For decades, televisions have been the primary source of home entertainment for millions of people around the world. In the United States, it’s extremely rare to enter a house or an apartment where there isn’t a TV waiting in the living room. In fact, most homes now have TVs in multiple rooms.
However, people who don’t subscribe to cable or satellite can’t fully access the hundreds of cable channels that now exist. For the cord cutters, the only way to see shows like “Game of Thrones,” “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad” and “The Walking Dead” is to wait for them to hit DVD and Blu-ray.
Or at least that used to be true. While cable still provides the greatest access to programming, it’s not your only option… if you’re willing to think outside of the box.
As long as you have internet access, your television can be transformed into a gateway to the best streaming services on the web. And if you do have cable, there are devices that can do far more for you than the standard set top boxes offered by your local cable companies.
Ahead of the holiday season, CraveOnline has assembled a list of ten of the best gifts for TV lovers who want to get more out of their TV experience. But feel free to share your suggestions in the comment section below!
Thinking Outside The Box For TV Lovers
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Google Chromecast
PRICE: $35
BUY IT NOW: AMAZON.COM
The Chromecast is brilliant in its simplicity. With a Chromecast plugged into your HDTV, you can access Netflix, Youtube, Hulu Plus, Crackle, Google Play and numerous streaming applications. For the price, it’s unbeatable and it just happens to be a fantastic product.
However, you will need wifi internet access to make it work.
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Netflix Gift Cards
PRICE: $8.99 FOR ONE MONTH
BUY IT NOW: BESTBUY.COM
Netflix is the preferred streaming service for people who love to binge watch TV shows and movies. There are no ads on Netflix and new programs and films are added every month. Netflix also heavily invests in original programming, including "House of Cards," "Orange Is The New Black" and the upcoming "Daredevil" series.
While Netflix does offer a free one month trial, there are digital gift card options available for one month, two months, three months, six months and twelve months at Best Buy and Target.
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Hulu Plus
PRICE: $7.99 PER MONTH
BUY IT NOW: HULU.COM
Hulu Plus is aimed at fans who want to stay current with their favorite broadcast TV shows while watching them on their own schedule. Unlike its free counterpart, Hulu Plus offers full access to the latest episodes and full seasons in addition to a backlog of television programming that goes back several decades.
The downside of Hulu Plus is that there are still some ads attached to the programming. But it’s a relatively small price to pay.
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iTunes Season Pass
PRICE: VARIES
BUY IT NOW: APPLE.COM
The iTunes Season Pass is very popular among cord cutters, as it allows anyone to purchase entire seasons of cable hits like “The Walking Dead,” “Mad Men,” “Bates Motel” and “Doctor Who” even while the season is still active.
But if you don’t have an Apple set top device, you can only watch these programs on your computer, your iPad, your iPhone or your iPod.
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Apple TV
PRICE: $99.99
BUY IT NOW: AMAZON.COM
Speaking of Apple, the Apple TV happens to be one of the best set top options available. With Apple TV, you can stream television shows, movies, pictures and music from your computer to your TV.
It’s also compatible with Netflix, Youtube and other streaming services. Apple TV can’t do everything, but if you want to live without cable then this is one of the better ways to go.
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Amazon Prime
PRICE: $99.99 PER YEAR
BUY IT NOW: AMAZON.COM
Amazon Prime is essentially two services that have been bundled together: free two day shipping on all orders from Amazon.com and access to several TV shows and movies.
While Amazon doesn’t yet have the original programming that Netflix does, it has made tremendous strides towards becoming a true competitor in the streaming battlefield. Two of Amazon’s comedy series, “Alpha House” and “Transparent” have been picking up a lot fans.
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Amazon Fire TV
PRICE: $99.99
BUY IT NOW: AMAZON.COM
Amazon wasn’t about to sit out of the set top box wars. And Amazon Fire TV can not only stream Amazon Prime, but also Netflix, Hulu Plus, NBA Game Time, Crackle and even Showtime Anytime for cable users.
To really get the most out of Amazon Fire TV, you will need Amazon Prime as well. But it also functions as a gaming system with several classic and updated video games available on the service.
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Roku 3 Streaming Player
PRICE: $99.99
BUY IT NOW: AMAZON.COM
The Roku 3 is also one of the more popular set box options and it can also access Netflix, Hulu Plus, Youtube and Amazon Instant Video in addition to channels available through Roku itself.
Roku also offers gaming options and 1080p resolution. But one of the more popular features of the Roku 3 is the addition of a private listening mode (with included headphones) and its new remote that uses wi-fi signals instead of Bluetooth technology.
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Slingbox M1
PRICE: $149.99
BUY IT NOW: AMAZON.COM
Unlike some of the other set top boxes, Slingbox M1 seems like it was designed as a replacement for the standard cable set top boxes. It includes full DVR capabilities and it is compatible with most of the major cable providers.
But the most exciting feature of the Slingbox M1 is its ability to remotely stream live TV or recorded programming to your laptop or mobile device anywhere you can find an internet connection.
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Tivo Roamio DVR
PRICE: $199.99
BUY IT NOW: AMAZON.COM
Tivo was one of the earliest innovators of DVR technology. The Tivo Roamio may be its most powerful DVR to date, with the ability to record four shows simultaneously in addition to streaming capabilities and access to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Pandora, Hulu Plus, Youtube and more.
The Tivo Roamio is pricier than most of the other set top boxes, but it terms of features and ease of use, it is one of the best... if not the best set top device on the market.
