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When Buying TVs, Bigger Isn't Always Better

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) --- The Super Bowl is just a few days away, and if you're like a lot of football fans, you're probably thinking about buying a new TV before the big game.

Experts agree this is one of the best times of the year to buy a new TV. There are plenty of deals to choose from, but some consumers make a costly mistake when it comes to where they put it in their home. Sitting too close can make the picture look worse than it actually is.

"You'd want to be with a 1080p (HDTV), roughly 7 or 8 feet," said sales manager Wyatt Moore from the Best Buy in Pittsburgh's North Hills. "That's where you'd get the absolute best picture quality."

Recommendations vary slightly, depending on who you ask. The basic formula for determining the right sized TV is to measure the viewing distance from where your television will be placed and dividing it by three.

Also, newer 4K televisions are giving consumers more room for error.

"You can sit a lot closer and not sacrifice any of your picture quality," said Wyatt. "There's a lot more pixels which give you a sharper image."

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