACCESS TO YOUR SENSITIVE PERSONAL INFORMATION. YOU AVOID THIS SCAM BY BEING VERY SUSPICIOUS OF THESE POP UP ADS THAT APPEAR ON YOUR SMART TV. DOUBLE CHECK ANY FEES YOU HAVE TO PAY IF SCAMMERS ASK YOU TO PAY AN ACTIVATION FEE, STOP RIGHT THERE. FOR EXAMPLE, SCAMMERS CLAIM YOU MUST PAY AN ACTIVATION FEE TO USE YOUR ROKU, BUT ROKU NEVER CHARGES ACTIVATION OR REGISTRATION FEES. IF A CUSTOMER SERVICE PHONE NUMBER APPEARS IN A POP UP, DOUBLE CHECK IT BEFORE YOU CALL THAT NUMBER. CONTACT A STREAMING SERVICE OR THE TV MANUFACTURER’S WEBSITE TO FIND OUT THEIR CUSTOMER SUPPORT NUMBER AND FINALLY, THIS REMINDER NEVER LET ANYONE CONTROL YOUR DEVICE REMOTELY. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY COULD BE DOING ONCE THEY GET INSIDE YOUR SMART TV OR OR YOUR COMP

Another college football season is here, and it features a new 12-team format. The National Football League’s regular season has kicked off, and as the sun sets earlier, Saturdays and Sundays are about to be all about football. That means if you’re enjoying the game from home, you’re going to want to make sure you have the right setup to enjoy the games you get to experience, whether it’s your alma mater on Saturdays, your favorite team on Sunday, or maybe a marathon of games courtesy of NFL RedZone. Whatever your taste, how your TV is set up will be integral to how you enjoy the game. Related video above: Smart TVs become targets for scammersIf you’re looking to upgrade your TV ahead of the football season, our friends at Popular Mechanics have some tips for you to ensure the TV you’re getting is exactly what you need to enjoy football. Tip 1: Check the “Refresh Rate.”What’s the refresh rate, you ask? The refresh rate is how many frames per second your TV picks up. For example, say you’re watching the game and the quarterback throws a quick pass. Your TV is trying to keep up with that throw in frames. According to Popular Mechanics, most TVs have a refresh rate of 60 Hz or 60 frames per second. But even at that rate, the pass might look a little fuzzy, so as a result, TV makers are upgrading their new models to have a faster refresh rate so that the objects look smoother. Refresh rate is key, but it’s not the be-all end-all, according to Popular Mechanics.Tip 2: Size mattersExperts say at least a 65-inch TV set will let you catch more detail of the entire field of play. Even if you have a small living space, as long as you have at least six feet between you and your 65-inch or larger TV, the room can accommodate a larger screen. The bigger the screen, the better the experience. Tip 3: Account for lightingA small or large living room may not matter as much, but what will matter is the lighting within your space for watching games. Popular Mechanics said a bright TV is the way to go, but it’s difficult to get both bright and wide-angle attributes in a single TV. “While an LED TV is twice as bright as an OLED, an OLED's viewing angle is twice as wide,” Popular Mechanics expert Stewart Wolpin said. “Factor in your room lighting and the potential number of guests you're hosting before you make a final sports TV buying choice.”The picks are inSo with that information in mind, now it’s time to upgrade. Head to your local TV shop (Best Buy, Target, Walmart come to mind) or shop online at Amazon and get fast shipping if you’re a Prime member so your TV gets to you right on time for kickoff. We did some research on what’s available right now to help you out.Samsung Q80C QLED 4K Smart TV Why? It boasts a 120 Hz refresh rate, along with options from 65-inches to 98-inches. It offers bright colors and AI-powered processors to upgrade your viewing experience scene-by-scene, perfect for live sports. Cost? Right now, every size is on sale, with the 65-inch seeing $300 in savings and the 98-inch seeing $3,000 in savings. On Samsung’s website, they state you can pay in four installments and are offering 0% APR financing if you qualify. Also available at: Amazon / Best Buy / B&H Electronics / P.C. Richard & Son / WalmartLG OLED evo C4 4K Smart TVWhy? 120Hz refresh rate, and in gaming mode, it can reach a variable refresh rate of 144Hz. It also offers an AI processor to help with picture scaling and features brightness booster technology. One other thing, it boasts the Energy Star sticker, making it an energy efficient product, meaning it’ll help cut costs of electricity consumption. Cost? The 77-inch model is currently $2,599.99, which is $1,099 off the original price. The 65-inch is at $1,699.99, which is seeing a $999 reduction. On LG’s website, they are throwing in free wall-mounting if you’d like that for your living space. Also available at: Amazon / Best Buy / BJ’s Wholesale Club / B&H Electronics / P.C. Richard & Son / Sam’s Club / Target / Walmart TCL Q7 OLED 4K Smart Google TV Why? 120Hz refresh rate on a QLED 4K smart TV that has over 200 local dimming zones to adapt to what’s on your screen. Cost? The 75-inch model is currently $1,098. Also available at: Amazon / Best Buy / Newegg / Walmart

That means if you’re enjoying the game from home, you’re going to want to make sure you have the right setup to enjoy the games you get to experience, whether it’s your alma mater on Saturdays, your favorite team on Sunday, or maybe a marathon of games courtesy of NFL RedZone. Whatever your taste, how your TV is set up will be integral to how you enjoy the game.

Related video above: Smart TVs become targets for scammers

If you’re looking to upgrade your TV ahead of the football season, our friends at Popular Mechanics have some tips for you to ensure the TV you’re getting is exactly what you need to enjoy football.

Tip 1: Check the “Refresh Rate.”

What’s the refresh rate, you ask? The refresh rate is how many frames per second your TV picks up. For example, say you’re watching the game and the quarterback throws a quick pass. Your TV is trying to keep up with that throw in frames.

According to Popular Mechanics, most TVs have a refresh rate of 60 Hz or 60 frames per second. But even at that rate, the pass might look a little fuzzy, so as a result, TV makers are upgrading their new models to have a faster refresh rate so that the objects look smoother.

Refresh rate is key, but it’s not the be-all end-all, according to Popular Mechanics.

Tip 2: Size matters

Experts say at least a 65-inch TV set will let you catch more detail of the entire field of play.

Even if you have a small living space, as long as you have at least six feet between you and your 65-inch or larger TV, the room can accommodate a larger screen.

The bigger the screen, the better the experience.

Tip 3: Account for lighting

A small or large living room may not matter as much, but what will matter is the lighting within your space for watching games.

Popular Mechanics said a bright TV is the way to go, but it’s difficult to get both bright and wide-angle attributes in a single TV.

“While an LED TV is twice as bright as an OLED, an OLED's viewing angle is twice as wide,” Popular Mechanics expert Stewart Wolpin said. “Factor in your room lighting and the potential number of guests you're hosting before you make a final sports TV buying choice.”

The picks are in

So with that information in mind, now it’s time to upgrade. Head to your local TV shop (Best Buy, Target, Walmart come to mind) or shop online at Amazon and get fast shipping if you’re a Prime member so your TV gets to you right on time for kickoff.

We did some research on what’s available right now to help you out.

Samsung Q80C QLED 4K Smart TV

Samsung 85" Class QLED 4K Q80C TV

Samsung

samsung.com

$3,299.99

$1,699.99

SHOP NOW

Why? It boasts a 120 Hz refresh rate, along with options from 65-inches to 98-inches. It offers bright colors and AI-powered processors to upgrade your viewing experience scene-by-scene, perfect for live sports.

Cost? Right now, every size is on sale, with the 65-inch seeing $300 in savings and the 98-inch seeing $3,000 in savings. On Samsung’s website, they state you can pay in four installments and are offering 0% APR financing if you qualify.

Also available at: Amazon / Best Buy / B&H Electronics / P.C. Richard & Son / Walmart

LG OLED evo C4 4K Smart TV

LG OLED evo C4 4K Smart TV 2024

LG.com

$3,699.00

$2,999.99

SHOP NOW

Why? 120Hz refresh rate, and in gaming mode, it can reach a variable refresh rate of 144Hz. It also offers an AI processor to help with picture scaling and features brightness booster technology. One other thing, it boasts the Energy Star sticker, making it an energy efficient product, meaning it’ll help cut costs of electricity consumption.

Cost? The 77-inch model is currently $2,599.99, which is $1,099 off the original price. The 65-inch is at $1,699.99, which is seeing a $999 reduction. On LG’s website, they are throwing in free wall-mounting if you’d like that for your living space.

Also available at: Amazon / Best Buy / BJ’s Wholesale Club / B&H Electronics / P.C. Richard & Son / Sam’s Club / Target / Walmart