By far the best DVD gift you can give this holiday season is TV on DVD. Before picking up The Sopranos , Sex and The City or even Seinfeld you'll want to make sure the receiver of the gift doesn't have them yet. If you're looking for some 'safer' bets of great shows people probably don't already own, try: Playmakers [Review] - a gritty series from ESPN ran 1 amazing season before the NFL pressured ESPN to cancel it. It's a great gift for sports fans and an amazing series. Boomtown: Season 1 [Review] - this NBC series was the critics darling but got canned none the less, this first season has over 18 solid hours of great TV! While most people buzz over HBO shows, Showtime has released its own set of quality and giftworthy TV including Dead Like Me [Review] - a dark comedic series with the unflappable Mandy Patinkin and the notable newbie Ellen Muth, Penn & Teller - Bullsh*t! - The First Season [Review] - the worlds best magicians debunk everything from Aliens to Feng Shui, and Queer as Folk [Review Season 1, 2 and 3] - Showtime takes a look same sex couplings with a depth you won't find on broadcast TV. Finally, the number one TV show we recommend without hesitation is The Shield [Review] - if all TV were this good, we'd never leave home. .

One of the ways to really WOW them this holiday season is with the gift of a high impact box/gift set. Many studios have packaged together their DVDs with other promo items to make them a little meatier for gift giving. The highest impact gift set we've given is the Showgirls V.I.P. Edition: Limited Edition Boxset [Review] - complete with shot glasses, pasties and one of the shlockiest movies you'll ever see. Star Trek fans (aka Trekkers) will thank you over and over for the gift of Star Trek: The Original Series [Review Season 1 & 2] - odds are they own the original releases of this series and so getting the updated release in the cool communicator box will definitely score you serious points this season. If you're gift is aimed at parents with kids (or kids themselves) you'll want to pick up The Lion King Movie Collection which includes Lion King [Review] , Lion King 1 1/2 [Review] and Lion King 2: Simba's Pride [Review], the collection goes back into the vaults on 12/31. If you ARE going to give Seinfeld you'll probably want to go for the gift set which includes Seasons 1-3 plus Original Script, Salt & Pepper Shakers, and Playing Cards, yadda yadda yadda.

One of the most satisfying DVD gifts to give is a 'Hidden Gem', a movie someone may never have heard of, but once they watch it they'll never stop thanking you for giving it. Some of the best hidden gems we recommend for gifts include: The Return [Review] - a superb Russian film that might be the best debut of a film maker since Francois Truffaut, All The Real Girls [Review] - one of the most superb and enjoyable romantic tale in a long time, Saved! [Review] - a biting satire that takes on a topic few will even get near, Touching The Void [Review] - one of the best 'Docu-dramas' yet, Super Size Me [Review] - THE best documentary this year and The Director's Series Boxed Set: The Work of Spike Jonze, Chris Cunningham, and Michel Gondry [Review] - one of the most satisfying releases you'll find for the money. Also you simply can't go wrong with almost any and every title in The Criterion Collection including The Battle of Algiers, Videodrome, Slacker and John Cassavetes: Five Films

Great classic DVDs always make great gifts and this year there are a number of excellent choices to chose from including: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Collector's Edition [Review] - including lost footage restored and amazing documentaries, The Great Escape: SE [Review] - one of the best prison escape films ever with commentaries actually worth listening to, Gone With The Wind 4 Disc Collector's Edition [Review] - a jaw dropping restoration of one of the best American films made, The Chaplin Collection, Vol. 2 [Review] - seven classic chaplin films and a documentary on his life and work. Also, not to forget about 'modern classics' - Aladdin: Special Edition [Review] - an amazing restoration that bests the theatrical experience, The Star Wars Trilogy [Review] - yeah, it was worth the wait, and Alien Quadrilogy: Complete 9-Disc Set [Review] - quadrilogy might not be a 'real' word, but this set makes an amazing gift.

If you're looking for a 'naughty' gift for that someone special, we've sorted through the sea of truly bad adult DVDs to find the best of the best: The Masseuse [Review] - one of the strongest releases from Jenna Jameson - the queen of porn, Tera Tera Tera [Review] - Jenna Jameson might be the queen of porn but a close second is Tera Patrick, Misty Beethoven: The Musical [Review] - perhaps the first porn film you want to watch over and over again for more than its booty bumping embellishments, Space Nuts [Review] - one of the best adult films made to date and it's probably the best 'starter' adult DVD you'll find, Repo Girl [Review], South of Eden [Review] and Loaded [Review] - a trio of films from Digital Playground custom built for the mainstream 'crossover' DVD fan and From Her Ass To Her Mouth [Review] - no plot, all sex, and the scene with Lilly Thai, Dana Vespoli and Erik Everhard is as good as it gets. DVD Talk also has Reviews of over 2,000 Adult DVDs if you're looking for even more suggestions.

If you've got a pretty big budget for your holiday DVD gifts and want to get something 'a little bigger', we'd recommend several of the 'multi-season DVD Packs' all weighing in over $100 including: The Sopranos [Reviews] and The Simpsons [Review]. Other notable complete series Megasets to consider include: Monty Python, Space 1999 and The Thunderbirds .For the documentary fan on your list try The Docurama Academy Collection which contains 12 Academy Award winning documentaries (including The Weather Underground [Review], Murder on a Sunday Morning [Review] and Paul Taylor Dancemaker [Review] ). Finally, our favorite DVD gift idea above $100 is the Freaks and Geeks: The Complete Series (8-Disc Fan Edition) [Review] - it's one of the best TV on DVD releases to date and makes an really amazing gift!

If you've got a friend or family member who has a Region Free DVD Player (the Momitsu DVD-V880N also makes a good gift idea), you'll want to make sure you don't miss some of the great DVD gift ideas from outside of the US. Our number one gift recommendation for region free DVD player owners is Oldboy (also available in an Ultimate Edition) - one of the best films we've seen this year - period and it won't be coming to US theaters until February. Another film on DVD you won't see in the US any time soon is Battle Royale - the ultra violent Japanese film is both fascinating and horrifying all at once, The House of Flying Daggers - Zhang Yimou's follows up Hero with another buzzworthy film that has yet to hit US theaters, Wong Kar-Wai's 2046 - Asia's cinematic master returns with yet another must own DVD. For the Kill Bill fanatic there's a Kill Bill Vol.2 Premium Box, Kill Bill Vol.1 & 2 Twin Pack and the Kill Bill Otaku Package including Kill Bill DVD Vol.1 & 2 + Tarantino Movie Insider 1 & 2 + Original Soundtrack Vol.1 & 2. US films that never quite did get a release are always a great gift idea, including: Ken Park from Larry Clark (director of Kids) and Prozac Nation with Christina Ricci, Anne Heche and Jason Biggs. One of the best gift ideas for Region Free folk is Spaced (Definitive Collector's Edition) - more fun and zaniness from the folks who brought you Shaun of the Dead

Let's face it, if you're even considering spending $5,000 on a DVD gift set, money is NOT an issue. Having said that, Amazon's exclusive The Criterion Collection Holiday 2004 Gift Set is one of those insanely great ideas for someone who wants to make an 'Oprah' like impact this holiday season. The set features 241 of Criterions' titles (almost everything they've ever released on dvd minus a few out of print titles like Salo) on 282 discs. It comes packed in a box the size of a 32' TV and is sure to have jaw dropping effects on anyone who receives it. If you're looking to spend a mint, but not quite 5k, you can always pick up some of the more expensive TV on DVD sets including: The X-Files - The Complete Seasons 1-8, Star Trek Voyager - The Complete Seasons 1-7 , Star Trek The Next Generation - The Complete Seasons 1-7 and Babylon 5 - The Complete Television Series all well above the $300 mark.