For many consumers, the center of attention during this Sunday’s Super Bowl won’t be the Colts or the Bears but rather the new flat-panel HDTV they’ve purchased just in time for the big game. A survey released earlier this week by the National Retail Federation said 2.5 million consumers planned to upgrade their screens for the game, up from 1.7 million last year. The Super Bowl remains the single greatest spotlight for television technology; Hallmark reports more people will attend parties on Super Bowl Sunday than on New Years Eve. And it’s all to sit down and watch a couple hours of good ol’ TV.

While a majority of consumers say the game is most important, more than 18 percent (about 40 million viewers) said the commercials are the most important element of the game. Which is good news for the companies that shelled out a reported $2.6 million to CBS for 30 seconds of airtime. With an average budget of $56 for Super Bowl-related merchandise per consumer, up from $36, total consumer spending is expected to reach $8.7 billion.

The game isn’t without its own set of deals behind the scenes. Those with a TiVo in their home theater arsenal will be able to access sneak previews of new CBS shows and will see embedded interactive tags allowing them to set their boxes to record shows with a single click of their remotes. Of course, DVRs have radically changed and improved viewing of the big game over the past few years, with the ability to pause, rewind and never miss a big play or a big commercial. Apple Computer is also rumored to announce a deal during the game with the Beatles’ Apple Corps that would finally bring the Beatles to iTunes in a three-month digital exclusive agreement on several recently re-mastered albums.