Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Classic Collection (Acorn Media)

Here’s a lavish gift for the someone on your list who already has "everything": a 12-disc boxed set of the series Poirot, based on Agatha Christie’s detective extraordinaire. It includes, Acorn Media claims, "36 exquisite episodes from the acclaimed series," enough to slake the thirst of any devotée. David Suchet is Poirot and Hugh Fraser is his affable assistant, Captain Hastings -- as compatible a team of detectives as you’ll find anywhere in the BBC kingdom. The sophisticated art deco sets, the lush British countryside, the period cars, and the witty scripts are all real treats, but best of all is the impeccable Suchet, who has even provided a written introduction to this classic collection….Charlotte Meyer

Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection (Universal)

Most of the films for which Alfred Hitchcock is known were made for Universal Studios. Here they all are in one magnificent set: Saboteur, Shadow of a Doubt, Rope, Rear Window, The Trouble with Harry, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo, Psycho, The Birds, Marnie, Torn Curtain, Topaz, Frenzy, and Family Plot. Each has been given a spiffy new transfer, and Vertigo and Psycho appear for the first time in widescreen editions, having previously been available only in letterboxed versions. The 14-disc set contains plenty of extras: production featurettes, storyboards, photos, and Hitchcock’s droll trailers. The compartmentalized box, covered in burgundy felt, is fitting for such a princely collection, and the individual DVD covers and 32-page booklet are loaded with promotional period art and production stills. The biggest challenge is deciding which of these masterpieces to watch first!…Rad Bennett

The Dick Cavett Show: Rock Icons (Shout! Factory)

From 1969 to 1975, The Dick Cavett Show was the chosen venue for rock stars who wanted television exposure, and this made it the hip talk show to watch. This three-DVD set collects nine complete episodes featuring the likes of David Bowie, George Harrison, Jefferson Airplane, Ravi Shankar, Paul Simon, and Stevie Wonder. The live performances are important, but the banter among guests often makes for great TV. Imagine Gloria Swanson, Margot Kidder, and Janis Joplin rapping, or Debbie Reynolds sharing the couch with Sly & the Family Stone. This would make a great gift for the pop-culture or music buff on your list. Shout! Factory has released similar Dick Cavett Show sets devoted to episodes with Ray Charles, and John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Other sets, featuring comedians, athletes, and Hollywood legends, are planned for 2006….Marc Mickelson

The Job: The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)

All 19 half-hour episodes of The Job aired on ABC during the 2001-2002 season are included in this four-DVD set. Shot entirely on location in New York City, the show starred fast-talking comedian Denis Leary as Mike McNeil, a cynical, hard-drinking cop with a wife and a girlfriend. The Job is reminiscent of Barney Miller, another unconventional ABC cop show, but its edgier humor and willingness to show its main character in less-than-flattering circumstances set The Job apart from the cop shows of today and yesterday. Extra materials are the usual stuff -- interviews, promos, and behind-the-scenes footage. A great gift for fans of The Larry Sanders Show or Ellen, both of which were written by The Job co-creator Peter Tolan….Marc Mickelson

The Simpsons: The Complete Sixth Season (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)

If there are kids on your Christmas list, or anyone who’s just a kid at heart, then the latest boxed set of The Simpsons is a no-brainer. The plastic replica of Homer’s hollowed-out head that makes up the outer case is a bit fragile, but it’s one of the more amusing examples of DVD packaging and is sure to be a big hit. What’s inside that head will keep kids and adults alike entertained during the busy Christmas season, and then for months and years later, with repeated viewing. Although the extras are relatively sparse, the hard-core fan will find extensive audio commentary for each episode. Although the picture is slightly soft, it’s far superior to the typical substandard quality of over-the-air transmission or cable feed. The Simpsons is a great television show that is even more enjoyable on DVD….Roger Kanno

The Val Lewton Horror Collection (Warner Home Video)

This set is a perfect gift for aficionados of Hitchcock and classic films, film noir, and horror films. Wanting to piggyback on the success of Universal’s horror films, RKO Pictures put Val Lewton, a former editor and writer for David O. Selznick, in charge of their new B-movie horror division, and gave him a few rules: produce movies within budget and with preselected, marketing-approved titles. Unlike the Universal movies, which relied on onscreen monsters in make-believe lands for chills and thrills, Lewton’s movies took place in the real world and were built on suspense, and the foul deeds taking place off-camera. The best-known film here is Cat People, but the other eight are no less good, and some, such as I Walked with a Zombie, may be better. Boris Karloff stars in three of the films, and The Body Snatcher includes the last filmed scene of Karloff and Bela Lugosi together. Commentaries accompany some titles, and there’s a full-length documentary about Lewton….Eric Hetherington

The Wizard of Oz: Three-Disc Collector’s Edition (Warner Home Video)

There have been some good editions of this classic before, but none like this, and it’s packaged to look like a real gift. The transfer is new, done from the original three-strip Technicolor negatives. The Yellow Brick Road has never looked so richly yellow, Dorothy’s shoes so brightly red, or the Emerald City so deeply green. And by using the separate original music stems, Warner Bros. has been able to create a 5.1-channel soundtrack that is not overdone and adds to one’s enjoyment of the film. Warner boasts "13 hours of bonuses," including documentaries, commentaries, a tribute to author L. Frank Baum, and a restoration of the 1925 version with Oliver Hardy, complete with a new score. There are other early cinematic visions of Oz as well, an audio "vault" with more than 4.5 hours of unedited musical cues, as well as promos and broadcasts. The three discs are in an attractive foldout case. Collections of ten Kodachrome publicity shots and a Collector’s Treasury containing reproductions of the original premiere program, the campaign book, and the original ticket to the premiere, are given separate jackets to keep them fresh. Everything fits into an attractive case that features new art. The only problem with buying this edition of The Wizard of Oz is that it’s so attractive, you might decide to keep it yourself. Better pick up two….Rad Bennett