The MediaMarkt service guide to the World Cup

1. Tips for a perfect World Cup experience at home

Things to watch out for when buying a TV

Time to replace your TV? If so, the upcoming World Cup is a great time to buy a new one! But take your time choosing – and don’t forget to compare different models. After all, it’s not just the design which is important, but also picture quality and colour definition. It’s a good idea to go for an Ultra HD television, as its 4K resolution has four times as many pixels as a Full HD TV. This makes the picture so clear and detailed that you no longer have to sit at a distance away from the TV, even with large screen sizes. As a rule of thumb, a distance of at least three quarters of the screen height is enough to ensure a perfect viewing experience. OLED TVs deliver an even more brilliant picture, although they also cost more. Ultimately, the model you finally opt for also depends on your budget.

How to ensure ideal sound

Of course, the sound is crucial when it comes to creating the perfect stadium atmosphere in your own living room or garden. First of all, it makes sense to select the right audio setting on your TV for whatever you’re watching. Televisions often come with preset sound profiles for movies, music or sports. Even so, today’s TVs are so flat that there’s simply not enough room in them to install speakers which can keep up with today’s excellent picture quality. If you want to watch World Cup matches with even more stadium atmosphere in your living room, either hook up the TV to the loudspeakers of your stereo – or buy Bluetooth speakers, a soundbar or a home cinema system. Wireless multi-room loudspeakers controlled over your Wi-Fi are also becoming increasingly popular.

Watch the World Cup in your garden (if the weather’s fine!) …

… but safety first! To make sure no one trips over a cable and the TV isn’t blown over or damaged by a sudden shower, TVs in the garden should be mounted on a stand or wall bracket and shielded from the elements. Ideally, your TV will have an integrated DVB-T2 tuner, so all you need in addition is an antenna – and you’re all set for the next live broadcast!

A great alternative to a TV: A video projector

For a spectacular soccer experience with friends, get yourself a video projector – it can be used not only in the living room, but also in the garden. An important quality feature of a projector is the brightness. High luminosity is especially important for World Cup games in the afternoon if you can’t darken the room or want to watch in the garden. To show soccer matches, the video projector must be able to pick up a TV signal. The easiest way is to connect it with an HDMI cable to a cable receiver or a DVB T2 receiver (in which case you may need an antenna). Of course, you could also connect the video projector (again using an HDMI cable) to a laptop and watch online by live stream – although the picture quality will depend on your internet speed. If you use a video projector, you’ll also need a screen of course, which should be chosen depending on the situation in your living room or garden. Can it be attached to the ceiling or a wall– or is it perhaps easier to set it up in the garden on a stand? If you opt for a stand, make sure the ground is level as otherwise your picture will be crooked. Last but not least, once again, the sound is crucial. Since video projectors don’t have powerful speakers of their own, you’ll definitely need external speakers. Waterproof Bluetooth speakers are suitable for use in the garden – as long as your video projector is Bluetooth enabled. Otherwise, speakers can also be connected with cables using the stereo audio out jack on the video projector.

The alternative when you’re out and about

Can’t get home in time for the kick-off? Don’t worry – you won’t have to miss any World Cup matches! You can always watch games on your laptop, tablet or smartphone via live stream on the internet. Of course, you’ll need to check your mobile data connection and how much data is available beforehand. Nothing’s worse than your connection slowing down or dropping altogether when the crucial goal is scored because you’ve used up your data for the month or you’re in a mobile dead zone! If you can, use good headphones or a Bluetooth speaker for a decent sound.

2. MediaMarkt’s all-round service

Would you like to have your new TV conveniently delivered to your home – and ideally connected straightaway, perhaps even mounted on the wall? No problem! MediaMarkt offers a range of service packages to suit your needs. In addition to various delivery options, including with or without connection, professional wall-mounting by an engineer can also be booked. And if you’re in a hurry, MediaMarkt also offers express delivery within three hours of purchase. More information about MediaMarkt’s TV service is available here.

In addition, working with Deutsche Technikberatung, MediaMarkt also offers customers technical assistance at home. This includes purchase advice, set-up and demonstration for all network-enabled devices by a technical consultant, who will turn up at a date and time of your convenience – Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm. The engineer can set up new devices and show users their key features. Go here to find out more about the services of MediaMarkt and Deutsche Technikberatung.

3. Hire instead of buy

If you only need a bigger TV or a video projector for the duration of the World Cup, MediaMarkt has an especially attractive offer in its ‘Hire me! fan special’ promotion. Working with commerce leasing startup Grover, Germany’s top consumer electronics retailer is giving customers an opportunity to hire their own personal no-hassle package from one of its stores anywhere in Germany. Customers decide for themselves what they want it to contain and can choose from a range of TVs, video projectors and soundbars. Optional extras include delivery as well as set-up and dismantling. MediaMarkt will then deliver your system on time before the World Cup and collect it afterwards. What could be more practical than that?! Full details of this special offer are available from sales assistants at your local MediaMarkt as well as online.

Apart from this one-off promotion, online customers can also easily and conveniently lease other electronic products through MediaMarkt’s partner Grover in the MediaMarkt webshop. The minimum contract term is just one month. All products which can be leased are indicated by the ‘Miet mich’ (‘Lease me!’) button on the relevant page of MediaMarkt’s webshop. Customers sign a leasing agreement with Grover. Monthly payments are fair and transparent and just a fraction of the normal purchase price. Further information is available here.

4. Alternatives for World Cup whingers

Anyone who has absolutely no interest in football and would rather do something else instead will find enough entertaining ‘substitutes’ at MediaMarkt. They range from DVDs and games consoles to e-bikes for a healthy day out and even sex toys – for a truly thrilling alternative to the World Cup.