"Futurama" vol. 3 has a lot in common with the previous volume but continues to improve on design and technology. In a lot of ways this is arguably the best release in the "Futurama" series. For the sake of completion I will repeat the box set and repacking info from the previous reviews so if you have read that you might want to skip on down to the DVD details of this set,

You can get this set by itself, of course, but in 2 vastly different packages. I'll spend some time talking about this in a little while because as a collector there are things about the differences that matter to me so they might to you as well.

There are also 2 series sets. One is the Bender's head set containing everything up to the point of the Comedy Central restart. The other is newer and contains the complete series old and new.

The new repackaging is done with simple cardboard and an art deco theme which has the benefit of fitting with the look of the later seasons. It's designed to be more eco-friendly which would be fine if it weren't so product unfriendly. The flimsy disc holders tend to let the discs slide out of the pouches easily which means easily damaged DVD's (just tilting the folder the wrong way can cause every DVD to fall out onto the floor). If the DVD's are useless the whole package is a complete waste which seems a lot more eco-unfriendly than a good design that collectors are going to want on their shelves long-term.

The complete series has a few notable points. First of all, it includes all 8 seasons plus the 4 movies. They are all on DVD so you'll sacrifice HD for the ones that offer it. The set includes a special wall calendar but does not include any other extras beyond what is offered in the individual releases (though those extras are not lacking). Packing is essentially all of the individual seasons, repackaged in their flimsy cardboard cases, residing in a larger box.

Final Recommendation:

The full series box set is not worth the hassle in my opinion largely because the cardboard redesign of the case is one I recommend skipping if you have another reasonably priced option. The original package may use more plastic and cardboard but it does its job and holds up over the years. The Bender head set is a worthy purchase leaving you with only the last few seasons to flesh out your library.

The Volume 3 set is 4  DVD's.

Video

1.33:

It's clear and sharp with a little fuzziness in some of the movements.

Audio

2.0 Dolby:

It has a good clean sound though it all comes from the front.

Packaging

These details are the same as before except for the interface. I mentioned the new packaging already so now I'll talk about the original. Each disc comes in its own thin-clamshell plastic case. Those fit inside a box which has an outer slipcover to keep anything from spilling out. It's an extremely convenient design with other benefits as well. At first I thought this was excessive packaging (adding to the cost), but I have come to appreciate having a case for each DVD instead of 1 folder for all of them. Accessibility is easier especially for pulling out the Christmas episodes during the holiday season.

The whole package is covered in amusing artwork. The outer sleeve has windows looking in on the main box. The only downfall is that the diecut edges around the windows have a way of catching on things making them look ragged after a while so be wary of that. Each case has an image that fits with the others to form one large mural, and the inside of each has a comical theme with the art on the DVD it contains. That's a lot of detail just on the aesthetics, but it's something that I appreciate about the packaging and miss in the new design so I think it worth mentioning.

There is no insert exactly, but the sleeves for the DVD cases have episode details on the back and chapters printed on the inside cover.

Each disc's interface has a different theme and host. Fry, Zapp and Kif, L'rrr and Ndunda, and the Nibblonians give us a little humorous dialogue over the main interface then a brief, comical description of each episode when the respective page is selected. These are definitely the funniest and most creative of all the "Futurama" interfaces and are among the best I've seen for any TV show.

Extras

-Commentaries: You probably expect to have a commentary for every episode by now. Not only do you get that, you also get actors Maurice and Tress joining the team along with Billy and John. The voice talent tend to add a lot of entertainment to most commentaries. Other speakers include creator Matt and exec. producer David X. along with various writers and directors. As usual you have high spots and low spots. Mostly they are entertaining and /or informative although they can be dry and dull at times. There is an extra commentary this time as well.

-Episode Comments: Another feature every episode has is an audio comment by one of the characters. When you access the episode's menu someone will tell you what they like about it. For example, Kif has a lot to say about Amy, and Bender likes to talk about himself. This is technically just part of the interface design, but since it's consistent and highly entertaining I'm giving it a listing here in the extras.

-Deleted Scenes: 17 episodes have deleted scenes. See the episodes list for which ones.

-International Clips: Another one for the episodes list. Even though "clips" is plural, it's just one clip with multiple audio tracks.

-Storyboards: A slideshow of storyboards which will be detailed with the apropriate episode.

-Animatic: The animatic for an episode will be listed with its episode.

-Ratings: A screen of a mock rating plays automatically when each disc starts. You can't access them any other way so you'll just have to watch for them.

-Alien Message: This also plays automatically when you put in the disc. It's on each disc but is the same message each time. You can find a translation pretty easily online.

-3D Models from Rough Draft: These are looks at various models with some info on what you're seeing and their creation.

-Mom Corp Ship (0:35)

-Robot Arms Neighborhood Backlot (0:20)

-Robot Santa & Sleigh Turnaround (0:21)

-Titanic Spaceliner (0:30)

-Hover Convertible (0:26) 

-Buggalo Walk Test (0:15)

-Tornado Wireframe to Final Color (0:17)

-Nibbler's Ship Turnaround (0:07)

-VW Van Wireframe to Final Color (0:34)

-How to Draw Characters: Surprisingly lengthy manual slideshows with detailed wireframes and instructions. The best thing about these is the background art. Read each screen for some hilarious stuff.

-Fry

-Leela

-Still Gallery/New Character Artwork: Another manual slideshow featuring new character designs and such. The images are large and really good quality.

Easter Eggs:

-Captions Never Used: Title captions that got rejected. It's an automated slideshow, but you can use chapter skip to go back or forward. On the "Amazon Women in the Mood" menu move right to highlight the viewscreen (though it's on the left).

-Table Read: Check out the episodes list for more details on this one. Go to the Tale of 2 Santas menu and move right to highlight the picture frame on the left.

-An X-Mas Message From David X Cohen: More details in the episodes list. On the same Tale of 2 Santas menu  highlight the top right corner of the viewscreen to reveal a hidden Santa hat (I had to use a DVD-ROM and mouse).