Electronic gadgets are at the top of many wish lists and account for an ever-growing share of holiday shopping budgets. Fortunately for shoppers, tech gifts don't have to break their budgets.

One big trend this year is sharp discounts on products in many of the most popular categories. Many televisions, video game consoles, cameras and other tech goods are cheaper than last year, with more features.

Here are some electronics gift ideas for the special people in your life. You shouldn't have a problem finding something they'll like at a price you can afford.

TELEVISIONS

If you're shopping for a television this year, get ready to spend a lot less money. You can find name-brand 40-inch 1080p LCD TVs with 120Hz refresh rates for less than $1,000 at Best Buy. Such TVs would have sold for at least $2,000 as recently as two years ago.

If you're willing to spend several hundred dollars more, you can get a TV with newer picture technologies, most notably LED backlighting. These sets, often called "LED TVs," are illuminated by a collection of LED light bulbs rather than a fluorescent picture tube and tend to be more energy-efficient and thinner than older LCD TVs. They also can display pictures with more contrast and deeper blacks. You can find a 40-inch LED-backlit TV for about $1,500 to $1,600.

Many of the newer and more expensive televisions also can be connected to the Internet. Through that connection, they'll display weather reports, sports scores and pictures, and show streaming movies from Netflix and YouTube, without need of a computer or a set-top box.

VIDEO GAMES

The game industry has had a tough year. That's a good thing for consumers, because in recent months, hardware makers have cut prices and added features.

Nintendo's Wii ($200) is $50 cheaper than a year ago. Sony's PlayStation 3 ($300) and Microsoft's Xbox 360 Elite (also $300) each cost $100 less than last year, even though they have larger hard drives and, in the PlayStation's case, a new, smaller, more energy-efficient design. And the game machines all have new features or accessories, such as MotionPlus for the Wii, which gives users more precise control over their on-screen movements. Both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 provide access to sites like Facebook and new movie streaming services.

The handheld game systems also got a refresh this year. Sony recently released the PSP Go ($250), a smaller version of the PlayStation Portable that plays only digitally downloaded games. Meanwhile, Nintendo introduced the DSi ($170), the latest version of its DS handheld, which has two digital cameras and the ability to download simple games from an online store.

Sony and Nintendo also have some new competition. Apple's iPod touch, a sibling of Apple's iPhone that can surf the Web and play music, has been gaining traction as a game machine.