1. Receiving the Games: Make sure your Antenna, Cable, or Satellite box is functioning properly and that you will be able to receive the channel in your area that is broadcasting the Olympics. If you will be receiving the Olympics via an antenna and need to get one, check out some suggestions from About.com's TV/Video site. For questions regarding Cable or Satellite, contact your local cable provider or satellite provider.
2. Watching the Games: If you want to get the best possible picture, an HDTV is your best viewing option. If you already have an HDTV, then you are all set, provided your HDTV has either an ATSC tuner, which is required for receiving over-the-air high definition television broadcast signals, or that you subscribe to HD-Cable or HD-Satellite service.
Also, make sure your cable and satellite service will provide access to the several channels broadcasting the Olympics in high definition. In addition, if you are on cable or satellite, you may be able to access Olympics coverage provided by foreign broadcast sources, which provide an interesting perspective on athletes and sports not always covered in-depth by coverage targeted for U.S. viewers. However, not all foreign-based coverage will be in high-definition, nor broadcast in english.
If you don't own an HDTV and want to buy one in time for the Olympics, then consider a Plasma or Rear-Projection DLP set as they offer the best viewing experience for fast live-action sports. The reason for this is that DLP and Plasma television display smooth fast motion activity, such as football, very well.
However, an LCD flat panel set can be a good option as well, especially if you will be viewing the Olympics in a brightly-lit room.
In terms of price, DLP televisions provide the largest screen sizes at the lowest price. However, over the course of its lifetime, a DLP set does requires periodic replacement of its light source. Also, since LCD and Plasma dominate the market, there are not as many DLP sets to choose from. Mitsubishi is now the only ongoing source of new DLP televisions.
Check out my suggestions for DLP Televisions, LCD Televisions, and Plasma Televisions.
3. Hearing the Games: To get the best sound experience for the Olympics there are several ways to go, depending on your setup.
A. If you are planning to receive the Olympics using an over-the-air antenna, which is connected to an HDTV with an ATSC tuner, then check to see if your HDTV has a Digital Optical Audio Output Connection. Also, if have a surround sound system in your home theater setup, check to see if the receiver in your system also has a corresponding Digital Optical Audio Input connection. If so, then simply connect the digital audio output of the HDTV to the digital audio input of the home theater system and you will experience the surround sound feed for the Olympics.
B. On the other hand, if your HDTV does not have a Digital Optical Audio Output, then connect the HDTV's analog stereo outputs to your home theater system. If using this connection option, check to see if your home theater system a Dolby Prologic II or IIx setting option. If so, then you will still be able to extract a surround sound signal from the stereo input signal, although it is not as effective as the surround sound signal accessed by the Digital Optical Audio connection option.
C. If you subscribe to HD-Cable or HD-Satellite, then your cable or satellite box should have a Digital Optical Audio Output connection. If this is the case, then connect directly from the box to the Digital Audio Input Connection of your home theater system. You will now be able to access the surround sound signal from the high definition cable or satellite feed.
D. If you have a home theater receiver that has HDMI audio access, and if your HD-Cable box or HD-Satellite Box has an HDMI output, then the best option would be to simply connect the HDMI output from your Cable or Satellite box to your home theater receiver and then connect the output of your home theater receiver to your HDTV. This simplifies the number of connections; you will be able to access both audio and video using a single connection from the cable or satellite box to the home theater receiver, and then to the HDTV.
If you don't have a home theater system to complement your HDTV, consider an all-in-one home theater system. To find out what you need to know about these systems, check out my article: Home Theater - The Easy and Inexpensive Way. Then, check out some affordable all-in-one home theater packages that may provide the perfect option for hearing those Olympics bumps, grinds, and crowds: Top Picks For Home Theater-in-a-Box Systems and Digital Sound Projectors, Sound Bars, and 3-in-1 Speaker Systems.
Lastly, if you are starting completely from scratch, and need to purchase and set up an HDTV and home theater system in time for the Olympics, be sure to check out my articles: Planning A Home Theater System and Practical Tips for Home Theater and Consumer Electronics Shopping.
