It could be a high-def holiday season for many shoppers. Blu-ray players will go for as little as $100 in Black Friday sales, with hot titles selling for as low as $10 in retailer price wars. Warner Home Video has even introduced a program, DVD2Blu (www.dvd2blu.com), in which consumers can swap select Warner DVDs for their Blu-ray equivalent for only $8 each, with free shipping on orders of $25 or more. But don't bother with Blu-ray if you don't have a big-screen HDTV. Or consider a PlayStation 3, which doubles as a Blu-ray player, if you're looking to switch things up on the video-game home front, too.

All of the latest blockbuster films are available in Blu-ray, as well as DVD, including the safe-bet gift candidates "Up," "Star Trek" and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," coming Dec. 8 ($29-$46).

Loads of classic films are available in high-def, too, including these sure-fire winners: "Gone With the Wind" and "The Wizard of Oz" (only as elaborate gift sets, $85 each); "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and Pixar's "Monsters, Inc." (both of which also come with a standard DVD version, $40 each); "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" ($30), "Fight Club" ($35) and "North by Northwest" ($35). All are often available at heavy discounts.

For fans of eclectic fare, try Milestone's DVD of the newly restored "The Exiles," an acclaimed 1961 documentary by Kent Mackenzie that follows the chaotic nightlife of young American Indians transplanted from Southwest reservations to Los Angeles. The film played at Walker Art Center earlier this year, and the DVD ($30, www.exilesfilm.com) is presented by noted author Sherman Alexie, who also contributes commentary to the disc.

Any cinephile will appreciate a title from the Criterion Collection, whose lovingly assembled DVDs of foreign and other artistic films make excellent gifts, because they often sell at premium prices (typically $40, with some $30). Recent noteworthy titles -- available on DVD and Blu-ray -- include Wim Wenders' stately "Wings of Desire," Mira Nair's 2001 drama "Monsoon Wedding," the moon-landing documentary "For All Mankind," Jacques Tati's delightful French comedy "Playtime" and the 1969 Robert Redford skiing drama "Downhill Racer" (the latter DVD only).

Criterion also has tackled the small screen with "The Golden Age of Television." The three-disc DVD set ($50) contains seven landmark live teleplays from the 1950s, including "No Time for Sergeants," "Bang the Drum Slowly" and "Days of Wine and Roses" -- plus commentary and other extras.

Speaking of classic TV on DVD, there are few finer releases this year than Disney's classic live-action show "Zorro," part of the definitive "Walt Disney Treasures" series. Sold separately by first and second season, each six-disc set ($60) adds rarely seen one-hour specials and other extras, curated by film historian Leonard Maltin.

For fans of Minnesota's own Charles Schulz, classic animated TV specials featuring Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the gang are collected in the two-disc DVD sets "Peanuts: 1960s Collection" and "Peanuts: 1970s Collection, Vol. 1" ($30 each).

And if all of the buzz over AMC's new version of "The Prisoner" has you hankering to catch up on the original British series, that 1960s version can be watched in one fell swoop via the multidisc "The Prisoner: The Complete Series" (both formats, $70-$100).

With new TV shows, gift suggestions hold little weight because buyers usually already know what the recipient likes. But one tip is to focus on hot shows that are generally unavailable to viewers who don't have cable, including premium add-ons. They include HBO's "Rome" (complete, $100-$140; season, $60), AMC's "Mad Men" ($40-$50 a season) and Showtime's "Dexter" ($40-$60 a season).

Note, though, that one sizzling new broadcast-network show, the high-school musical "Glee," won't be available until after Christmas. "Glee, Vol. 1: The Road to the Sectionals" ($40), which collects the first 13 episodes on four discs, comes out Dec. 29. A gift card with a clever note is the best option if a Gleek ("Glee" + geek) is on your list.

Randy A. Salas • 612-673-4542