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Feel like dropping a quarter of your kid's college tuition on a sweet home theater system?

Whether or not you know the difference between 1080p and Accounting 101, it's possible. And if you hurry, there's still plenty of time to get that system installed ahead of a certain televised event this weekend.

"We guarantee delivery by the Super Bowl," Corey Cambell, a sales associate at Best Buy off Coors Boulevard Northwest, said Sunday.

According to the National Electronic Dealers Association, sales of big-screen TVs jump fivefold during the week ahead of the Super Bowl, and about 1.5 million sets are expected to be sold this week.

That news isn't lost on local retailers. A table just inside the entrance of a Circuit City on the West Side features football decorations paired with credit applications.

"Apply and buy today," a sign on the table suggests. More than a few take the suggestion to heart.

"This is definitely one of our heaviest times," said Chris Rasch, a senior sales associate at Circuit City. "People want to throw a party to watch the game, and they don't want to be watching it on a 20-inch TV."

So, in other words, people basically want to show off for their friends?

"Basically," Rasch said.

For most people, a new TV means a high-definition TV.

"Everything's going to go hi-def in the next year or so, so we figured it was time," Kitty Monta¤o said Sunday as she and her husband strapped a 37-inch LCD HDTV into the bed of their pickup.

Sets like theirs can be had for less than $1,500, though far pricier TVs are also available. Best Buy sells a 60-inch plasma-screen HDTV made by Pioneer for $6,173, about the cost of three semesters of in-state tuition at the University of New Mexico.

But as with college, many of the costs of a sweet TV come from the all-but-necessary add-ons.

To take advantage of the highest-end HDTVs, you'll need a high-definition DVD player, like the one included with the Sony Playstation 3. Cost: About $750.

You'll definitely need a good surround sound system, which will add another $600 to $800.

You'll need an HDMI cable to carry the hi-def picture and quality audio cables for the surround sound. Add $150.

You'll need a bigger entertainment center: $300. And a high-end power strip: between $225 and $500.

Let's face, you'll probably also need someone to install this stuff.

All told, once you get it properly outfitted your reasonably priced $6,000 TV could end up setting you back closer to $10,000.

But your only other option, salespeople say, is compromise.

"You'd be surprised how many people will drop $2,000 for a TV and then ask for the cheapest cables we have," Rasch said. "The rule is, your system's only going to be as good as the weakest link. If you buy crappy cables, you're going to end up with a crappy picture."

Another limiting factor on high-end TVs is the lack of available programming, as highlighted by the situation with this year's Super Bowl. As of press time, Comcast Cable and KRQE-News 13 hadn't worked out a deal to broadcast the station's signal in high definition, said said Chris Dunkeson, vice president and general manager of Comcast in Albuquerque.

"A lot of people are pretty frustrated about that," Rasch said. "Very frustrated, actually."

The fact is, he said, a regular-old TV signal plugged into a 60-inch plasma screen is going to look about the same as it would on the old 20-inch set in the kids' room, only bigger.

But maybe, Rasch said, that will cut down on the rate of TV returns after the big game.

"Some people do come in and buy the whole setup right before the Super Bowl and then bring it back three days later," he said.

"They'll say it didn't fit in their space or whatever, but it's pretty obvious what was really going on."