By Jared Newman
TechHive |
Today's Best Tech Deals
Picked by TechHive's Editors
Top Deals On Great Products
Picked by Techconnect's Editors
Freedom from hardware rental fees is a big reason to ditch cable TV, but before you can cut the cord, you’ll still have to invest in some hardware up front.
That’s why Black Friday is a great time to make the jump. With so many streaming devices and over-the-air DVRs on sale, you can get all set up for less and start saving money faster.
Here are the best Black Friday streaming, antenna, and over-the-air DVR deals we’ve seen so far, whether you’re looking to cut cable soon or just want to upgrade your existing setup.
Black Friday is one of the best times to buy a Roku, with sale prices that seldom come up again during the year. That’s also the case this year, with several devices hitting record low prices:
Roku Streaming Stick+ for $30 (reg. $50): This is just a dollar more than last year’s Black Friday price, and is a great deal on an easy-to-use 4K HDR streamer. Get it from Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, or Target.
Roku Ultra for $70 (reg. $100): Roku’s high-end streaming box adds Dolby Vision support and some extra bells and whistles, including a USB port for local media, an ethernet port, and a remote with a built-in headphone jack. It’s also a bit faster than other Rokus. Get it from Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, or Target.
Roku Streambar for $100 (reg. $130): The funky 4K streaming box doubles as a soundbar to improve your TV’s audio, and sounds pretty good for its size and price. Get it from Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, or Target.
Other Roku deals: Roku’s budget SE and Premiere streamers are also on sale for $17 and $25, respectively. The SE is comparable to the Roku Express and offers 1080p video, while the Premiere supports 4K HDR. Unfortunately, neither of them offer TV volume controls, a power button, or voice control on their remotes, so most people should steer clear in favor of the slightly pricier options above.
Compared to Roku, Amazon’s deals are a little less special, as we’ve seen similar prices on most of these products during Prime Day in October or earlier this month. That said, Fire TV discounts have been a bit harder to come by overall this year, and you’re unlikely to see prices fall any lower than they are this week:
Fire TV Stick for $28 (reg. $40): If you don’t have a 4K TV and don’t plan to get one anytime soon, this is the Fire TV to get. The new third-generation model has a much faster processer than the version Amazon’s been selling since 2016. Get it from Amazon, Best Buy, or Target. (Amazon’s Fire TV Stick Lite is also on sale for $18, down from the usual $30, but I’d suggest spending the extra $10 on the regular version, which has TV volume and power buttons on its remote.)
Fire TV Stick 4K for $30 (reg. $50): On the other hand, the 4K version is a much better buy on Black Friday for 4K TV owners (or for future-proofing purposes). Performance is similar to the non-4K Fire TV Stick, but with 4K and Dolby Vision HDR. Get it from Amazon, Best Buy, or Target.
Fire TV Cube for $80 (reg. $120): For a higher-end option, the Fire TV Cube is even faster than Amazon’s sticks, plus the box microphones built-in for hands-free Alexa voice commands. It’s on sale from Amazon, Best Buy, or Target.
Nvidia Shield for $129 (reg. $150): Here’s a rare chance to save on a great high-end Android TV streamer. The Shield TV tube is considerably faster than most streaming devices, and it has a nifty AI upscaler that makes non-4K video look sharper on 4K TVs. Get it from B&H, or from Best Buy (where it costs a buck more).
Third-gen Chromecast for $19 (reg. $30): It’s not nearly as useful as the new Chromecast with Google TV, but is still a nice way to launch videos or music on the TV from your phone. Get it from Best Buy.
Chromecast with Google TV plus six months of Netflix for $90: This deal from the Google Store predates Black Friday and will stick around through the end of 2021, but it’s still the best way to get Google’s new 4K HDR streaming dongle. Unlike the old Chromecast, this new model comes with a real remote and TV-based menu system, and it provides a universal guide to streaming content that feels more like how TV should work in the cord-cutting era. With Netflix charging $14 per month for its standard plan, this deal effectively brings the Chromecast price down to $6.
Apple TV 4K for $175 (reg. $180): This deal from B&H is more of an insult than anything else, especially with a new Apple TV reportedly coming in 2021. Unless something better materializes by Black Friday, you’ll be better off browsing eBay to save money on Apple’s streaming box.
If you’re blessed with strong enough antenna reception at home, Black Friday can be a great time to complete your over-the-air TV setup, either with new antennas or an over-the-air DVR:
Refurbished Tablo Dual Lite OTA DVR for $80 (reg. $120): One of our top picks for over-the-air DVRs, this device captures live TV from an antenna, then streams the video to other devices around the house (including most streaming players and smart TVs). Just keep in mind you’ll need an external hard drive to go with it, and a subscription is necessary to take full advantage of Tablo’s DVR features. Get it straight from the Tablo store.
Refurbished Tablo Dual 64 GB OTA DVR for $80 (reg. $130): This model is nearly the same as the Dual Lite, but has a 64GB storage drive inside. You can still add an external hard drive if you run out of storage. Get it from the Tablo store.
Fire TV Recast for $130 (reg. $230): This over-the-air DVR is back down to its record-low price. Like Tablo, it streams live or recorded TV around the house, but only on to Fire TV, iOS, or Android devices. On the upside, it has 500GB of storage built-in and doesn’t require a subscription. Get from Amazon, or upgrade to the 1TB, quad-tuner model for $180, which is also $100 off.
Antennas Direct: The maker of ClearStream antennas and other over-the-air gear says it will offer savings of at least 50% off select products through its online store on Black Friday, with free shipping to boot.
Lifetime Plex Pass for $90 (reg. $120): While the setup can be a bit tricky, Plex provides a powerful over-the-air DVR solution for cord-cutters, and it’s even cheaper from now through Black Friday. Use the code SURVIVETHESEASON to save 25% on a lifetime Plex Pass subscription, which is required for DVR service.
Even if your hardware needs are already met, you might be able to save some money on streaming content.
One year of Hulu for $2 per month: New and “eligible returning subscribers” to Hulu can save $4 per month on the price of Hulu’s on-demand, ad-supported service for up to 12 months. This deal runs from midnight on Thanksgiving Day through November 30. (Sadly, no such discounts are available for Hulu’s ad-free or live TV services.)
One year of Peacock for $40: NBC's streaming service is free to use, but if you want access to the full catalog—including all of Peacock's originals, additional shows, and Premier League coverage—you'll need Peacock Premium. An annual subscription is $10 off this week. The ad-free Peacock Premium Plus is also $10 off, bringing the cost to $90 for a year.
Two months of select Roku Premium Subscriptions for $0.99: For new subscribers, Roku says it’ll offer more than 30 services at this rate, including Showtime and Starz. Head to the Roku Channel app on your Roku (or on the web) from November 26 to November 30 to see the deals.
Buy one month of Sling TV, get one free: That’s a $30 value, though it’s only for new subscribers. Head to Sling’s website to sign up.
Prepay for a month of Sling, get a free AirTV Mini: That’s an $80 value. This Android TV streaming player is great for watching Sling TV, but just okay for everything else. Head to Sling’s website for more details.
If we spot any more streaming or cord-cutting deals on Black Friday, we’ll add them to this list.
Jared Newman covers personal technology from his remote Cincinnati outpost. He also publishes two newsletters, Advisorator for tech advice and Cord Cutter Weekly for help with ditching cable or satellite TV.
Jared Newman covers personal technology from his remote Cincinnati outpost. He also publishes two newsletters, Advisorator for tech advice and Cord Cutter Weekly for help with ditching cable or satellite TV.
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