Game of Thrones Season One DVD/Blu-Ray box art revealed

Wow, this looks good :)
I’m so going to buy it!

PS: Somebody needs to start a “buy the freking DVD if you want more seasons” campain :)

Looks very much in-line with the entire GoT merchandise and websites so far, so no surprizes there. Still looking great of course! Anybody with a time machine want to fetch me some copies for Xmas?

(btw, I’m glad I don’t have blu-ray so I don’t have to buy a nice boxed set that is ruined by that ugly blue stripe – or might it be a removable one?)

If they have the design and everything ready to go…. why the hell dont they release it already??
I so wanted to watch this in deepest winter with a few cups of hot spiced wine …

No big surprises here, but the box-set looks really nice nonetheless. I love that they have used the “Battle of heraldic animals” pictured on the spinning wheel from the opening on the inside of the box.

Definitely going to pre-order the blu-ray box-set. If they’ve set the 7th of March as release date in Sweden, I’ll keep my fingers crossed that they miiiight do the same here in Norway. That will be a two-days-late birthday present for myself! Almost perfect timing!

The blue stripe might be removeable, as it was with the Star Wars and LOTR Blue Rays. In most cases with box sets it is only imprinted on the wrapper but not the slipcase.

I only have a HD-ready TV but will buy the Blue Ray nontheless for the future.

Edit: Just clicked on the picture, it is big enough so that you can read what the extras are, I like that instead of Easter Eggs, they have Dragon Eggs;)

Lol, I’m glad I get the blue stripe because that means I’ll have far superior video and audio than the DVD version. And Steve, just buy the player: bluray will stay around for a while, longer than the DVD.

Ramah,

I see audio commentaries though, so its not all bad…

Looks like D+D, GRRM, Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harrington and more…

Knurk,

What about televisions? Do you need an HD TV to use a Blu-ray player? I’d forgot about that part as well. ):

Steve Hugh Westenra,

Steve, you don’t need an HDTV to use a Blu Ray player. You won’t be able to watch it in HD, but BluRay players usually have a normal SD composite output, just like a DVD player.

Knurk,

And if you are going to get an HDTV for a BluRay, make sure it is 1080p. TV’s with 1080i or 720p can only display DVD-quality images anyway.

Dreamlife:
Here’s what I’m hoping for in special features:
1) Gag reel – my favorite part of a DVD set
2) Interviews with cast and crew
3) Feature on the music of Game of Thrones
4) Episode commentary with cast members
5) Auditions
6) Maybe a compilation of the videos we’ve seen, such as creating the CGI, the opening title sequence, etc.

I agree, especially about 1,4 and 5! :) I’d love for these to be in the dvds, but I’m not optimistic about it… :/

OhDanyBoy:
Knurk,

And if you are going to get an HDTV for a BluRay, make sure it is 1080p.TV’s with 1080i or 720p can only display DVD-quality images anyway.

Rofl, don’t listen to this person. That’s not even remotely true.

And HBO doesn’t put the blue stripe on their BD packaging. It’s just a removable cardboard sleeve.

Expendable:
well it appears that blu-ray will have most of the extra features, and DVDs will only get the 10 episodes and nothing more :(

Those with past experience with HBO series DVDs and BLU-RAYs, did BLU-RAYs had vastly more content? What about DVDs? Thanks

It’s a growing trend for BD’s to include more special features than DVD’s. It’s a way of studios trying to get more people to adopt the Blu-Ray technology. Doesn’t bother me one bit since I always choose BD over DVD anyway, but I can see how it would be annoying to people who don’t have a BD player.

I like how they have the family trees of each house.

Steve Hugh Westenra:
Champ,

It is annoying! And so far it hasn’t worked on me, since I haven’t bought one. ;p In fact, mostly it just makes me irritated and inclined not to by a Blu-ray player and, like Tar Kidho said, watch any features online that aren’t on my DVD.

I totally understand, but I personally think it’s fair. If you’re paying more, then you should get more for your money. Granted I’d still buy Blu-Rays regardless because of the improved video and sound, but the extra bonus features are just the cherry on top :)

They better include cast commentary groups, would love to hear the banter between Kit, Alfie and Richard. Would be hilarious to hear them comment on Alfie’s scene with Ros.

Those of you who don’t have a bluray player this is a perfect time to get one. Just at best buy the other day and a Sony Bluray player is going for 80.oo bucks. So you can get a good deal right now on Bluray players and I am sure in the new year as well. Of course you need an HDTV for it.
As a gadget girl,let me just tell you I love Bluray! Its a very…dare I say orgasmic thing! Ok no…but pretty damn close. GoT is going to look AMAZING on Blu! Like seeing the pimples on Jason Momoa’s ass amazing! Everything on Blu is heightned and beautiful. The picture,the sound.

As for the GoT set…it reminds me alot like the original Xfiles dvd sets that came out. But I honestly don’t care as long as the bonus stuff is good!

Pretty much how I expected it to look, not that that’s a bad thing! That leaflet looks pretty cool, with the houses and such on it, maybe It’s a poster on the other side?

Dreamlife:
Here’s what I’m hoping for in special features:
1) Gag reel – my favorite part of a DVD set
2) Interviews with cast and crew
3) Feature on the music of Game of Thrones
4) Episode commentary with cast members
5) Auditions
6) Maybe a compilation of the videos we’ve seen, such as creating the CGI, the opening title sequence, etc.

For those who haven’t been able to take a closer look, the pamphlet says:

Experience Exclusive Blu-ray Features:
Blu-ray Complete Guide to Westeros
Anatomy of an Episode
In-Episode Guide
Hidden Dragon Eggs

Also Includes:
Making Game of Thrones
Creating the Show Open
From the Book to the Screen
Character Profiles
The Night’s Watch
Creating the Dothraki Language
Audio Commentaries

The fine print underneath audio commentaries looks like it says: “Screen audio commentaries with Cast and Crew including David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, George R.R. Martin, Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harrington, and more.” Too hard/too much time to decipher the other fine print underneath the other categories.

I’m guessing if there are gag reels and auditions they’ll probably be hidden as “dragon” eggs on the set.

JC,

Westros.org posted the complite fearures already. ;-)
“Also Included” are the features of the DVD plus “Complete Guide to Westeros”.

Steve Hugh Westenra,

Sometimes with DVD’s, the disc’s ability to hold information can be an issue as well – BluRays hold about 5 or 6 times as much information. As such, to hold the same number of features, etc, you need more DVD discs, even with the lower quality image/sound. So it could be that to include all the same bonus features they would have needed to add another disc, and considered that too much cost.

However, that was probably a secondary consideration – bonus features are almost always used as bait to try to get more BluRay purchases. Even if they only swing 10% of people using those methods, that may well be worth it to them.

No deleted scenes? =(

Thiago Slash:
I’m from Brazil. do you know if the release date here is the same as the US one?

IDK. I live in Italy but I think I’m going to buy the DVD/BR in the US anyway.

BR info: Can I play BR on a DVD player? What about using a computer?
(I’ve no idea if my Dad’s TV has a DVD player or a blue ray one, i need to ask.. but I really DO want to see those dragon’s eggs)

Elena Amici: IDK. I live in Italy but I think I’m going to buy the DVD/BR in the US anyway.

BR info: Can I play BR on a DVD player? What about using a computer?
(I’ve no idea if my Dad’s TV has a DVD player or a blue ray one, i need to ask.. but I really DO want to see those dragon’s eggs)

You cannot play BR’s in a DVD player. Computers can have BluRay drives, in which case you can, but most computers do not have those.

John: They already said that they used all the scenes I don’t know why people are surprised at this .

Because that isn’t correct. We know of at least one scene that was filmed but not included (Murder of Rickon and Brandon).

This sounds interesting

24 exclusive histories of the Seven Kingdoms as told by the characters themselves.

Maybe this is where we get the Tower of Joy Info straight from Ned himself.

Been saying for ages that I’m going to get a BR player and HD TV I think i’ll be getting one before March.

Tar Kidho,

Not true. The Blu-Ray exclusive special features, as detailed on Amazon.de and the Westeros site, will certainly not be included on HBOGO or the “internet”; there’s even special features such as “dragon eggs” and so forth that won’t be included on the DVD release. If you are a real fan of the series anyway you’d want the Blu-Rays, as it includes the best available quality for the show. Blu-Ray players are even $40 right now on TG and BF, so I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to upgrade, it’s only logical.

This is the first time I’ve regretted swapped my PS3 for an Xbox 360 :<

Ah well, my PC's in need of a new optical drive, so I might as well spend the extra and get a bluray drive for it.

LoL!! An automobile??!! Hah!! I’ll show you – I’m gonna just keep riding my horse!!!

Enjoy your old technology DVD, I’m gonna sit with my 50″ HD Tv, Surround sound and high-def BluRay disks with special features…

Steve Hugh Westenra:
Champ,

It is annoying! And so far it hasn’t worked on me, since I haven’t bought one. ;p In fact, mostly it just makes me irritated and inclined not to by a Blu-ray player and, like Tar Kidho said, watch any features online that aren’t on my DVD.

Hello guys,

Well, this version will subtittles in portuguese of Brasil?

Tanks!

I’m still completely uninterested in Blu-Ray.

I don’t want to spend a bunch of money on a Blu-Ray player, I CERTAINLY won’t re-buy the movies in my collection (especially not older ones which aren’t filmed in high def anyway), and I’m not even sure whether my TV is high def.

I’ve seen a few Blu-Rays… and honestly, I wasn’t that impressed. Sure, they looked good. But a bigger difference than VHS-to-DVD? No way.

Abyss,

Aah haha well that was five minutes well wasted :p.

G_Lee,

Replace LED with plasma and I agree with your statement ;).

This show was made to be seen on blu-ray though. And personally, I would never buy a 720p TV or a 1080i at this point unless it’s a relatively small TV. 1080p is the way to go for HDTVs, and plasma if you want the best color, deepest blacks, and no motion judder (that is unless you own the new, ridiculously expensive Sharp Elite LED in which case you pretty much have the best TV money can buy).

I’ve watched 720p versions of Breaking Bad before and when I bought the blu-rays, the difference in quality to the 1080p versions was huge. 720p looks pretty good but it can’t compare with the full quality really.

I hope the sound mix is DTS-HD MA personally. Back on DVD, DTS mixes always won out for atmosphere and surround dynamics vs Dolby. I realize the difference is pretty moot nowadays but I prefer DTS just because of their past track record. And 7.1 would be amazing but it’s more likely it was mixed for 5.1.

OhDanyBoy,

I saw the Blu-Rays of Planet Earth, on a high def TV. It was good… but honestly, my Planet Earth DVDs seem just as good to me. Or at least 90% as good, which I’m fine with.

Also, I looked at Blu-Ray players the other day and they seemed the be over $200. Maybe I’d buy one if it was $100 or less, but I don’t know…

I originally bought a DVD player in 2001 just for The Lord of the Rings, but I’m not really interested in re-buying that trilogy yet again, even though they’re my favourite movies of all time. If LOTR isn’t enough to make me buy a Blu-Ray player, Game of Thrones certainly won’t be.

I just don’t feel like the difference in quality is nearly big enough. And to be honest, I just kind of resent Blu-Rays, for making my relatively new DVD collection obsolete already.

Steve Hugh Westenra,

Exactly, the image needs to be side by side or it’s practically unnoticeable to me.

Plus, DVD is already so good. How much better do you need? When I watch The Lord of the Rings on DVD, the LAST thing I’m thinking is “Man, the quality of this just isn’t good enough!”.

GaR,

Maybe what I’ll do then is buy a Blu-Ray/VCR combo when my DVD/VCR breaks. Less wires= happy Steve. AND, that won’t be for ages, so I can get one cheap when it happens. XD

Lex,

And you just have to wonder when the next technology with even better capacity will come around – and this time it won’t be backwards compatible.

If you prefer to not do business with a company like Amazon.com, with its questionable business and labor ethics, BarnesandNoble.com also has pre-order available for both the DVD and Blu-Ray of A Game of Thrones. And it’s cheaper at BN than Amazon by several dollars.

I know that Blu-Ray players can still play DVDs (thank the gods)… but what I mean by “obsolete” is that no one thinks DVDs are good enough anymore, and people are re-buying all their movies again, even though they already spent a bunch of money on DVDs over the last decade. It’s annoying.

Does anybody know what HBOHD is broadcast in, 720 or 1080? Does it depend on your cable provider/dish service?

Steve Hugh Westenra I liked Lex’s point that when he’s watching LoTR he isn’t sitting there thinking about the definition of the image or how much better/worse the picture quality is than any other format, he’s enjoying the story and getting excited or sad or happy or happy about whatever emotions Lex feels while watching LoTR that I don’t know (horny?).

P.S. Sorry, Lex! Haha.

Mostly it’s a combination of joy, awe, terror, squeeing, fist-pumping, and occasional sobbing like a schoolgirl.

I dunno, I have a really nice 1080p 120 Hz Tv, and with my upconverting DVD player on an HDMI cable, things look pretty great. I’m sure Blu-ray has better “specs” but after a certain point your eyes just physically can’t tell the difference. Now I’m not saying that’s the case here, but much beyond BR it will be. Not to mention for those things the increased capacity is more often used for special features.

And for things shot on film… there’s almost no point. You’re copy of nosferatu isn’t going to magically become clearer.

And for things shot on film… there’s almost no point. You’re copy of nosferatu isn’t going to magically become clearer.

This is unbelievably wrong and totally misunderstands how film works.

Anyway, some of the most gorgeous-looking Blu-Rays are movies that are 40-80 years old.

And ignore what I said resolution-wise in the previous post regarding 70mm/35mm. Made some mistakes that I could no longer edit. But it still stands that 70mm resolution > 35mm > blu-ray. The figures are probably closer to 35mm is 1.5x the resolution of blu-ray, and 70mm is about 3-4x the resolution of blu-ray. Either way, most films (unless they’re shot on 16mm which is rare) are more than capable of higher than blu-ray quality.

On the 1080p debate:

Many are fooling themselves when they go to lengths to get 1080p material since you have to sit pretty close to your TV to physically be able to tell any relevant difference.

If you look at even a fairly large screen of 50″ you stop being able to tell the difference between 1080p and 720p at about 10 feet /3 meters.

Most people have smaller screens than that and are probably still sitting at that range or even further away, meaning that they probably are mainly experiencing a placebo effect when they think 1080p looks better.

Thanks for the credit WiC!

Just like to add my two cents to the whole BD debate as the level of uninformed opinions being bandied around in this topic is shocking.

1. Movies that are shot on film stand to recieve the biggest upgrade in image quality when scanned to HD and put on Blu-ray. 35mm film has a native “resolution” of about 4000×2000, which is double the BD standard of 1080p. So in effect, 1080p resolution is only showing half of the detail that 35mm film is capable of displaying, and a quarter of 70mm. I’ve put together a picture comparison of The Sound of Music’s DVD and BD releases. This was filmed in 70mm and is nearly 50 years old.

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/9325/soundp.png

2. There is nothing inherntly bad about 720p. For starters, no DVD has ever been in 720p resolution. 720p refers to 1280×720, whilst DVDs are around 750×420. 720p will show a huge improvement over any DVD. A 1080p TV is only going to show a difference (and there is a big one) over 720p if you’re sat very close, or it’s a very big TV. On a 50 inch screen, you’ll ideally need to be sat no more than 6ft away to get the most out of the image. I’m a bit of a tech nerd and this is exactly what I do, but I can understand that most viewers are going to have smaller teles and be sat further away, in which case a 1080p tv will be a waste of money.

3. Blu-ray is most definitely worth the upgrade if you’ve got the money to spend on a decent system. The difference in quality can be astonishing sometimes as I hope the image comparison above demonstrates.

Just to chime in on the whole DVD vs Blu Ray debate, I do understand the reluctance to convert to Blu Ray after years of collecting DVDs, but there really is a huge difference. It’s not a minor little upgrade. I was a firm member of the “what’s the big deal?” camp until a friend showed me this YouTube video, at which point I converted and never looked back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ-RhnonZyg

LOL – It’s not winteriscoming without a gate – Blu Ray/DVD-gate!

uno0,

Haha, true enough. I guess that makes Tar Kidho and I the perpetrators of this gate?

I’m not sure what side of the gate I’m on in that case! I’m not savvy enough to argue the technical aspect in any detail, and I wouldn’t argue that Blu-rays don’t demonstrate better quality images (though I would contest how much actual difference it makes when it comes down to an enjoyable experience), but I also don’t think they’re a big enough deal for me to shell out that much money for a new piece of machinery/TV/otherthingsImayneed, and I do think it’s a bit mean-spirited to make content Blu-Ray only, even if it would mean an extra DVD in the set (the actual physical DVDs they record the material cost nothing at all).

JC,

I appreciate the info… But in a way, you’ve inadvertently proved my point. You say Planet Earth is okay on Blu-Ray, but if I really want to see how good Blu-Ray can be, I need to watch Baraka. How often am I going to watch Baraka, though? I’m not going to make the switch to Blu-Ray for one film. If Planet Earth on Blu-Ray isn’t all that special (or LOTR, which I’ve heard isn’t that great on Blu-Ray either), then I’m still uninterested.

What I was referencing with film, was that being that its shot on film, the image is caught in little particles suspended in emulsion. These particles, which vary in size, give film that distinctive “soft” look that digital has not been able to replicate (though many will say it has, especially in reference to the RED cameras).

Regardless, my point was, and perhaps I did not articulate it well, was that the sharpness will never be as you see on a football game or something filmed digitally. It will retain that “soft” look that is unique to film, especially for your “darker” films such as Nosferatu, which were shot on a slower speed film (aka larger particles) to capture more light in darker settings.

For those of you who feel blu ray players are expensive, now would be a great time to buy one, especially today. For black friday ive seen ads for a blu ray player for 40 bucks and most upconvert dvds so you wouldnt need to buy a blu ray version of all your dvds. Ive even watched game of thrones on my tv upconverting to 3D, that was quite a ride lol

What good is it if we can’t have it for Christmas? HBO sucks so very badly.

kg,

I have to agree. Not releasing it in time for the holidays seems a staggeringly bad move. Still, it’s not going to keep me from buying it anyway. *_*

I just ‘squeed’ so much at this new my mum came upstairs to see what the heck was wrong!

I’d happily skip Christmas/New Year so that March gets here sooner.

What ever anyone is saying about DVD vs Blu-Ray is a moot point. The point is that Blu-Ray is the next generation of media. It won the format war against HD-DVD. HD-DVD is the Betamax and Blu-Ray is the VHS. This is final for now until the next better thing comes along.

DVD is now going the way of VHS. In a few years I really doubt that they will make DVD’s for movies or shows anymore. This is the natural progression of technology. Out with the old in with the new. People complaining over the death of DVD sound exactly like people complaining over the death of VHS. Get used to it because the battle is over. DVD is going away and Blu-Ray is here to stay.

I think the best way to compare image quality (IQ) of a DVD versus a Blu-ray disc is to load up a couple official Game of Thrones trailers on YouTube. Switch between 480p (highest resolution DVD can display without up-conversion) to 720p (lowest Blu-ray can display on a 720/1080i set) and you’ll be able to see for yourself how clean-looking and wonderful Blu-ray looks compared to a DVD even on a moderately priced set.

For me, the difference IS night and day. Game of Thrones’ gorgeous production design and photography deserves that kind of IQ (the Blu-ray kind, of course).

The husband is likely getting this and Skyrim in his stocking this year. ;) It’ll free up our DVR quite a bit too.

Connie,

The GOT box set will not be out in time for the holidays.

I dig the art! And I totally want the Blu-ray set.

…and checking Amazon.com, it appears HBO has finally started pricing their DVD/BD sets where they belong. Early birthday gift for me!

I know for a fact that all episodes will have audio commentary.

Off the top of my head,
Episode 1 Will feature the show runners
Episode 8 will feature George RR Martin
I can’t remember the specifics of the other episode groupings, but they will make sense, ie the Stark daughters will be together for an episode, Robb/Jon/Theon, Mark Addy/Sean Bean etc for the other ones.

Brad Villane,

If you think about it, releasing the DVDs/BDs now instead of in March would be detrimental to getting people to subscribe to the channel. Say they release the series now, 5 months before the new season begins, and non-subscribers get hooked on the show. What would be their motivation to catch it “live” for season 2? They’d have way too much time between releases to convince themselves that they could just wait for the next set of DVDs.

But, if you only give people a month between the disc release and the new season premiere, new fans will jump on the HBO bandwagon with a lot less trepidation.

It seems backwards to not do a holiday release, and it’s torturous for us. In the end, it does make more sense.

Sssshhhh,

Do you work for HBO or something?

According to Westeros the packaging says 7 commentaries.

kg,

LOL! It’s not about nostril hair my friend it’s about texture and definition. It’s about the sheen of a sword, the thunderous yet rusty opening of a gate, of every ripple in a banner visibly contorting as it flaps in the wind and the sensuos creak of a leather tunic as someone moves their neck to make a premeditated gesture. Like it not, but don’t mock it.

Joshua Taylor,

Saying I don’t see the need at this time is hardly mocking. That’s the problem with fans; every dissenting opinion is an attack.

The DVD/Blue-ray set looks really nice. It reminds me of the DVD sets I have for season one and two of “ROME”, those were pretty sweet, with really nice artwork and a really good presentation.

I was really hopping for a sooner release for the set. I thought that they might do that around the holidays rather than wait well into 2012 to do so. I understand why they are doing it though, in order to maximize sales and a way to promote and tie-in Season Two of “Game Of Thrones” which I imagine will also have an April release just like this year. In my opinion they are making a mistake by delaying the release until next year…they are taking too long in realeasing their series…

Personally, I will stick with the DVD’s and won’t bother with the Blue-ray set. Honestly I find that sometimes there are too many special features, featurettes, in-movie commentaries…etc., so much so that it is really distracting and it takes away from the simple enjoyment of just watching the series. I am really interested in the show itself and don’t really often have the time to go through all the special features, and Blue-rays have too many, I can barely get through the ones on the DVD series sets and movies I already own, and those are plenty enough. Besides I can watch any or all special features and behind the scenes stuff on-line if I really want to, either YouTube or HBO.com and a slew of other sites.

I have a Sony 32″ flatscreen which is a HD tv (full 1080), but the cable conection I have is standard def. Unfortunately in Canada HD channels are quite expensive (as I’m sure they are in other countries) , in order to even get HBOCanada, I have to subcribe to TMN (The Movie Network) which is the licenced carrier of Showtime, Starz and HBO programming here. HBOCanada comes attached with the subsciption to this TMN, so I’m basically paying for two pay-tv networks even though all I want is HBO by itself…If I want the HD versions of these networks/channels I have to pay extra to get an HD box which also acts as a PVR etc., etc. and have to pay for the HD connection, the rental of the equipment etc.

Sufices to say, as Winter pointed out, given the economic situation such as it is and jobs going the way of the dodo bird as they are, short of winning the lottery or having some dead relative leave me a fortune, I will have to resort to what I did this year, I will just subscribe temporarity to TMN/HBOCanada only for the duration of Season Two of “Game Of Thrones” and go with the standard box (even that will put a strain on my finances). I’m will only be doing that because of “Game Of Thrones”, otherwise I wouldn’t even consider it.

Truth be told I’m not that really gun-ho about HD programming, its too expensive and one must be a real cinephile to really insist on seeing and having everything in HD. Standard works just fine for my taste.

I have spoken to several people working in the retail business,. HMV, Amazon, Best Buy and others, and many have said that over the past two years sales of Blue-Ray discs have flattened and have even given ground to DVD sales. Now, many do point out that people might be reverting to DVD’s as long as this economic downturn lasts, since DVD’s are much cheaper these days and are still pretty good products. Personally I enjoy watching movies on DVD, and really don’t miss anything about Blue-rays, nor do I want to invest money (which I don’t have) in a Blue-ray player or convert my DVD collection over to Blue-Ray…they work just fine for me. But that is my prefference.

VHS went away, to my mind, because DVD offered an entirely different format and way of watching movies or TV series. DVD was a leap forward from VHS , a definite change and evolution. Blue-ray discs, to me, are just a fancier version of the DVDs, but they are still discs and contain the same basic technology and format as a DVD, just more advanced and refined.

However, Blue-rays, don’t represent an entirely new medium, or way to watch movies, though I’m sure that that technology is around the corner. I think that the disc format will be dead in a few years and that goes for both DVD’s and Blue-rays. So what is the point investing in Blue-rays? I will stick with DVD’s and will move on to something new, when the disc format is completely extinct and the next leap forward takes place and becomes mainstream, just like when the DVD’s did away with VHS. We already have examples of the next thing…like Apple TV, TiVO, Netflix, all the streaming sites over the Internet, etc the OnDemand features etc. These are just the first few attempts/steps at changing the way we view movies, music, radio, TV series etc.

I think in the next 5-10 years things will change quite substantialy. Until then DVD’s are just fine with me…in this case Season One of “Game Of Thrones” will be a most welcomed addtition.

PS Are they still planning to realease the pilot episode as a stand alone DVD/Blue-ray around the holidays? Amazon was listing that as a release, apart from complete Season One set.

Elena Amici: because we didn’t see that flashback of Brandon’s death that was in the trailer?

What trailer are you talking about? I’m interested in seeing this.

Tar Kidho,

I was just saying that if you wanted to get the best available quality for the show, you’d want the Blu-Rays rather than the DVDs if you really loved the show – even if you have an SDTV, you can still connect a PS3 or Blu-Ray player, as which I’ve noted is cheaper than ever before, to your TV, and when you upgrade to an HDTV (again, startling in this time and age, as people from third world countries even have HDTVs or Blu-Ray players/PS3s, do get on with the times [*gently* speaking]) you can take full advantage of the amazing clarity of Blu-Ray. Similarly, if you want to get the best possible picture, you’d watch the HD broadcasts rather than the SD. If you love the show so much, why barter with an inferior version, yes? Wouldn’t you want every possible detail? As someone else said, Blu-Ray is the future, and it is still very much the present as well.

With the Blu-Rays you notice every minutiae of detail, so you are indeed missing out on a lot if you prefer the worse of the two editions/broadcasts, and a true fan would want to get the best possible picture and material, wouldn’t he? If you don’t want to spend the money, fine, you’re still a “true fan” if you think you are, but I would still rather save and spend my money towards getting the best possible picture/sound experience for Game of Thrones, as much as I could. Just my two cents.

To give another analogy, if someone wanted to get the full experience of a film like Avatar or Harold and Kumar 3D (not the best example yeah, but still succinct), which I suppose big fans of those films would, they’d want to watch the 3D versions, because that’s what they were made/designed for. Similarly, Game of Thrones was made for high definition. Nuff said.

The Lightning Lord: you’d want the Blu-Rays rather than the DVDs if you really loved the show

This is a completely fucking stupid statement.

Yes, ideally everyone would be able to watch GAME OF THRONE on Blu-Ray. However, there’s lots of reasons why people won’t or can’t. They can’t afford a PS3 or Blu-Ray player (in the UK at least, Blu-Ray players have only recently crept into the £50 ‘impulse buy’ range), or they can but they can’t afford a HDTV (a considerably more expensive proposition), or they are unconvinced – rightly or wrongly – by the technical improvements over DVD for the cost.

It’s also true that incredibly wealthy people in third world countries have PS3s and HDTVs. However, implying that everyone in third world countries has access to them, so people in the West not having them is ‘startling’, is an extraordinary piece of nonsensical hyperbole, outclassed only by the condescending suggesting that people only buying the DVDs are not ‘true fans’. This is not a helpful approach in furthering the discussion.

Happily, I recently got a new job with a notably better income, and have been able to purchase a new PC with a Blu-Ray player and HD monitor. GAME OF THRONES on Blu-Ray will be a Day One purchase. But it’s also true that a lot of people are not so fortunate in these troubled economic times.

What trailer are you talking about? I’m interested in seeing this.

In one of the trailers, an image can be glimpsed of an actor looking a lot like Sean Bean being strangled by a corded piece of rope with the Iron Throne in the background with someone sitting on it out-of-focus. It was later confirmed that a flashback to Brandon’s death had been been filmed but not shown. GRRM seemed to confirm that another actor had been cast as Brandon, whilst Ran said he’d heard from HBO that an actor had been cast as the Mad King, Aerys II, but couldn’t say who it was. My guess is that this will not revealed – and the scene not shown on the DVDs – so that HBO retain flexibility to recast Aerys if they decide they do need another flashback later on.

kg:
Joshua Taylor,

Saying I don’t see the need at this time is hardly mocking. That’s the problem with fans; every dissenting opinion is an attack.

Awesome. I would just replace fans with ‘certain fans’.

Adam Whitehead: are not ‘true fans’

A true fan watches every episode only once so that he can remember the experience of the viewing the first time, and then only refers to the episode from memory. Once forgotten, the episode has become forgettable and none can claim they are fans of forgettable shows.
People who buy DVDs, etc, are geeks (who will argue to the death that they are fans if given the opportunity, but really they are the exact opposite of fanatic which is to say geek).

Epic fail,

So by certain fans you weren’t referring to me?

Joshua Taylor:
Epic fail,

So by certain fans you weren’t referring to me?

Paranoid much? :/

Joshua Taylor: Something which you are incapable of doing.

Sir, you have offended me.

:)

Seriously it’s getting weird.

andrea,

There are a lot of insensitive and arrogant comments on this site as of late. I do my best to call them out on it as politely and respectfully as possible but some people just think their opinion is more important than others.

Epic fail,

The best insults I know are from Spain. They are really insulting and also very funny but right now I have insults for everyone, so I better took a few minutes to be civilized an fair.
But we have an insult that is very simple and enlightening: “boludo”. Not a string of curses but I love it.
I shouldn´t take these things so seriously.
I´m sorry to everyone, this is not the place.

okay, i read the last comments and my reaction was something like “WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?” Serioulsy people, DON’T argue over a BR player. It’s just not worth it

The Rabbit: who does not give a damn about the latest technical miracles

thank you

The Rabbit: sending lots of hugs & kisses to everyone here :

and thank you

The most important thing is that you support HBO by spending your money on an actual physical copy of the series, regardless of the format. Surely we can all agree on that.

Not watching in HD doesn’t make someone less of a fan. It means they either can’t afford or don’t see a need to own a device that does more or less the same thing as their DVD player when there are other things competing for their money.

But there’s also the sour grapes thing where people who don’t have it act like the difference isn’t clear and asking why people waste money on it, which is just as ridiculous, and I feel bad for you if your eyesight is that poor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j2GMNQyRSw

Blur is constantly noticeable there. It’s not a deal breaker, though, and I only rebuy the movies with the best transfers. Less than 10% of my collection.

Let people watch on the format they own without attacks. Don’t even know why it has to be said.

Blu-ray probably won’t last that long anyway. There’ll be a push to get near to film resolution with the next format, if it hasn’t all moved to streaming…

Knurk,

I know I don’t have to watch the special features on a Blue-ray disc and can go to the movie/show itself…I really not as dimwitted as you make me out to be. One important reason for me in not getting on the Blue-ray format is also cost. Come next year I’m not even sure that I’ll have a job, so investing in a Blue-ray player and discs is not an option for me. If you can…well lucky you !

When I said that there will be something “new around the corner” I did not refer to the picture quality, just the way in which movies are delivered and the choice consumers will have to purchase/rent/view, and in my humble opinion once something more convenient and practical will come up, people will opt for that. I don’t think I need to point out IPod and Itunes…do I (and I still buy CD’s…)?

As for the comments about the Blue-ray disc sales flattenning out agains DVD sales, those were just based on the conversations I had with some people working in the companies I mentioned, I did not set out to do a comprehensive study on the matter, I just related what was passed on to me.

Finally, for me all the costs associated with “Game Of Thrones”, including buying the merchandise, soundtrack, subscribing to HBO, buying the e-books and the new paperback editions of ASOIF, now looking forward to the release of the DVD set…are not cheap or easy on the wallet. I do this because I love the books and the TV show and I have a tremendous respect for George RR Martin and enjoy being part of this community.

I have done my best to support the show, but there is no clearer way of turning-off fans and loosing them for good then with the kinds of douchebags and assholes that seem to have permeated Winter’s site of late and their idiotic answers and replies.

PS Let me be clear I’m not including you among them….its more of a general observation…

HBO has done a great job with keeping the tone of the show away from generic fantasy. We all know ASOIAF isn’t just a standard fantasy series, but instead a dark, grisly, politically-charged saga, and HBO has reflected that in everything right down to the marketing materials and product packaging. The box set looks great and not overdone – no baroque scrolling or treasure chest-style boxes. Yet the details are in there (the dragons fighting other Great House sigil animals on the background of the disc holders are pretty cool). The set looks chic, sophisticated and respectable.