Holiday gifts for your drama addict

I know it’s somewhat late, but there’s technically more than a day left to get your Christmas shopping done! Here’s a quick list of potential gifts that you can buy for that special drama addict in your life.

(Not listed in any particular order)

1. A subscription to a streaming service.
Several subscription based services are now available in the US with Korean and Japanese content. Only a small amount of Japanese dramas are available (probably because of licensing issues), but there’s a vast library of Korean dramas.

Here’s a list of some of the streaming services available:
Netflix.com, features some Korean dramas, many Japanese and Korean movies as well. Prices start as low as $7.99 for 1 month.

Hulu.com, similar drama library as Netflix. Hulu subscriptions start at $7.99 per month also.

DramaFever.com, vast Korean drama library and limited Japanese drama titles. DramaFever is relatively new to the streaming game and their plans are also the lowest, starting at $4.99 per month. Their Christmas deal for 1 year is currently $39.99! A $60 savings. Offer good till 1/31/12.

Crunchyroll.com, mostly anime-centric, but there’s a number of Korean and Chinese dramas. Not as cheap as DramaFever, but Crunchyroll plans start at $6.95 per month for full access to either Anime or Drama content. There’s a combined subscription for both Anime and Drama for $11.95 per month.

2. A streaming media player.
There’s only 2 streaming media players that I would recommend because of compatibility with downloaded files.
First is the Western Digital TV (WD TV for short). There’s 2 models, WD TV Live which doesn’t come with a built-in hard drive, but includes WiFi (retails for $129.99, on Amazon for $89.99), or WD TV Live Hub which comes with a 1TB built-in hard drive, but doesn’t include WiFi (retail $199.99, on Amazon for $179.00). The great thing about the WD TV devices are the various apps like Netflix, Hulu, Crunchyroll via Flingo, Youtube and many more that give you instant access to content. Not only that, the WD TV can hook into your local network so you can stream video files to your TV. Another advantage are the 2 USB ports that allow access to external hard drives.

I personally own the WD TV Live Hub with the 1TB hard drive and I’m loving it so far. The device has played 98% of my downloaded video files so far, not to mention video files with softsubs! The only main drawback is the lack of built-in WiFi, but that’s easily solved with the purchase of a USB WiFi adapter. I’d recommend buying a mini USB WiFi adapter so it doesn’t become an eyesore. Be sure to checkout this list of compatible USB WiFi adapters beforehand.

The other streaming device that is hot this season is the Roku. Prices are as low as $49.99 for the entry model, the LT. The Roku interface isn’t as slick as the WD TV, but the main advantage are the various channels available on Roku. Here’s just a sample of what they have.

Does your drama addict prefer downloading their dramas? Then get the WD TV. WD TV has been out for quite awhile and the file format support is superb.

Does your drama addict prefer streaming instead? Then get the Roku coupled with a subscription service.

3. Storage.
This is probably a no-brainer. Most drama addicts download a ton of video files and storage is always an issue, so buy them an external USB hard drive or a spindle of blank DVDRs. A Western Digital 1TB USB hard drive is $119.99 on Amazon, while a 100 DVD-R spindle goes for $28.00 on Amazon.

4. An updated laptop or desktop or HDTV LCD/LED.
Most drama addicts watch dramas on their laptop or desktop and what’s more frustrating is watching dramas on a laggy out-of-date computer. The faster the better.
HDTV LCDs and LEDs are a lot more affordable now, so help your addict by upgrading their tube TV. LCDs/LEDs are energy efficient and some even come Internet-ready. The DNLA feature is also handy for local network access to your files.

5. Language lessons.
Wouldn’t it be nice to not rely on English subtitles? Wouldn’t it be nice to not wait on fansubbers/translators?
Of course!
Give your addict the building blocks to learn Japanese or Korean by buying language lessons or books or subscription services for them.
Here’s some sites for starters:
TextFugu.com for Japanese only, MangoLanguages.com, RosettaStone.com, and Pimsleur.com.

6. A trip to South Korea and/or Japan.
For you high rollers out there, buy your drama addict a trip to South Korea and/or Japan and experience the culture! Prices for tickets and hotels range, so ask Google-sensei to assist you on this.

That ends my list!
Happy Holidays and Happy Drama Viewing!