Looking for the best gift for a mom who enjoys watching TV and video at home? Whether it's Netflix or Amazon or any of thousands of other streaming apps, Roku delivers the best, easiest, most customer-friendly experience for her. And the new Stick is still the best value among Rokus.
Maybe your mom is the sophisticated type who owns a 4K TV and can appreciate the value of extras like voice search using the remote and the ability to plug in headphones for wireless private listening. In short, maybe she's an Ultra gal.
On the other hand, maybe Mom has an older TV (one without any HDMI inputs) yet she still wants to get Netflix. She's an Express+ gal, and there's nothing wrong with that.
If Mom has a bunch of stuff on iTunes, or she just wants something that looks and feels a lot like her iPhone, the new Apple TV is just the ticket. In addition to numerous TV apps, it also works with many of the games and other apps she might already own.
Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote ($40)
And maybe Mom is an Amazon gal, with a Prime account and plenty of movies and TV shows she's bought already from the mega-retailer. Or maybe she just loves her Alexa enough to want it on a TV, too. If so, she might love the streaming stick, and you'll love the price.
Phone-savvy moms who are most comfortable using the small screen will find a lot to like in the cheap Chromecast, which suddenly lets them enjoy all those videos on the biggest screen in the house.
If Mom doesn't want to bother with a separate remote and switching inputs to watch streaming, maybe it's time for a new TV. The TCL models are inexpensive and deliver all the awesomeness of Roku's external devices.
Maybe it's time for Mom to get a new "main" TV. Our current favorite for the money is the excellent M series, a 4K model with a great picture and a wide range of sizes to choose from.
Maybe Mom deserves the very best, and you have the money to make it happen. This is actually the least-expensive 2016 OLED TV in the company's lineup, but its picture quality still runs circles around most other TVs. As for the 2017 sets, we're guessing they're not worth the extra money.
