The Best Gear for the Big Game

Whether you’re going to host a Super Bowl bash for family and friends or just planning for a party of one, now is the time to make sure you have the gear you need. This year’s game is on February 11 and will be broadcast by CBS and Nickelodeon (if you prefer a family-friendly telecast). The annual event provides a nice excuse to revel in a bit of food and festivity, and following are some of the things that we recommend to enhance that experience.

The best TVs

CBS will broadcast the Super Bowl in high dynamic range at both 4K and 1080p resolutions—you’ll want to check with your service provider to see which feed will be available to you.

If you didn’t score a new 4K TV during gift-giving season, now is a great time to treat yourself, since TV manufacturers typically offer discounts around the big game. We can’t guarantee that our favorite TVs will be on sale, but we’ll be tracking them.

LCD TVs are generally best for really bright living rooms, and the TCL QM8 Series is a particularly good choice, thanks to its mini-LED backlight. For those who are willing to pay more to enjoy the best picture quality year-round, OLED TVs offer the best viewing angles and the best overall performance—but they’re still more expensive than similarly sized LCD TVs.

An affordable soundbar

A budget soundbar is a great way to upgrade your TV’s sound quality for sports because it’s easy to set up and comes with everything you need—including a subwoofer. Lots of inexpensive soundbars sound okay, but our pick, the Yamaha SR-C30A, actually sounds good, with clear voice reproduction and a nice sense of spaciousness. And built-in Bluetooth means you can use it for music, as well.

Of course, you could spend more on a nicer soundbar or lay out even more cash for a receiver and a surround-sound system, but the Yamaha is a simple, affordable choice that can make a huge improvement.

An HDTV antenna

If you’ve cut the cord and no longer have access to CBS via cable or satellite, consider getting our favorite indoor HDTV antenna. An omnidirectional antenna can pull in free UHF and VHF HDTV channels within about a 30-mile radius yet is small enough to tuck away in a corner or behind the TV.

For those people who normally stream live TV, be aware that streaming can add a lot of lag to a live sports feed. An antenna feed will track more closely with the live action. We even have tips for how to set up the antenna properly.

Streaming options

You can stream the CBS broadcast via CBSSports.com or ParamountPlus.com (online or through the apps) or by using the NFL app. You can also watch it with a free trial of a live-TV service like YouTube TV, Fubo, or Hulu + Live TV, which may offer the 4K HDR feed on compatible devices this year.

Although you can view these services through a web browser or mobile device, we recommend a good streaming media player to connect to that new TV for a higher-quality experience.

Slow cooker and pressure cooker combo

An electric pressure cooker is the appliance you don’t know you’re missing until you get one. You can use it on high pressure to pull pork in an hour, and then have it clean and ready for nacho cheese duty in slow-cooker mode just minutes later.

And if you’re in search of some new game-day recipes to try, check out NYT Cooking.

Snacks and beverages

Good snacks are the backbone of game day, which is why we conducted a snackdown a few years ago to find good chips, salsa, and more. And perhaps this is the year to broaden your beverage horizons by learning how to mix cocktails or brew your own beer. We also have suggestions for the best non-alcoholic drinks and nonalcoholic wine.

Take it outside

If you live in a place where it’s possible to enjoy outdoor events in February, we envy you—and we suggest that you consider moving game day outdoors. It opens up some space, and it feels a bit more like a tailgate.

The tips we offer in our blog post “How to DIY Your Own Outdoor Movie Theater” apply just as well to game day, if you want to set up a big-screen system with a projector and a Bluetooth speaker. Of course, your ability to use a projector to watch the game outside may be dictated by the time zone you live in; kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

Folding table and chairs

An outdoor setup may require a good, sturdy folding table and chairs. Our table pick was the easiest model to set up and move around, and its design makes it more compact to store.

Our chair pick from HDX is wider than most folding chairs we tested, with a flexible, breathable plastic-mesh back and seat. If you want more comfort and don’t mind spending a bit extra, a camp chair with armrests and a beverage holder will make those tense moments less tense on your back.

Hard cooler

A cooler full of beverages just feels more tailgate-like—and it keeps everyone from trudging in and out through the patio door or repeatedly opening the fridge.