As hectic as Christmas can be, it is one of the best times for family. One way to bring everyone home is with fun home entertainment gifts that everyone can enjoy. Here are some great gift ideas that will help any family enjoy the Holidays a lot more. After all, who doesn’t like improving their home theatre experience?
Get a classic show or movie:
For example: Game of Thrones
There is nothing better than staying in and watching a great show during the colder months. A series like Game of Thrones belongs on every movie shelf. Now that it’s ended, and despite any controversy the end caused, it’s the perfect time to revisit all the past seasons and uncover things we may have missed on the first go. This critically acclaimed show is definitely a timeless classic that can be binged over and over again.
If you’re looking for a movie for the whole family to enjoy, The Lion King is an excellent pick for everyone. This 2019 live-action remake is revamped, vibrant, stars some of Hollywood’s biggest names, and still has it’s classic Disney touch.
Add a Big Screen TV
You have heard the term, ‘go big or go home’ – well, this is a case of ‘go big and bring them home.’ I have always felt that the best feature of any HDTV is size. If you have a limited budget get a TV with a quality picture and then get it as big as you can. You can always add Smart features with streaming devices, but you can’t add size and size matters. Watching a 65” or 70” in your family room is simply a lot more immersive and enjoyable than a 40” or 50” screen. Given how much time we spend in front of our TVs, going BIG is a great investment in our own pleasure.
Watching Game of Thrones on a 55” or 65” screen, or bigger, will make your entertainment dollars well spent. Here are some top suggestions to consider, and they’re basically in three different price ranges depending on your budget.
At the top of the list, is the Sony 65″ 4K UHD HDR LED Android Smart TV. This television is sure to elevate your entertainment and put limitless content right at your fingertips. It boasts a dazzling UHD display with high dynamic range, X-Reality PRO, and Motionflow XR technologies to bring your shows, movies, and games to life for a truly immersive experience.
If you’re looking for something a bit more small-budget friendly, the Insignia 58″ 4K UHD HDR LED Smart TV is a great pick at a very reasonable price. This is a Fire TV, which means you can enjoy the access to tens of thousands of channels, apps, and Alexa skills. Boasting the Fire TV operating system, this TV makes it easy to stream in Ultra HD from your favourite apps, including Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, HBO, SHOWTIME, and STARZ.
If your budget is less of an issue, and you want to really go big with this purchase, consider the Samsung 65″ 8K UHD HDR QLED Tizen Smart TV. You really can’t beat this kind of view. It’ll bring all your favourite shows and movies to life with AI-powered intelligent upscaling, a stunning design, and smart home compatibility. Boasting a realistic picture that brings out every little detail, this TV lets you immerse yourself in worlds of entertainment like never before.
Improve your Home Audio
The next best way to make your home entertainment experience more phenomenal is by upgrading your sound system, especially for action shows like Game of Thrones. It’s all about the thrill, and admit it, you want to feel the Dead-walkers come to life in the family room. Surround sound that makes the sound travel across the room will elevate your entire experience.
True surround sound systems are a little bit more expensive but will give you by far the best effects. You can build some pretty awesome systems by separately buying a receiver and speakers, but the best value will come from all-in-one systems. If you have a bigger budget and want the absolute best sound I would recommend the Onkyo TX-NR787 9.2 Channel 4K Ultra HD Network AV Receiver with the Bose Acoustimass 10 Series V 5.1 Speaker System. This system will blow you away with powerful clear sound and a ton of features, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, 4K upscaling, Internet streaming, 4K passthrough to name a few.
A very good all-in-one system is the Onkyo HT-S7800 5.1.2 Channel Dolby Atmos Home Theatre System. Your home cinema experience will be taken to breathtaking depths of surround-sound immersion with this Dolby Atmos home theatre system. It features the HT-R695 7.2 channel receiver and a high-quality 6-speaker system that includes a subwoofer and 2 Dolby Atmos-enabled left and right front speakers with upward-firing drivers.
The simplest option is to go with a sound bar. Sound bars will definitely improve the sound compared to what your TV can produce. Lets face it, flat panels will have small flat speakers that have more limited capabilities, but will still bring sound to life in any space. One great option is the Sonos Beam Sound Bar. This sleekly designed soundbar is equipped with 5 far-field microphones and Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice control. It can hear your voice from anywhere in the room, even when your favourite song is blasting. It’s full-range woofers, tweeter, and passive radiators deliver quality even sound that captures the full intended experience of anything you’re watching or listening to.
Consider mounting the TV
OK, mounts are not that exciting a purchase at Christmas time, but mounting your BIG screen TV on the wall is safer and in most cases creates the best experience. Safer as you are less likely to have your shiny new TV knocked over, especially a big one. And it’s a better experience because having it as close to the wall as possible means you can get a bigger TV for the size of the room you are in. See this post that further makes the case for why wall mounts are important.
A TV hanging on the wall is aesthetically more pleasing and you can get it at exactly the right height to maximize the viewing experience. Of course it depends on your room and the furniture you have but consider a mount, especially for the bigger TVs. A couple of good ones are the Sanus Premium Advanced 42″ – 90″ Tilting TV Wall Mount for a fully articulating mount, or the Insignia 47″ – 90″ Fixed TV Wall Mount for a very sturdy, fixed wall mount.
Christmas time is family time and your family will be delighted to be home when you have an entertainment system that brings your favourite programs to life! The bonus is you will have fun with it all year long.
