Did this title catch your attention? I bet it did, since every business owner is always looking to save money. And after this weekend’s anti-climactic Super Bowl game, everyone could use some good news, right?
Maybe thinking about an audio video upgrade in your sports bar will cheer you up. Those new, giant flat screens. Crystal clear audio. No more amps blowing or components dying out from old age.
But maybe you think you can’t afford a new system. Well, we could tell you three reasons you can’t afford not to put a new system in your New York sports bar but, again, money is money. If you don’t have it, you don’t have it. What if we told you that you could get a new video system for less than you thought, without skimping on quality, just by making a few changes your customers won’t even notice?
Here are five ways to save money on your sports bar or restaurant video systems.
1. Choose Plasma.
We know, we know. The industry is saying “Plasma is dead.” But that’s not entirely true, yet, and it just means you can get phenomenal prices on Samsung and LG plasma screens, with all the features you need.
In most areas of comparison, LED screens and plasmas are similar. Plasma still offers better viewing angles and better viewing than edge-lit LED screens in high-ambient light conditions. While Sharp’s 105-inch LED, introduced at this year’s CES, sets new standards for LED screen sizes, you can still get a lot more plasma for your money.
2. Use component cable.
Many people don’t realize that component cable can transmit 1080i high definition content, which means it’s perfectly fine to connect your sources to your screens via component instead of HDMI. Now, if you’re talking about one or two screens in a home, it’s not going to make a big difference in the cost. We’re talking the price of a cup of coffee or two.
But the money you can save when you’re running wires to 60, 70, 80 or even 100 or more screens is substantial. Some integrators will try to sell you the “latest and the greatest,” which means HDMI, but an integrator who is looking out for your best interests – and your budget – will recommend switching to component to save some bucks.
3. Use RF modulators rather than a video matrix.
Here at JD Systems, we’re big fans of using a video matrix to give our customers the ability to send any source to any screen. It’s clean, it’s user-friendly… but it can be expensive. For many sports bar, the money’s just not in the budget. And if it was, you’re better off spending it on other technology – for instance, some cool, energy-efficient LED lighting or bigger screens.
There’s an even more cost-effective way to send specific channels to different screens without ugly boxes having from every flat screen in your place for local control. RF modulators work by taking the input from the cable or DirecTV box and generating a radio frequency. Then you tune the HDTV channel to the frequency of the cable or DirecTV box you want to use as an input.
4. Choose DirecTV.
With NFL Sunday ticket and ongoing special pricing, New York sports bar owners find DirecTV to be the best value for their money. We can mount DirecTV satellite dishes in virtually any location in the five boroughs and New Jersey. As DirecTV dealers for more than 10 years, JD Systems can get you the best prices available and the service after the sale that you expect from JD Systems, too.
Affordable Video Systems, Happy Customers
It would be nice if we all had unlimited budgets, and sports owners could add all the bells and whistles to their audio video systems without a second thought. If you have the money, there are a number of components we can recommend, from matrix switchers to Crestron control to make your life easier.
But the fact is, you can have state-of-the-art video systems in your sports bar for a lot less money than you would imagine, and your customers won’t have any idea that you’re saving money in order to bring them better value in other areas, where they will notice a difference.