Hosting the ultimate sports night in with friends is about having the best new HD technology, surround sound and enough great food and drink to keep you all going. Have the best live sports matches on the best technology available and the night takes care of itself. Let me explain.

Projectors vs Televisions

Size matters. In general, the bigger the screen, the better. Projectors are great for that big-screen bar-room feel. The best entry-level is the still-expensive Sanyo PLV-Z700 with full HD, widescreen and a simple set up.

But there’s a trade-off. Projectors aren’t ideal in brighter light unless you’ve got a dedicated room with blackout blinds and replacement bulbs can cost 10-20% of the projector price! The alternative is a 40" or 42" LCD/LED television. Plasma televisions churn through electricity, so I’d avoid. Sony have a great reputation and the Sony KDL-40EX503 40" is superb value for the price. To enjoy HD (or ‘high def’) you’ll need a HD signal through your satellite, cable or terrestrial channel provider too.

3D vs 2D?

There are good 3D televisions out there (from the likes of Toshiba, Sony and Panasonic) but with the mandatory glasses costing a fortune, your wallet would take a hammering for a crowded room. I’d leave it for now, at least until the key broadcasters start showing some more matches.

Surround Sound

Most televisions have pretty awful sound quality. Opt for a surround sound system for sports and movies and you’ll eliminate the problem. With competing fans, you’ll need the extra oomph to hear the commentary anyway. The Q Acoustics 2000 series beats the competition hands down in this entry-to-medium price level.

What To Drink

I always have a double-door fridge full of chilled beers – the connoisseur’s choice is a crisp, premium German or Czech lager. The bottom line though, is never, ever run out of cold drinks – there is no greater sin on sports night than for the host to run out of beer. This is in fact worse than losing the TV signal (because at least you’d still have beer).

What To Eat – Take Out vs Eat In

Chances are you won’t have time ahead of the game to prepare much food. Get the crisps and dry roasted peanuts in for while you wait but otherwise leave the food to the take-away experts. Pizza is easy to eat, comes plated-up (albeit a box) and requires no washing-up after. Most importantly, I’m yet to meet anyone who doesn’t like pizza.

So kick back, enjoy the game and remember, this is guy’s night. If you want mixed company, head out to a bar afterwards – after all, they’re not going to come find you, are they?