Out & About / Ventura County : shoptalk : As Close as It Gets : With pro football 150 miles away, high-tech TVs bring the action home.

Fans of professional football are a vicarious bunch. They live for the hard hits and poundings as long as they don’t actually feel the pain. The closer they can get to the action without being spat or stepped on, the happier they are.

For Ventura County football fans, though, it’s a little tough. There’s no professional team within 150 miles, so to experience the sport up close requires some planning and true dedication--not to mention the cost of travel added to the price of tickets.

Short of attending a game in person, the closest a local fan can get to experiencing a game live is to a watch one on a big screen, flat screen or other high-quality television.

With the football season kicking off Sunday, there’s no better time to get one hooked up.

We contacted some electronics experts to get advice on what is out on the television market.

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This may seem obvious, but as with most big-purchase items, it’s a good idea to set a budget before shopping for a top-of-the-line television.

Johnny Fare, audio manager at Wilshire TV & Stereo in Thousand Oaks, said consumers can plan on spending $3,000 or more for digital televisions that are high-definition-ready, meaning that with a receiver, they are able to pick up satellite broadcast signals for a clear, crisp picture.

Older, analog televisions can be converted to receive high-definition signals, but will offer a lower picture quality.

‘We’re in a transitional period--there are seven [high-definition] stations available in Los Angeles,” Fare said.

“Satellite broadcasting already has begun. We’re moving into the world of digital television.”

So far, only a few areas in Ventura County can receive the high-definition satellite signal, but the greater population should have access in the near future.

“Right at this moment, some areas can receive these signals with an outdoor antenna,” Fare said.

“This winter, small satellite dishes for high definition will be available. Eventually the cable systems will have to offer high-definition cable and that will open the floodgates.”

If you’re going for high-definition-ready, Fare said Mitsubishi came out this month with a 46-inch set for $3,000 and a 73-inch set for $9,000.

Screens are measured across diagonally. Pioneer, Sony and Panasonic also have high-definition-ready televisions on the market.

If you’re leaning toward the analog television, Fare said basic big-screen sets can be found for about $1,000 for a 45- to 50-inch screen.

Medium- to higher-quality sets can be found for up to $3,000.

When shopping for a big-screen analog set, Fare said, look for a projection television, which provides a clearer, sharper image than a standard TV.

Although analog sets will work fine in a high-definition world, they can be turned into high-definition with converter boxes that sell for $1,500 to $3,000.

“Those boxes, starting this winter, will be in about the $1,000 range,” Fare said. “We’ll probably see the boxes for several hundred dollars in a few years.”

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Flat-screen televisions also are ideal for the football season.

At Wilshire TV & Stereo, a high-definition, 42-inch flat-screen Panasonic is $13,500, and a high-definition, 50-inch flat screen from Pioneer is $19,000.

Flat screens are 4 to 6 inches thick and can hang on walls.

“They are one of the Holy Grails of TV,” Fare said.

“We’ve seen some reduction in price, maybe it’s down 10% or 20%, but until they get down to $5,000 or $10,000, there won’t be big demand.”

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Mike Slaminski, owner of Precision Audio & Video in Moorpark, offered some suggestions for lower-priced flat screen televisions.

The Sony Wega, using a traditional television tube, is a 36-inch flat screen retailing for $2,400.

For projection big-screen TVs, Slaminski suggested 48- to 65-inch Sony and Toshiba brands.

With technology advancing so quickly, he recommended buying high-definition or high-definition-ready screens.

“Projection high-definition televisions range from $8,000 to $12,000 with high-definition-ready screens $5,500 to $6,000,” he said.

“At this point in time, it makes a lot more sense to buy high-definition rather than high-definition-ready, because the [receiver] boxes range from $1,000 to $1,500.

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Television buyers probably have a good sense of what size big screen television is appropriate for what size room.

But there is a general rule of thumb, said Kevin Kelley, a television salesman at the Thousand Oaks Best Buy store.

“For 10 feet of viewing space, a TV of 50 to 55 inches is good,” Kelley said. “For 12 feet, 60 inches is good.”

We say, whatever gets you close to the football action without hurting your eyes--or your wallet--is the way to go.