Big screen for the big game

Sporting events have business booming for local retailers

COEUR d'ALENE - Gentlemen, start your remotes.

The Super Bowl, the Olympics and the NASCAR racing season are all in view, and big-screen, high-definition TV sets are racing out the door.

"This is the Christmas of the TV business," said Melinda Merrell, spokeswoman for Fred Meyer. "The Super Bowl is a pretty big time for TVs. This year is different, because the Olympics are just around the corner."

None of the major retailers contacted on Thursday would reveal how many TVs they are selling, but all agreed business is booming.

"The Super Bowl is usually three weeks (of strong sales)," Merrell said. "It really picked up this week."

New technology, such as LED screens, is helping drive the market, but lower prices for hi-def sets are helping. The trend has been to go bigger, too, with sets 46 inches and up now outpacing the 40-inchers that have been popular in recent years, Merrell said.

At Target, 32-inch and 42-inch sets are still hot sellers, especially with sale prices targeting sports-oriented buyers, and interest-free financing said Melisa Moate, a Coeur d'Alene store manager.

"It's that time," she said.

Electronics shoppers swarmed the Best Buy store in Coeur d'Alene on Thursday, with new televisions high on the list of must-have purchases.

Sharon and Vern Severtson of Dalton Gardens found out their 7-year-old rear projection TV was out of warranty and not worth the cost of repairing when it blew out a few days before.

"The repairman spent four hours on it looking for a short," he said. "When he left he said 'Don't call me, I'll call you.'"

"At least the prices are starting to come down," she added.

And, Vern said, the timing was OK.

"It's a good time, just before Super Bowl weekend," he said.

For them, the biggest question was what type to buy. Plasma, LCD and LED sets each have their pros and cons. Plasma is best for action because of its faster image refreshing rate and angle viewing, but at extreme angles can show two images, sales associate Mike Gandy explained.

But they also use more energy.

Liquid crystal display and the latest sets on the market, light-emitting diode screens, are less costly to operate, and for those not buying primarily for sports can be a better buy. They are also less susceptible to glare from artificial and natural light.

LED sets are the most expensive, size-for-size, but "It's what my husband wanted," said Marilyn Stanton of Coeur d'Alene.

Paul Stanton did his research before buying a 46-inch LED set, and chose it for its better picture quality and thinner profile.

While Best Buy and other stores offer delivery and hookup, he loaded his new set into the back of his pickup with plans to handle it all.

"I have two nephews who know exactly what to do," he said.

Best Buy works with customers to find a TV that suits their usage, said Mark Montejano, a manager at the store. Plasma is faster, but can get image burn if used for too much of the same type of programming, such as an information scroll used in many newscasts. But most have programs that clean up the image.

They are the hot setup for sports fans, but the energy saving and lower purchase cost are "the way to go if you're on a budget," Montejano said.