The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 3D Steelbook (MM Exclusive) - Blu-ray Forum

TheHutt · 04-14-2014, 08:38 AM

I have some as well.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
3D-Steelbook Edition (MediaMarkt Exclusive)

I thought I'd share here my pictures of the unpacking of this nice edition. As there is no steelbook edition in the USA, this might be of interest for some. This 3D steelbook edition has a magnetic lenticular cover and contains 4 BluRays (2x3D, 1x2D, 1xBonus Materials).

The cover contains the German title. A paper sheet with technical infos is also supplied; it also contains the German age rating logo (FSK). The tech info sheet is glued on by 4 glue spots: two on the back (which go off quite easily) and two on the front (which stick to the lenticular picture like hell and can easily scratch it). You can remove them using lighter fuel, though.

The back side (in German). It's overloaded with details on the Digital copy and other stuff. English is DTS-HDMA 7.1, German as well. The release is region free.

When taking of the info sheet, that's what's left: the steelbook with a lenticular magnetic cover. Very beautiful 3D effect for Thorin.

The back side: a purist's nightmare (having both Legolas and Tauriel there). The billing is below (in English)

Upon removal of the lenticular magnet we get a different motif: Gandalf in Dol Guldur. Nice metallic effect on Glamdring. Logo is German again.

The innards. Germany is actually the only country which got disc labels printed in color (other countries only got white letters on black background). That's because the law requests the FSK logo to be in the right color at all times. The 3D version (both discs) reuses Thorin's portrait.

The second couple of discs (2D version and Special Features) contains the theatrical poster motif.

The steelbook is printed from the inside. We get Bilbo in Mirkwood, with Sting in one hand.

Now for the final test: comparing both 3D steelbooks from German MediaMarkt. The "Hobbit" logo is more golden on Film Two. Also, it's on the bottom rather than on the top.

When comparing the sides, it looks less optimal: the logos are of different colors. The subtitle has different font sizes, as well as the "3D" signs. The logos are center-aligned instead of being aligned by "The Hobbit" logo. Also, they added one more logo on the bottom for some reason.

Final thoughts: the German steelbooks looks as good as it gets (though it is rather pricey). However, it is far superior to the Amaray edition (also because in Germany Warner has omitted the lenticular slipcase for the Amaray edition of Film Two - as opposed to Film One a year ago).

04-14-2014, 08:38 AM	#11
TheHutt Blu-ray Samurai Top contributor Member since:Jun 2010 Trading Score:1	I have some as well. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 3D-Steelbook Edition (MediaMarkt Exclusive) I thought I'd share here my pictures of the unpacking of this nice edition. As there is no steelbook edition in the USA, this might be of interest for some. This 3D steelbook edition has a magnetic lenticular cover and contains 4 BluRays (2x3D, 1x2D, 1xBonus Materials). The cover contains the German title. A paper sheet with technical infos is also supplied; it also contains the German age rating logo (FSK). The tech info sheet is glued on by 4 glue spots: two on the back (which go off quite easily) and two on the front (which stick to the lenticular picture like hell and can easily scratch it). You can remove them using lighter fuel, though. The back side (in German). It's overloaded with details on the Digital copy and other stuff. English is DTS-HDMA 7.1, German as well. The release is region free. When taking of the info sheet, that's what's left: the steelbook with a lenticular magnetic cover. Very beautiful 3D effect for Thorin. The back side: a purist's nightmare (having both Legolas and Tauriel there). The billing is below (in English) Upon removal of the lenticular magnet we get a different motif: Gandalf in Dol Guldur. Nice metallic effect on Glamdring. Logo is German again. The innards. Germany is actually the only country which got disc labels printed in color (other countries only got white letters on black background). That's because the law requests the FSK logo to be in the right color at all times. The 3D version (both discs) reuses Thorin's portrait. The second couple of discs (2D version and Special Features) contains the theatrical poster motif. The steelbook is printed from the inside. We get Bilbo in Mirkwood, with Sting in one hand. Now for the final test: comparing both 3D steelbooks from German MediaMarkt. The "Hobbit" logo is more golden on Film Two. Also, it's on the bottom rather than on the top. When comparing the sides, it looks less optimal: the logos are of different colors. The subtitle has different font sizes, as well as the "3D" signs. The logos are center-aligned instead of being aligned by "The Hobbit" logo. Also, they added one more logo on the bottom for some reason. Final thoughts: the German steelbooks looks as good as it gets (though it is rather pricey). However, it is far superior to the Amaray edition (also because in Germany Warner has omitted the lenticular slipcase for the Amaray edition of Film Two - as opposed to Film One a year ago).

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