Looking to help someone upgrade their personal home theater this year? One of the nice things about having a personal home theater is getting the surround sound benefits of a real theater without having to put up with the annoying sounds of people talking on their cell phones, babies and young children making noise or chatterboxes commenting about everything that’s happening on the screen. Check out our picks from some of the best home theater tech that would make great gifts this year.

Buy This Gift for Someone Who Wants Streaming 4K Video

Definitely a solid upgrade for anyone with an older streaming set-top box like the early Roku boxes or an Apple TV, the Roku 4 (reviewed here) is one of the top set-top boxes to access applications like Netflix, Hulu Plus, VUDU and Amazon Instant Video. Able to stream 4K Ultra HD video at 60 frames per second, other features of the Roku 4 include a remote control finder, universal search across all apps and 802.11ac MIMO Wi-Fi connectivity. (The new 4K Amazon Fire TV at $99 is also available, but we DO NOT recommend it.)

MSRP: $129 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: n/a

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Buy This Gift for Someone Who Wants Dolby Atmos / DTS:X Audio

Ideal for someone with speaker already, the Onkyo TX-NR646 7.2-Channel Network A/V Receiver will bump up a home theater into the 4K world. Including decoding for the newest audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, this receiver supports both the HDCP 2.2 and HDMI 2.0, both requirements for HDMI transfers from modern Ultra HD televisions. It also includes built-in Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Airplay for streaming music from services like Pandora and Spotify.

MSRP: $699 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: n/a

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Buy This Gift for Someone Who Hates Their Cable Box

While cable companies are catching up slowly, TiVo is still a superior company when it comes to user interface and the quality of the software on DVR boxes. Enter the TiVo Bolt, a killer DVR box that offers 4K Ultra HD recording and a commercial break skip option that will zip you through your favorite show. The base model of the Bolt can record 4 shows at once with a 500 GB recording capacity.

MSRP: $299 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: n/a

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Buy This Gift for Someone Who Needs to Protect their Home Theater

It’s surprising how often people purchase expensive televisions and home theater systems, but neglect to protect their investment with a powerful surge protector. While Monster has actually produced a decent line of these devices, we are partial to the Tripp Lite HT10DBS surge protector. This hardcore surge protector provides 3840 joules of total protection and includes connections for coaxial cable, the home phone line and the high speed Internet line.

MSRP: $139 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: $48

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Buy This Gift to Upgrade Audio in a Bedroom / Office / Apartment

Using a full home theater setup with a large 12-inch subwoofer is not ideal for small rooms or apartments. It’s tough to fit tons of large speakers into a small area and can rattle your neighbors if living in a multi-unit apartment. That’s where the Yamaha ATS-1030 soundbar comes in. This 35-inch soundbar provides a much higher quality of audio than speakers built into a television while keeping the volume tolerable for small or shared spaces.

MSRP: $249 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: $150

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Buy This Gift for Someone Who Isn’t Happy with a “Small” 60-inch HDTV

Definitely a great gift for someone with a room in their home dedicated to a home theater, the Optoma HD28DSE projector offers 1080p playback as well as 3D playback for those who like to wear the glasses. Providing 3,000 lumens of total brightness, you can easily project a 107-inch image from 12 feet away. The lamp life is rated up to around 4,000 hours depending on brightness levels, and the projector includes two HDMI inputs if connecting a secondary video source like a gaming console.

MSRP: $799 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: n/a

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Buy This Gift for Someone Who Already Has an A/V Receiver

Ideal for someone setting up their first 7.1 system, the Onkyo SKS-HT540 7.1 Channel speaker system is an extremely well-reviewed speaker package that includes a solid 130-watt rating per speaker and a powerful 230-watt, 10-inch subwoofer. The speakers have a fairly small footprint compared to large, floorstanding models and are ideal for content with significant directional audio effects such as action movies or video games.

MSRP: $349 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: $150

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Buy This Gift for Someone Who Hates Having Seven Remote Controls

While the Harmony Elite is getting great reviews, we actually recommend going with a previous generation model due to the high $300+ price tags of the new Harmony models. Check out the Harmony Touch Universal Remote (with color touchscreen) at a $100 sale price ($200 MSRP) or the Logitech Harmony Home at a $75 sale price ($150 MSRP). Both will give you significant control over the remotes currently lost in your couch cushions.

MSRP: $199 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: $100

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Upgrade That Home Theater: Eight Great Gift Ideas for 2015

Moving into a small dorm room doesn’t necessarily mean you have to sacrifice watching movies or playing video games in a home theater environment. We have put together some great back-to-school options for home theater gear that will fit into a dorm room and still provide a quality experience for entertainment when you’re de-stressing from classes as well as privacy options when it’s time to study.

Save on Space with a Flat Screen

If you’re sending junior off to college, forcing them to take along that old SD television that weighs more than a pallet of bricks is simply a bad idea. Dorm room space is limited, and that bulky television simply doesn’t help the situation. The sweet spot for a dorm room television is probably 32 to 39 inches in size. Anything larger than that will likely require an agreement between roommates to stack furniture to make space for the television on a stand or mounted on the wall. However, they will likely be between 4 to 7 feet away from the television, thus a smaller size is better.

When shopping for a television, look for a model that’s 1080p, has multiple HDMI inputs and a direct LED backlight. If you are looking to save money, go for a 60Hz television over a 120Hz and skip features like smart applications or 3D playback. You can get all of those smart apps for streaming video in cheaper options like gaming consoles or media players. Quality name brands include Samsung, Vizio, Sharp, Sony, LG and Panasonic. Price target for a 32-inch should be $250 to $300 and 39-inch should be $300 to $375. Black Friday also yields greater deals, if your college student doesn’t mind waiting a few months.

Check Ben’s for 32-inch to 39-inch HDTV Deals

But What About the Audio?

While a dorm room is small and ideal for positioning speakers, space is still an issue. The total volume can also be a problem for neighbors within the dorm. A home-theater-in-a-box solution may be fun, but it’s also going to have the resident assistant banging on the door to turn down the volume.

To solve the space and volume issues, take a look at soundbars. Mounted underneath the television, a soundbar provides simulated surround sound for movies and significantly improved stereo sound for watching regular television. It may also come with a small subwoofer that adds just enough bass for impact, but won’t disturb your neighbors too much. Soundbars often wildly vary in price based on the brand and output wattage. However, you can find deals in the $150 to $300 range for a brand name product like Yamaha. You can do with a less expensive model, but be sure to read reviews (on Amazon and other sites) on the available features and quality of the sound.

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Steaming Video is the Future

If your college student already has a gaming console, they will already be able to access lots of streaming video services like Netflix Instant, Hulu Plus and Amazon Video on Demand. However, if they aren’t into gaming, you should look into purchasing an inexpensive media player for them.

There’s no contest in this category: the Roku 3 is the obvious choice. It launches content significantly faster than anything on the market, including all current gaming consoles. It’s extremely user friendly and the interface is speedy, responsive and well laid out. You can read our full review here (9 out of 10) if you would like more information about the handy media player. Look for deals on the Roku 3 in the $85 to $90 range. By the way, you may see cheaper deals for the Roku 2 XS, but the upgrade to the Roku 3 is definitely worth the additional cost due to the increased speed of the device. The Roku 3 remote also includes a headphone jack for increased privacy.

Check Ben’s for Roku 3 Deals

But Don’t Forget About Redbox

While physical discs are slowly losing the battle to streaming video services these days, Blu-ray is still a fantastic way to watch a film in glorious 1080p and listen in 7.1 surround sound. Redbox is a particularly good deal for college students since the price of rentals is cheaper than any traditional movie rental store. A Netflix subscription is also an inexpensive option for renting Blu-ray discs.

However, you are going to need a Blu-ray player to take advantage of this. Once again, if you already have a PlayStation 3 or are planning to purchase one of the new gaming consoles in November, don’t worry about purchasing a standalone player. However, if you own a Xbox 360 or simply aren’t into gaming, you should be able to find a decent Blu-ray player in the $40 to $80 range.

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The Best Solution for Study Time

There’s nothing worse than a roommate who refuses to turn down the sound of the television when it’s time to study. It’s also a pain to keep the television off when the dorm has specific quiet hours. This is where a quality set of headphones is perfect for the dorm room for those situations.

If your student is really into surround sound and gaming, look into the Logitech Wireless Gaming Headset G930. It’s somewhat pricey at $100ish, but the headphones are wireless, offer simulated 7.1 surround sound and include a microphone for multiplayer gaming. The Plantronics GameCom 780 is another great 7.1 solution (and less expensive). If you want to save some money, 5.1 options are less expensive and you can forgo the microphone to reduce the cost, as well. If you do purchase a wired set, make sure the cord is a minimum of 10 feet long to stretch across the length of the room.

Check Ben’s for Surround Sound Headphone Deals

Excellent Home Theater Equipment for Dorm Life

If you have a friend or family member getting ready to either head out to college or start looking for a job after graduation, you should give them the gift of an awesome tech gadget! You don’t even have to break your piggy bank to do it. There are plenty of gadgets under $100 that any recent graduate will absolutely love. To help you out, we have compiled our top 12 picks:

Roku 3

Just a buck under the limit, the Roku 3 is an absolute dream for any grad who’s into streaming video subscription services like Netflix and Hulu Plus. Due to the always-on feature, you will be streaming television shows and movies within seconds: a start-up process that’s significantly slower on the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.

The sheer volume of content that’s available on the device is ridiculous as well. It’s no wonder so many people are ditching expensive cable service for streaming Web video in the home theater.

In addition, the headphone jack in the remote control is perfect for high school grads going to college next fall. They can watch television without disturbing their roommate. You can check out our full review and read the stellar Amazon reviews here as well. The device retails for $99, but you can find deals in the $90 range.

Roku 3 Price History on Ben’s

Logitech Washable Keyboard K310

It doesn’t matter if your grad is heading off to college or just finishing up with their degree; everyone needs a keyboard that can be dunked in soapy water and cleaned.

Keyboards simply get gross over time—usually covered with dust, hairs, skin particles, random food crumbs and the occasional splash of sticky soda. For Pete’s sake, a British microbiologist proved the typical keyboard is dirtier than a toilet!

While you can’t toss the K310 into your dishwasher, you can use mild soap and warm water as well as a soft rag to wipe away any messes. There’s also a brush on the back of the keyboard to scrub away anything else. The keyboard is scratch-resistant and the keys have been laser printed / UV coated to avoid wearing off over time. Take a look at the positive Amazon reviews to get an idea of how many people love this keyboard. It retails for $40, but can be found on sale between $20 and $30.

Logitech Washable Keyboard Price History on Ben’s

Western Digital My Passport 1TB Portable Hard Drive

Retailing for about $80 to $90 these days, this portable hard drive from Western Digital is ideal for backing up all of those torrents your college grad illegally downloaded off the Web using the university’s super-fast Internet connection.

With 1TB of space, a grad can easily offload all files from a laptop in order to preserve their digital life. He or she can also password protect these files in order to secure them for future use.

If your grad is using a newer laptop or desktop with USB 3.0, they will be able to take advantage of faster transfer speeds with the WD drive. However, it’s also compatible with USB 2.0 ports. The drive comes in a variety of colors including white, black, silver, red and blue. Prices vary based on the color. You can check Amazon reviews here.

WD My Passport 1TB Hard Drive Price History on Ben’s

Ambient Weather WR-111B Emergency Solar Hand Crank

It may not seem like a typical graduation gift, but this gadget is absolutely invaluable when the power goes out in the dorm room or a new apartment.

Also ideal for grads who like to spend time hiking or camping, the Ambient Weather WR-111B includes a Digital AM/FM NOAA Weather Alert Radio, LED flashlight and, most importantly, a USB port for charging a smartphone or tablet.

The internal Lithium Ion battery inside the WR-111B can be charged a number of ways. Besides simply plugging it in, there’s a solar panel on top of the device and a hand crank generator on the side if you’re in an area where there simply is no power. Awesome for emergencies, the device retails for around $80 but sales can often be found in the $40 range. Check out the extremely positive Amazon reviews here.

JBL Flip Portable Bluetooth Speaker

There’s a ton of competition in the portable speaker market. While Jawbone’s Jambox is definitely popular, the JBL Flip is more than half the price and provides incredible sound for the size of the speaker.

The speaker includes two 40mm drivers with built-in bass port and lasts up to five hours on the internal Li-ion rechargeable battery.

This is an ideal gift for a grad who likes to listen to music and prefers an external speaker over a set of headphones. For anyone who’s using the JBL Flip with a smartphone, the speaker has an internal microphone for voice calls. It can also be used during video chat with software like Skype or Apple’s FaceTime. Available in white and black, the Flip retails for around $120, but it’s fairly easy to find deals in the $95 range. Check out the Amazon reviews here.

JBL Flip Price History on Ben’s

One Year of Netflix or Hulu Plus

Fantastic if you’re pairing this up with a Roku 3 or another media streamer, a 12-month subscription to either Netflix Instant or Hulu Plus will run you about $96.

If your graduate has had their nose in the books for the last four years, a subscription to Netflix will help them catch up on several seasons of both new and old television shows. While Netflix’s streaming movie content is somewhat sparse and limited, the sheer volume of television shows is phenomenal.

If your grad absolutely loves to watch the latest episodes of brand new shows and wants to chat about them at their new job, a Hulu Plus subscription will be more useful to them. While regular (free) Hulu offers access to most of the same content on the Web, Hulu Plus allows your grad to watch shows in the comfort of their own living room (assuming they don’t have a HTPC setup already). It’s unlikely that you will find deals on either service unless they’re specifically offering a special promotion. Here are links for both: Netflix Gift Subscriptions / Hulu Plus Gift Subscriptions.

Whooz

Definitely a quirky gift, Whooz can be extremely useful for grads with tons of Apple hardware. Keeping track of those Apple power plugs can be a nightmare in a messy dorm room. It’s also easy to get them mixed up with identical adapters since so many students also have Apple gear.

Whooz are unique skins that wrap around Apple power chargers. Your grad can ditch the plain white look of the standard adapter and go with full color designs like red, yellow, black and blue.

They can also choose to skin their adapter with a silly face: for example, the mouth is the USB port. Designed for the iPhone and iPad, these vinyl identification labels sell in a four-pack for $13 and come with enough skins to also cover Apple earbuds and the USB charging cable. You can purchase Whooz here.

Fitbit One

Did your grad forget to shed their “freshman 15” after the first year of living on campus? Or perhaps they want to avoid putting on the extra pounds altogether?

When away from home for the first time, it’s common to indulge in those campus meal plans as well as take advantage of all the fast food places seemingly too convenient to the dorm room.

The Fitbit One will help your grad keep track of calories burned throughout the day in addition to monitoring how well they sleep. It’s an excellent tool to help monitor health and strive for goals that will positively impact their body. All the data is fed into a dashboard that can be accessed on mobile or the Web.

In addition, users can share their progress with friends and family in order to provide extra motivation. It also works in conjunction with the Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi scale in case they want to keep track of their weight on the dashboard, as well. Check out the excellent Amazon reviews here. The Fitbit One retails for $100, but deals can be found in the $60 to $90 range.

Fitbit One Price History on Ben’s

Securifi Almond Touchscreen Router

Easily one of the best Wi-Fi routers on the market, the Securifi Almond touchscreen router is the perfect gift for the grad that’s still tech-deficient in our high-speed Internet world.

The router doesn’t need a computer to complete the setup process. The user only needs to follow the simple touchscreen instructions to set up their wireless network. Offering compatibility for 802.11 B/G/N, this router offers extremely fast connection speeds in addition to a long coverage range.

If your grad already has a router and complains about the range, the Securifi Almond can also be set up as a range extender, providing signal strength up to 300 feet. Check out the glowing Amazon reviews. The retail price point is $99, but you can often find deals in the $80 range. (By the way, keep an eye out for the Securifi Almond+ launching during the third quarter of 2013. Also at a $99 price point, it will offer compatibility for the 802.11ac standard—basically offering four times the speed of a Wireless N router.)

Audio-Technica ATH-M30 Headphones

If you have a grad who’s really into music or simply wants a way to listen to audio without disturbing their roommate, check out the Audio-Technica ATH-M30 headphones.

While they really aren’t built for on-the-go mobile use, these cans sound absolutely phenomenal and block out lots of background noise in a typical dorm. They are also very comfortable to wear over several hours—ideal for long study periods.

In addition, the 11-foot cable provides a huge amount of flexibility in where they want to sit. For instance, it’s easy to sit on a bed while these are plugged into a sound system or television. Take a look at the amazing Amazon reviews for these cans. While the headphones retail for $120, you should be able to score a sale on these in the $35 to $45 range most of the time.

Audio-Technica ATH-M30 Price History on Ben’s

Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920

Ideal for grads who enjoy creating YouTube videos or grads who simply want a high-quality camera when chatting with friends or family over Skype, the Logitech HD Pro C920 will deliver crisp 1080p video in a 16:9 widescreen format.

Providing 15MP resolution on images, the C920 is also perfect for taking pictures that are vastly superior to the cameras built into most laptops.

Other features of the camera include a Carl Zeiss glass lens, dual microphones for recording stereo audio, face tracking, a 20-step autofocus and a base that can be mounted on a tripod for more professional productions. Check out the positive Amazon reviews of the camera. The Logitech camera retails for $99, but you can usually find deals the $65 range.

Logitech C920 Price History on Ben’s

Kindle 6-inch E-Ink Reader

While tablets often get all the attention, a classic e-reader is an awesome gift for a grad who likes to read and spend lots of time outside. It’s extremely light and easily pops into a backpack or large purse. Books download in less than a minute and the e-reader can hold about 1,000 books at any given time.

In addition, if your grad is an Amazon Prime member, they can download one book for free each month from the Amazon lending library. Most local libraries also have a Web portal these days that allow the public to download the Kindle version of books for free.

Amazon sells the Kindle in two versions, the $69 ad-supported version and the $89 ad-free version. The advertisements really aren’t that annoying, though. They are displayed on the face of the e-reader when the Kindle is powered down. Peruse the Amazon reviews for the product here.

Kindle Price History on Ben’s

12 Tech Gadgets for Grads Less Than $100

Popular with consumers who have ditched expensive cable and cut the cord, Roku hardware has long offered access to many popular streaming video applications for a fairly low cost. Released during March 2013, the new Roku 3 hardware provides upgraded speed, a slick interface and a nifty feature on the remote control that helps you watch content privately. At a $99 price point, the Roku 3 replaces the Roku 2 XS in the Roku lineup. Roku is continuing to offer the Roku LT, Roku HD and Roku 2 XD at prices ranging from $49.99 to 79.99.

Hardware

While the hockey puck size of the Roku hasn’t changed much, the device is much slicker with rounded edges and glossy treatment on the sides. The device is slightly heavier than the Roku 2 and smaller than the Apple TV. In combination with the rubber lining on the bottom, that keeps the hardware sitting in place rather than sliding around to relieve the tension in the HDMI cable.

Speaking of HDMI, that’s the only way to send video and audio to the television. There’s no component out, composite out or optical out. You need a high definition television with an open HDMI input to use the Roku 3. However, there is an Ethernet port for a direct wired connection to a home’s router and a USB port to watch content on a portable hard drive or thumb drive.

However, the speed gained from switching from the first generation Roku hardware to the Roku 3 is just stunning. The upgraded processor and dual band Wi-Fi make sure everything keeps zipping along, especially evident within the major applications like Netflix, Hulu Plus or HBO GO. It’s also much faster to go from startup to watching something than alternatives like gaming consoles of applications built into Smart televisions.

Besides the actual Roku 3 hardware, the remote control has gotten a really useful upgrade: a headphone jack. When a set of headphones is plugged into the remote control, the sound is automatically muted on the television and the user can adjust a volume rocker on the side of the remote to increase volume. It allows you to watch the television without disturbing anyone else and Roku includes a free set of earbuds in the box to get started.

My only complaint is that wireless interference can occasionally be an issue with the remote and cause slight audio dropouts. Regarding controlling the device, Roku has included motion capabilities for games (similar to the Roku 2) and uses Wi-Fi Direct technology so the user doesn’t need line-of-sight to navigate the device.

Interface

If you have long suffered with the old, scrolling Roku menu, you will be overjoyed to know that the entire user interface has been completely retooled for efficiency. Rather than scrolling horizontally, the UI displays three channels per row and can be navigated vertically. In addition, the two column design allows users to scroll through the channel store on the left while the right side either shows the channels themselves or information about content. (Roku 2 owners should be on the lookout for the new interface in a downloadable update during April 2013.)

Beyond the slick interface, the search functionality is also a major component in the redesign. Searching through the channels installed on the device, the interface will bring up content in addition to every channel where it can be streamed. For instance, a search for The Walking Dead will bring up the two seasons on Netflix Instant as well as the third season on premium services like Vudu or Amazon Instant Video. It’s really impressive how quickly search queries pop up in the interface as well.

Content

With over 750 public channels available to users as well as a variety of private channels, the Roku 3 supports major applications such as:

• Video: Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, HBO GO, Hulu Plus, Vudu, Crackle
• Music: Pandora, Spotify, Slaker, Rdio, Vevo, Mog, Amazon Cloud Player
• Sports: NHL GameCenter, NBA GameTime, MLB.TV, UFCTV, MLS Live, SEC Digital Network

Interestingly, New Yorkers can install the Aereo private application and watch local live television networks such at NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX. Aereo is also planning to expand to an additional twenty-two markets around the United States, but is also tangled up with litigation with CBS. For anyone that has Time Warner Cable, there’s an official application on the Roku store that allows subscribers to watch hundreds of live channels. This could be an ideal solution for a secondary room like a bedroom, thus avoiding the cost of renting an additional cable box.

Unfortunately, Roku still doesn’t support YouTube. According to analysts, this was previously due to Roku’s hardware limitations and Google’s minimum hardware requirements to stream YouTube content. However, it could be resolved soon due to the upgraded hardware.

You can also install the Plex channel to watch YouTube content using the Plex server installed on another computer in the household. Plex also allows you to watch other forms of streaming Web content on the Roku as well.

For anyone with a smartphone or tablet, you can also stream YouTube content, AirPlay-style, on a Roku 3 device using an application called TwonkyBeam.

Is the Roku 3 Worth it?

I’ve tested tons of set-top, streaming media devices like the Apple TV, Boxee Box, WD TV Play and Vizio CoStar. If you have tons of content already stored on your personal computer, the WD TV Play is a much better option due to the much wider array of media compatibility. If you are already invested heavily in premium purchases within Apple’s ecosystem, the Apple TV will be your best bet.

However, the Roku 3 is easily the top dog for users who want the fastest way to get to streaming video content. The interface is snappy, incredibly easy to use and search is way better than Google TV’s interface. The remote control headphone feature is very handy if you don’t own a pair of wireless headphones, as well. The Roku 3 is a solid choice for the main television in the home theater as well as secondary televisions around the home in the bedroom, office or other areas.

Regarding price, it’s unlikely that Roku will offer discounts within the first three months of release. However, if sales on the Roku 2 XS were any indication, look for deals later this year in the $85 to $90 range as well as bundled deals with premium service providers like Netflix or Hulu Plus. Some third party dealers are already discounting the Roku 3 in the $90 range though.

Check Roku 3 Price History on Bens

But What if the Avengers Wanted a Roku 3?

Roku 3 Review