CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Santa’s elves are busy this year, and they aren’t too strong with electronics anyway – so we’ve lightened their load by bringing you a Christmas Gift Guide so epic that old Saint Nick would be proud, with presents for everyone from gamers through to eco warriors. Prepare to get spendy…

PHILIPS HUE PLAY SYNC BOX 8K

It’ll never make The One Show exciting, but this box can transform any TV into an immersive bedazzling light experience – by automatically synchronising the owner’s Philips Hue light collection with the on-screen action. Now supporting up to 8K@60Hz (and still playing nice with 4K@120Hz content), it’s the perfect pairing for next-gen consoles too. You can easily create a virtual room layout for optimal placement of up to 10 Hue lights, and it supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+. Yay, it’s Ambilight for everyone!

£300 /go.stuff.tv/HuePlay8K

THE MATRIX -ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SCORE

This expanded 25th-anniversary release of Don Davis’ score features 18 tracks curated by the composer, complemented by new anime-inspired artwork by Yuko Shimizu – a must-have for fans of the legendary sci-fi action movie. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re off to follow the white rabbit. Again. £32 /resident-music.com

HISENSE 65U8N

This ultra-bright 4K TV packs the power of 1600 Mini LED local dimming zones and Quantum Dot technology. Translated, that means incredibly vibrant images, with black levels that can genuinely rival OLED tellies. Impressive stuff. It also has a 144Hz refresh rate. £1499 / amazon.co.uk

SALTER POPCORN MAKER

This fuss-free popper creates up to 10 cups of low-cal popcorn in just 3mins. With 1200W of power, it’s perfect for movie nights. The machine has a spout for easy serving and non-slip feet for safety, and cooks without any oil. £28 / amazon.co.uk

XGIMI AURA 2

If you want to embiggen your movie experience, this 4K ultra-short-throw projector with Dolby Vision and IMAX Enhanced certification is the way to go. With 2300-lumen brightness and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, it delivers vivid images and deep blacks – and it’s capable of bestowing a 100in screen on your wall from just 18cm away.

£2459 / amazon.co.uk

ARENDAL 1723 THX

Arendal’s 1723 series offers audiophile-grade performance with THX certification, delivering great clarity and power in spades. The lineup includes towers, monitors and surround speakers that will make your single soundbar feel very glum indeed. from £1100 / arendal sound.com

MOVIE BUFF

Got a loved one who can recite every line from every Fellini/Kurosawa/Spider-Man film? Here are some ideas that might shut them up for a few minutes…

CINEPHILE

This beautifully made card game is challenging enough for serious movie lovers while still offering multiple ways to play, ensuring it’s accessible to all. With a series of attractive cards in a yellow and black theme, it’s as much fun to play as it is to look at. £15 / amazon.co.uk

AMAZON FIRE TV SOUNDBAR

Amazon’s bar enhances your TV’s middling audio with DTS Virtual:X and Dolby Audio for sound that packs more of a punch. Easy setup via HDMI eARC does away with any cluttered cable runs, and at just over 60cm long it should fit most home setups. £120 / amazon.co.uk

LEGO IDEAS HOME ALONE

This 3955-piece set recreates the McCallisters’ house in intricate detail, with interactive elements like Kevin’s zipline and swinging paint cans. The house opens up to reveal multi-level interiors, including the scary basement, and the minifigures have double-sided heads for various expressions.

£260 / lego.com

MICKEY’S TOFFEE POPCORN CANDLE 50CL

This soy wax candle will butter anyone up with the intoxicating smell of freshly popped toffee popcorn from the cinema… minus the extortionate ticket prices, sticky floors, screaming children and 30-minute ads. £31 / milos candles.com

SWITCHBOT ROLLER SHADE

This smart roller blind fits windows up to 1.85m wide. With replaceable fabrics (including blackout options, essential for that proper cinema vibe), it’s controllable via app, voice or remote, and integrates with your smart home through Matter. from £170 /switch-bot.com

THE CONVERSATION (4K BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION)

This limited edition of Coppola’s 1974 thriller includes a 4K restoration, new artwork and a 64-page booklet. The set also features the original soundtrack on cassette, which is ‘period correct’ if nothing else. £44 / shop.bfi.org.uk

PRO-JECT AUDIO XA B

This turntable prioritises stability and precision, while happening to look way classy in the process. Its 10in aluminium tonearm and damped plinth design contribute to a dynamic and detailed sound, but looks-wise it’s all about that (acrylic) base. £1099 / sevenoakssound andvision.co.uk

ACTIVO P1

Powered by an Astell&Kern Teraton chip, this compact digital audio player also harnesses the auditory prowess of a dual-DAC design for premium sound in a refreshingly minimalist package. Its tactile controls and simple UI help provide a user-friendly experience, with high-quality audio performance to back up its (relatively) low price. £399 / amazon.co.uk

MERIDIAN ELLIPSE

This all-in-one streaming speaker distils Meridian’s advanced tech into a compact (and slightly menacing) all-black form. It delivers big sound with exceptional bass response, while an app takes care of setup and tweaks. £1900 / futureaudio.co.uk

IFI ZEN DAC 3

The latest in a long series of award-hogging combined DACs and headphone amplifiers, the Zen DAC 3 has an optional bass boost to compensate for cans that are a little on the airy side, and supports hi-res audio files up to 32-bit/768kHz over USB-C. £229 /ifi-audio.com

NOBLE AUDIO FOKUS APOLLO

These true wireless over-ears feature a unique dual-speaker arrangement, combining planar magnetic and dynamic drivers to provide the clarity of the former with the bass response of the latter. They’ve also got hybrid ANC, so you don’t have to worry about the outside world spoiling it all. £589 / hifonix.co.uk

RUARK R410

Ruark’s stylish all-in-one system artfully combines retro aesthetics with modern streaming skills, in a design that’s pretty much unmatched for droolability. Featuring AirPlay, Google Cast and hi-res audio support, it can also connect to your TV via HDMI for use as a soundbar. £1299 / ruarkaudio.com

A2D2 STREAM

A2D2’s humble little device connects any audio source to Wi-Fi-enabled smart speakers, gracing them with the power of modern streaming smarts and thus saving you from forking out more cash on a newer system. Good news for vinyl or CD fans, and even cassette diehards. £149 / a2d2.com

MUSIC LOVER

From high-end audio systems to portable players, these shiny goodies will elevate anyone’s listening experience whether at home or on the move

FLATE VINYL RACK

This cleverly engineered wall rack holds up to 12 records at a time, with a circular cutout for displaying your current favourite. Easy to install and with a timeless look, the only question – at over £100 for two – is how many you’ll need to order. £102 for 2 /flate-store.com