Cord cutting—ditching a traditional cable subscription—has never been easier. However, there’s no shortage of options when it comes to how you can cut the cord. For the cord cutter in your life, you have plenty of gifts to consider.
The trick is not to make decisions for your cord cutter. Don’t just buy a random set-top box without knowing if they already have one or which platform they prefer. From there, it’s just figuring out what they might still need.
RELATED: Cutting the Cord: Can Buying Episodes and Watching TV Online Be Cheaper Than Cable?
OTA Antenna
The first thing every cord cutter needs is an OTA antenna. This simple little product will allow them to watch network TV channels—many of which are in HD—for free. Simply put the antenna in a spot without many obstacles, and you’re good to go.
Mohu Leaf 30 Indoor Antenna
The Mohu Leaf 30 can receive TV signals up to 40-miles away in full 1080p. It features a reversible design to blend in with your room.
HDHomeRun
A great companion for an OTA antenna is an HDHomeRun. These little boxes connect to the OTA antenna and a router to beam the TV channels to the HDHomeRun companion app. That means the OTA channels can be watched on any device on the home network, not only the TV with the connected antenna.
HDHomeRun Flex Duo 2
The HDHomeRun Flex Duo 2 has two tuners for watching two concurrent streams at a time.
HDHomeRun Flex 4K
The HDHomeRun Flex 4K has four tuners for watching four streams at once. It’s capable of streaming 4K TV channels (if any are available in your area).
A Great Set-Top Box
The serious cord cutter is going to need a serious streaming set-top box, not just a streaming stick. A set-top box is usually larger and has better internals for fast navigation and streaming. One of these is a good choice for the primary TV in a home.
Roku Ultra 2022
The Roku Ultra has everything you’d want from a streaming device, with Dolby Vision and Atmos providing quality 4K picture and sound.
Apple TV 4K 2022
Apple’s set-top box is equipped with 4K Dolby Vision and HDR10+ for vivid picture quality, plus Dolby Atmos for three-dimensional, theater-like sound.
Amazon Fire TV Cube
A high-powered Fire TV device with 4K capabilities, Wi-Fi 6 support, Dolby Vision, HDR, Dolby Atmos audio, and Amazon Alexa built-in.
A Dongle for Secondary TVs
A set-top box is great for primary TVs, but something smaller works best for any secondary TVs around the house. A streaming stick or dongle can be hidden behind the TV; some don’t even require a remote.
Fire TV Stick Lite (2020)
Inexpensive, discrete, and providing plenty of streaming options, the Fire Stick TV Lite is a good way to upgrade a non-Smart TV without much fuss.
Fire TV Stick 4K
A step up from the Fire Stick TV Lite is the Fire Stick TV 4K. It offers a Dolby Vision upgrade and TV controls on the Alexa remote.
Google Chromecast 3rd Gen
A streaming device that doesn’t require a remote. All you need is a phone and you can cast a multitude of movies, TV shows, and music from streaming apps.
Blu-ray Player
Another way to cut the cord is to shift away from streaming altogether. Rather than relying on digital purchases and streaming apps for your favorite movies and TV shows, buy them on Blu-ray and get a Blu-ray player instead.
Panasonic DP-UB150-K
This Blu-Ray player from Panasonic is a good bang for your buck, thanks to the up-to-snuff audio and imagery features.
Super Mini Blu-Ray Disc Player
This compact Blu-Ray device packs a lot of punch for its small size. Complete with multiple ports and solid resolution and sound, it’s an all-around impressive buy.
Streaming TV Subscription
Replacing cable usually means getting content from a streaming service instead. For that, there are “on-demand” services like Netflix and Disney+, plus streaming live TV services such as Sling TV and YouTube TV. Gifting a few months of a subscription would be welcomed by anyone.
RELATED: Cord Cutting Isn’t Just About Money: Streaming Services Are Better Than Cable
Digital Content Gift Card
There are a few places with large libraries of digital content that can be purchased or rented. An Apple gift card can be used in iTunes and the App Store, and a Google Play Store gift code can be redeemed for movies and TV shows as well, among others.
Amazon Gift Card
Amazon offers a huge selection of digital content to watch as well as DVDs and Blu-rays.
A Pair of Scissors
Just kidding. Unless…
There you have it; more than enough gifts to make the cable hater in your life feel like they’re in streaming heaven. Shifting from traditional cable isn’t always cheaper, but it’s often much more convenient once you have the right gadgets.
