Saturday, October 3, 2020

Best TV and streamer gifts for the holidays

 This year more than ever, a new streaming player -- or if you're feeling generous, a whole new TV -- makes the online perfect gift for him .


new TV fits into that special category of tech gifts order online certain to blow the recipient's stockings off. A new media streamer, however, is a lot less expensive and can also bring a world of welcome entertainment. Both are excellent gift choices in 2020, when we're spending more time at home than ever and can certainly use the distraction.

At CNET, we focus our TV and streamer reviews on products that deliver the best value for your money. That's the goal of this list too, which we hope will be a big help even if you're facing financial hardship. For as little as $30 you can give something to remember, and something to watch, for years to come.

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There's no better streamer for covering the basics. Roku Express delivers all of the goodness of Roku's platform, including thousands of apps, best-in-class search and a dead-simple interface that just about anybody can understand. No fancy features at this price but compared to other $30 options -- the more complex Amazon Fire TV Lite and the phone-centric Google Chromecast -- it's our favorite. Read our Roku Express (2019) review.

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Take everything we just said about the Express and add must-have features like 4K HDR streaming, a voice remote that can control your TV's volume and power, plus compatibility with Apple's AirPlay system and you get our favorite streamer for the money. Other $50 options like the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K and Chromecast with Google TV are solid too, but Roku's simplicity wins the holidays. Read our Roku Streaming Stick Plus review.

The perfect foil to the Roku Streaming Stick Plus, the Apple TV bumps up your cost by more than $100, but it's the better choice for people who can appreciate its advantages. Those include support for HBO Max, compatibility with Dolby Vision HDR, flexible upconversion, superior voice command features, a touch remote control and a smoother, slicker user interface. The Apple TV 4K is so good for media streaming, it might make a great streaming device for someone even if they're not an "Apple person." Read our Apple TV 4K review.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Now we're getting into super-generous gift giving territory, but if you can swing it, your recipient will be a happy camper. The 6-Series is a seriously excellent TV thanks to mini-LED tech and well-implemented full-array local dimming that helps it run circles around just about any other TV at this price. It's also a solid choice for gamers with a new THX mode that combines low input lag and high contrast. As if that's not enough, there's that excellent Roku TV operating system again.

Sizes: 55-, 65-, 75-inch. (The price shown below is for the 65-inch size.) Read our TCL 6-Series (2020 Roku TV) review.

David Katzmaier/CNET

What's that you say? You just want to give somebody the best TV, money no object? Here you go. In my side-by-side tests, the 2020 LG CX is the best TV I've ever reviewed, barely beating the 2019 B9. New for this year it's available in a 48-inch size too, perfect for fitting under the tree, and its high-end gaming features go perfectly with an Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 or, let's face it, both.

Sizes: 48-, 55-, 65-, 77-inch. (The price shown below is for the 65-inch size.) Read our LG OLEDCX series review.

Sarah Tew/CNET

The TCL 4-Series can't beat either of the two TVs above on image quality -- its 4K resolution and HDR compatibility don't do anything to help the picture -- but it's perfectly fine for most viewers, especially at this price. Despite its extreme affordability the 4-Series still includes the equivalent of a Roku Streaming Stick Plus built-in, with a single, super-simple remote to control streaming and the TV itself.

Sizes: 43-, 50-, 55-, 65-, 75-inch. (The price shown below is for the 43-inch size.) Read our TCL S425 series (Roku TV) review.

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source - https://www.cnet.com/news/best-tv-gifts-for-the-holidays/

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