You don’e need to spend a ton of money to enjoy the hell out of movies at home. That’s a myth. So if you want to give your special person’s TV a boost, you can do it on a budget.
A Bunch of Cheap HDMI Cables
Every time you add something to a TV, you’ll need an HDMI cable to go with it. And a lot of things don’t come with one–giant annoyance. So give your friend the gift of security with a big ol’ bundle of HDMI cables (the cheap ones are exactly as good as expensive alternatives), and they’ll never know the pain of having to go to their local electronics retailer on Boxing Day.
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Airport Express
Apple doesn’t make these anymore, and that’s part of why they’re such an awesome deal. For around $60, you can turn any speaker into a streaming, network-connected sound system. Forget docks. And hey, it’s also a router.
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Samsung BD-E5900 Blu-ray Player
There was a time when Blu-ray players were only affordable for rich kids and kings. But now they cost just about as much as DVD players used to once those were totally mainstream–which means you can afford to share the best possible movie quality available anywhere. Seriously–as good as streaming stuff gets, nothing, nothing beats Blu-ray (for now). This one even does 3D, if you know someone who’s into that.
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Disney WOW Theatre Calibration Disc
A TV usually never looks as good as it’s able to, because the settings are off. It’s annoying, but you can get your set configured almost perfectly if you follow the instructions on a disc like this one, which is surprisingly affordable.
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Casino Royale Blu-ray
Yes, it’s an old movie. Yes, your gift recipient has probably seen it already. But the great Bond reboot remains one of the greatest justifications for Blu-ray’s existence, even after all these years. It just looks and sounds so damn good.
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Got a better idea? Share it with us. We truly want to make sure these guides help people buy epic holiday gifts, and many minds are better than a few.