Top 10 Tech Gifts for Dad 

Looking for some last minute gift ideas for Dad? Give the gift of tech this year with some great ideas for every budget.

From TVs to remotes to soundbars, streamers, players, discs and more, you’ll find the perfect present for Pa.

Starting with a big one, how about a new TV? Panasonic’s ST60 is one of the best looking TVs ever made, and it’s not even at the top of Panasonic’s new plasma TV line. Incredible contrast ratios, tons of streaming features, and a price that puts LCDs to shame.

Check out our full review of the 65-inch TC-P65ST60.

Or if you want to go all out, check out the top-of-the-line ZT60 or Samsung’s crazy bright F8500.

Clean up some clutter with a universal remote control. The Harmony 650 replaces up to 5 other remotes, supports over 5000 brands, and has simple PC-based setup. You can program single button controls that do multiple things, like turn on a BD-player and turn the TV to the right input.

If you don’t have one already, media streamer boxes are awesome. Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Video on Demand and more. Roku’s newest, the 3, is fast, easy to use, and cheap. Win, win, win.

If Dad’s more of an Apple guy, the Apple TV doesn’t quite offer as many services as the Roku, but does seamlessly interact with iTunes for multi-room audio playback.

Speaking of audio, how about a soundbar? Sonos’s Playbar offers all the multi-room audio goodness as other Sonos products, but is, obviously, a soundbar too.

Soundbar not his thing? How about a sleek 5.1 speaker system? Check out the 1330-Watt Samsung HT-E6730W, with thin tower speakers, a hybrid tube/digital amp design, and a wireless subwoofer for lots of bass.

Save On The Best Selling HDTVs

Amazon HDTV Deals

Best Selling Blu-ray Players

Is it time for a new Blu-ray player. Practically a commodity at this point, inexpensive BD players offer almost all the same streaming features as a Roku, plus the ability to play discs. Check out these models for some good options:

Sony BDP-S5100 ($118, Wi-Fi, 3D, Netflix, HuluPlus, Amazon Instant Video, and more)
Samsung BD-F5900($125, Wi-Fi, 3D, Netflix, HuluPlus, Amazon Instant Video, and more)

Or, if he’s a an audio/videophile, Oppo’s new BDP-103 offers top-of-the-line scaling for DVD and streaming content (and external sources via two HDMI inputs), SACD and DVD-audio playback, and there’s even the option to plug in a Roku Streaming Stick to get all the Roku content too.

And lastly, what every Dad needs, a good setup Blu-ray to make sure the A/V system is performing it’s best. The Disney World of Wonder disc is perfect for the beginner, while the new Spears&Munsil Benchmark disc has dozens of test and setup patterns for everyone else.

Hmmm, that might have been more than ten…

 

Geoff Morrison @TechWriterGeoff
Geoff’s book is now in paperback… and makes an AMAZING GIFT!

 

Have a question for the HD Guru?
HD GURU|Email

Copyright ©2013 HD Guru Inc. All rights reserved. HDGURU is a registered trademark.