01 H264 | Game Of Thrones Season

The first season relied on practical effects and natural lighting. It wasn't the dragons-and-explosions spectacle of Season 06. It was dialogue in dark rooms. H264, with its higher bitrate per file size (when done properly), preserves the macroblocking in the shadows of the crypts of Winterfell. In the H265 version, those shadows become a smooth, plastic void. In the H264 version, you can see the texture of the stone walls. If you own the 4K Blu-rays, keep them. They are reference quality. But if you want to feel the way audiences felt in 2011—when the show was a dangerous, dirty, low-fantasy political thriller—seek out the old scene releases.

Specifically, the encodes of Season 01.

Here is why the "old" codec holds the real throne. Season 01 of Game of Thrones was shot on the Arri Alexa, but it was treated like film. Cinematographer Alik Sakharov used natural firelight and candlelight. The result was a show that looked oily and warm —specifically in the Winterfell and Vaes Dothrak sequences. game of thrones season 01 h264

In the age of 4K Dolby Vision and uncompressed Atmos sound, there is a quiet war being fought in the corners of private media servers. It is a war of bitrates. And no battleground is more contested than the first season of Game of Thrones . The first season relied on practical effects and