‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ and other Blu-ray releases today

The second film in Peter Jackson’s ‘The Hobbit’ trilogy has been released to Blu-ray Disc, DVD, and Digital Copy. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is available in three different Blu-ray editions including a standard 3-disc edition, a 5-disc edition with Blu-ray 3D copy, and a 5-disc Limited Edition with Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD and Guards of Erebor Book Ends. All three Blu-ray editions also contain access codes for Digital HD copies via UltraViolet to download and watch on your PC, tablet, or phone. The video on each of the Blu-ray discs is formatted in MPEG-4 1080p resolution at 2.40:1 widescreen aspect ratio. The soundtrack is offered in English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) surround sound, as well as Spanish, French, and Portuguese in Dolby Digital 5.1. All in all you can’t go wrong with the quality of any of these editions from New Line Home Video, but true Hobbit collectors may want the Limited Edition that’s selling for about $80 on Amazon (List: $105). Check out our Blu-ray picks for the week below. And, take a look at all new Blu-ray Disc releases this week available at Amazon.

New Blu-ray Releases, April 8, 2014

• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Blu-ray 3D)
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Limited Edition with Book Ends
• August: Osage County
• Grudge Match
• Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones
• The 400 Blows (1959)
• Sabrina (1954)
• Funny Face (1957)
• Young at Heart (1954)
• Cry Danger (1951)
• The Night of the Hunter (1955)
• Earthflight: The Complete Series
• Justin Bieber’s Believe
• Holliston: The Complete Second Season
• Snake & Mongoose
• A Field in England
• A Touch of Sin
• Bang Bang You’re Dead (1966)
• Familiar of Zero: Season 1