Game Of Thrones: Season One
with Targaryen Slipcover & Stark Keychain
Features: Reference audio and video.
Codec / Resolution: MPEG-4 AVC / 1080p
Distributor: HBO Pictures
Region: A
This Release: March 2012
MPAA Rating: TV-MA
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Running Time: 561 mins
MSRP: $79.99
Current Price: Check Price / Purchase |
Pros
- Reference Video
- Reference Audio
- Fantastic color variations to match the scene and the character
- An adult Medieval thriller to keep you on your toes
- Costumes are authentic-looking
- Multiple story arcs to keep you engrossed from each episode to the next
Cons / Disadvantages
Noteworthy Observations
- Some REALLY irritating things I noticed was a nice advisory that if I wanted to take advantage of features in my native language...I'd have to set my Blu-ray player to my native language. Well, duh. If you're that stupid, you really shouldn't be within 100ft of a remote control. With all the other added advisories that are mandatory these days, this just made getting to the actual menu more irritating and frustrating...and took that much longer. Drop the goddamn advisory. Thanks.
- Two episodes on Disc One. Then we have three episodes on Disc Two, but only one episode on Disc Three. And then we have three episodes on Disc Four, but only one episode on Disc Five. What the hell is going on here. It's like HBO had somebody with BPD configuring how many episodes should be on a particular disc. Next time, please put the episodes evenly on each Blu-ray disc...THEN provide the extras on more discs for those of us who want to dive into more content.
- Just in case you didn't notice, the video bitrate has been reduced dramatically on Disc Two and Disc Four, which contain three episodes each. There should have been six discs, with two episodes on each disc, with the sixth disc being the extras disc. On a more positive note, I didn't find anything which would indicate a serious bitrate reduction, so, this is why my notation is in the Noteworthy area. However, if any viewers reading this reivew have seen any indications which demonstrate otherwise, please contact me so I can update this review.
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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Audio
Oh my. Game Of Thrones: The Complete First Season is presented with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack (4069 Kbps (48kHz/24-bit)). If you have a sound system with a sub-channel output connected to a speaker...that ".1" is gonna knock you back into your comfortable couch and make your pets find places to hide they've never discovered before. The beginning of the first episode gives you a very good idea of what the soundtrack is capable of.
Video
I have to admit, HBO is just kicking ass across all stigmas of the typical television series. Normally, we see a so-so audio soundtrack and an "ok" video presentation. And I don't mean this in a negative way, but a television series rarely gets the royal treatment. But with Game Of Thrones, HBO pulls out all the common expectations and surpasses them — which tells me HBO has plans for this series and it's going to stay.
This is a reference title. In fact, after watching a few of my favorite scenes, I couldn't help but begin watching this series again, because the video is just that good.
Content
The content of Game Of Thrones is rich and full of surprises. Characters come across as real, and things don't turn out like a typical series. Which is a good thing. The first season merely sets up the stage for what is going to be one hek of a season two and thereafter. But HBO can do it. It's apparent by the presentation of the first season.
The Extras
The extras on Game Of Thrones: The Complete First Season are somewhat adequate. There is a 30-minute Making Game Of Thrones documentary, and an "in-episode experience" for Episode Six, which is worth the repeated viewing after watching the episode by itself. Episode Six is regarded as the pivotal episode, and the HBO team took considerable time focusing on getting this episode done right.
Conclusion
This is pretty much the ideal television series which the likes have not graced television for many years. Packaging irritations aside, Game Of Thrones: The Complete First Season looks gorgeous on my 50" Panasonic Plasma television. For those who have something larger, you are indeed blessed, because the series can handle much larger HDTVs.
What more can a person really hope for? The first season delivered on action, mystery, suspense, horror, and certainly has a good amount of sexual content. The costumes are rich and authentic-looking, and only get a small glimpse of the seriously evil things that are just outside the 700ft ice wall (currently being protected by a mere handful of the Night's Watch). Can't wait for the second season to be available.
Game Of Thrones: The Complete First Season gets a solid HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
If you want to grab one of the special editions with limited slipcovers...it's gonna cost you. The Game Of Thrones S1: Limited Edition House Targaryen Sigil Packaging will probably cost you at least double the typical price, but hey, a few extra bucks isn't going to matter if you like the slipcovers. |
