Rather than get a gift for every member of the family, consider a home entertainment gift that everyone can enjoy. From upgraded equipment for the living room set-up to items for the basement theatre, man cave, or just for enjoying family fun, there are some great video gift picks.
Top Picks (sponsored & Editor’s Picks)
1. LG OLED evo AI C5 Smart TV
I have been a fan of LG TVs for years. In fact, I have two in my home: a 75-inch LED TV in the basement and smaller OLED TV in the living room. Along with the fantastic picture quality, I adore the webOS smart TV interface, which I find to be one of the most intuitive around.
I had the chance to see the LG OLED evo AI C5 Smart TV at CES 2025 in January. With pricing starting at $1,200 for a 42-inch model, it’s a reasonably priced mid-range display. The price is a big draw considering how expensive OLED TVs usually are. That’s for good reason, however, since OLED TVs provide perfect black levels, incredible contrast, true-to-life colours, and a super clear picture, that creates a cinema-like experience in your home. The LG OLED evo AI C5 Smart TV is no exception. It has received ‘Perfect Black’ and ‘Perfect Colour’ Certifications and includes Brightness Booster technology. This means no matter if you’re watching a dark action movie, sporting event, or animated film with the kids, it’ll look stunning.
Equipped with LG’s latest alpha 9 AI processor Gen8, you get support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos along with AI Picture Pro and AI Sound Pro to create virtual 11.1.2 channel audio. Use the AI Picture/Sound Wizard to further customize settings to your liking. For gamers, it sports not only 4K quality but also a 144Hz refresh rate with minimal input lag, VRR support, and VESA ClearMR 9000 certification. Connect an Xbox, as we do in our basement TV, and your games will look incredible.
Thanks to the ultra-slim design, the TV fits practically anywhere in the home, whether you want a 42-inch model for the bedroom, a massive 83-incher for the basement theatre, or a new centrepiece in your living room – the LG OLED evo AI C5 Smart TV comes in six sizes. Add the LG SC9S Soundbar to the package using the Synergy Bracket, and you have a home theatre match made in heaven.
2. Kaleidescape Strato V Movie Player
There’s good reason WiFi HiFi Publisher John Thomson chose the Kaleidescape Strato V movie player as one of his favourite products of the year and it earned a WiFi HiFi Editor’s Choice award. The Strato V, which sells for US$4,495 (start saving up now!), is your ultimate movie platform at home, perfect for curling up with the family, friends, neighbours, or all the above while you enjoy time off this holiday season, and beyond.
The Strato V provides high-bitrate 4K video output with SDR, HDR10, and Dolby Vision. All Kaleidescape movie players, including the flagship Strato V, support lossless multi-channel and spatial object-based audio, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Strato V stores roughly 10 Kaleidescape 4K movies and can be grouped with Terra movie servers for additional storage. So, you can keep your own digital library of favourite films ready for whenever you feel like having a stay-at-home movie night.
Thousands of titles are available for purchase or rent from the Kaleidescape movie store as well. Every title is downloaded, not streamed, so there’s no buffering nor degradation in quality. It’s truly like being in a movie theatre in your own home, especially when paired with a massive projector screen or large-screen TV.
Thomson loves that you can use your phone as a remote via the companion app, which also contains deep dive menus with additional information about the movies, actors, and more. He loves the easy setup process, intuitive interface, extensive and nicely organized movie store, and the fact that high-end cables are included. “Kaleidescape products offer the very best viewing experience in the highest definition with no lag or latency,” he says.
If Strato V’s pricing is too rich for your blood, check out the more affordable Strato E, which sells for US$2,995. The entry-level 4K movie player provides a single playback zone, can hold six movies in its internal SSD, and works with Terra Prime movie servers as well.
3. Samsung S95F OLED TV
Upgrade your living room with the stunning Samsung S95F ($4,000-$8,000) OLED TV, which boasts an upgraded NQ4 AI Gen 3 processor, improved OLED Glare-free technology, and a brighter panel. In fact, Samsung says it’s the brightest-ever OLED from the brand to date. You’ll enjoy Pantone-validated colours, pure blacks, and crisp whites. The TVs also boast a 165Hz refresh rate. Samsung Vision AI is fully incorporated here, including features like Click to Search and Live Translate (learn more in my article about the Neo QLED TVs).
During an event in New Jersey, I sat down with an 85-inch S95F, and it’s a beauty to behold. Not surprisingly it’s my favourite TV of the entire line, and the one I spent the most time with. I just couldn’t bring myself to leave the room!
Watching a variety of content, including shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, movies on Samsung TV Plus, and more, each piece looked better than the next. You’ll get rich colours and fantastic contrast.
4. Anker Nebula X1 3-Laser Portable Projector
David Susilo calls the Anker Soundcore Nebula X1 in his review the best portable projector he has ever used. For someone with Susilo’s credentials and experience, that’s a huge statement to make and a glowing personal and professional endorsement. You can enjoy it both indoors and out without sacrificing picture quality, he says. It can project an image at 3,840 x 2,160 and 3,500 ANSI lumens, making it ultra-bright. Easy to set up, create a 4.1.2 soundstage leveraging the FlexWave sound technology.
From short to long-throw set-ups, it comes with Google TV built-in for access to all your favourite streaming apps. If outdoor movie nights are a common thing in your household during the summer, or something you want to look into starting in the new year, this is a gift worth getting.
The $4,000 ($5,300 with the speaker accessory pack) price tag might sound like a lot, but consider you can bring it with you up to the cottage, on road trips, and use it indoors, too. Read our review.
Other Gift Ideas
Hisense PT1 Triple Laser Cinema
At the heart of the Hisense PT1’s performance is the company’s advanced Triple Laser Light Engine, using pure red, green, and blue lasers to produce 110% of the BT.2020 colour space. This is paired with 2500 ANSI lumens of brightness and a 3,000:1 contrast ratio. The PT1’s built-in 4K AI Upscaler transforms everything you watch into 4K resolution. It supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and IMAX Enhanced certification, and has built-in speakers with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X surround sound. Thanks to the ultra-short throw design, it can seamlessly fit into a living space and create a massive screen from 80” to 150” in size with just inches of space between the projector and the wall. With built-in Google TV, you can easily access your favourite streaming apps with a Wi-Fi connection. Voice control is available with Google Assistant and Alexa as well. Pick it up for US$2,999.
Yaber T1 Pro Compact Smart Projector
Looking for an affordable projector for fun movie nights with the kids, as a massive second screen when working from home, your Halloween outdoor display, or on the go presentations and viewing? The Yaber T1 Pro is just $320 and ultra-compact. It comes with built-in streaming access, an 8W speaker powered by TurboSonic acoustic technology, and a 180° rotating gimbal stand. Weighing just 1.25 kg, it employs a cylindrical unibody design and comes with a military-grade orange nylon strap and silicone grips for comfort and slip-resistant handling for both indoor and outdoor use. Thanks to the built-in stand, you can orient it for displaying video on a wall or even the ceiling without the need for a separate mount. Ambient mood lighting options, including warm, cool, and nightlight, add a fun twist.
Hisense M2 Pro Smart Mini Projector
I had the chance to see the Hisense M2 Pro Smart Mini Projector at an event in New York and it’s impressive with both a compact design and fabulous image reproduction. As the company’s smallest, lightest, and most portable mini projector to date, the M2 Pro is sleek and stylish, offering simple set-up and big screen viewing. With intelligent AI 4K upscaling and noise reduction, 4K UHD resolution, 1300 lumens brightness, auto keystone correction, auto focus, and optical zoom, it’s designed to be flexible for any set-up. It can be twisted and turned to display in a variety of angles, and screen sizes that range from 65” to 200”. Features like Intelligent Wall Color Adaptation ensure colour accuracy even on non-white walls. Access content through the VIDDA Smart TV operating system, including popular services like Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, Prime Video, and Apple TV+. At US$1,300, it’s a steal.
Samsung The Frame Pro TV
Want a TV that focuses on aesthetics as much as a fabulous picture and smart access to all your favourite content? The Samsung The Frame TV has been incredibly popular as a design piece as much as it is a TV. The concept behind it is that it’s ultra-thin with a stylish bezel designed to look like a picture frame. With a subscription to Samsung Art Store, or your own curated artwork or photos, you can display works of art on the TV so it literally looks like a painting hung on the wall. The Frame Pro, which I got to demo earlier this year at an event in New Jersey, is stunning with a new Neo QLED display that improves brightness and contrast. It’s also bigger, available in 65- up to 85-inch sizes with pricing in Canada from $2,800-$5,500. It works with the new Wireless One Connect box to which you can connect external devices and transmit the signal from up to 10 metres away. Employing an ultra-slim design, the UL-certified anti-reflection matte display helps minimize glare. With an up to 144Hz refresh rate, you’ll get smooth motion and visuals while playing games and watching movies. Turn it off and display stunning works of art from the more than 3,000 available from leading artists, museums, and galleries. Samsung is opening the Samsung Art Store up to its entire TV line this year. But there’s something special about viewing art on this TV that can’t be replicated.
Kanto PMX700 Pro TV Mount
If you plan to mount your new TV on a wall, you’ll need a good mount. The Kanto PMX700 Pro, distributed in Canada by Gemsen, is a full-motion TV mount that not only secures the display to the wall but also makes it easy to adjust its position based on your seating position in the room. It can support TVs as large as 100 inches in size and up to 150 lbs. in weight, and comes with a pair of articulating arms with tilt and swivel functionality. With 31.3 inches of extension, it can also sit 2.6 inches from the wall when you aren’t watching, then pulled out when you’re ready to enjoy a movie, TV show, sporting event, and more. Cable management clips ensure a neat and tidy installation. Get it for US$380.
Roku Streaming Stick 4K
You probably already have a smart TV with its own smart TV interface. But some prefer using a streaming stick, especially one from Roku that delivers an incredible intuitive UI with an included remote or the option to control it from the mobile app. The advantage in having a device like the Roku Streaming Stick 4K is that you can bring it with you to the cottage, friend’s house, or even a hotel to access your accounts virtually anywhere. With this $70 streaming stick, you cam stream content at up to 4K quality with Dolby Vision and HDR10+, and even access Roku’s own 200+ free channels with live news, weather, sports, and originals.