Was the fact that I was watching it at a friends house in HD. This was my first experience watching a show (played video games on it it though) in HD and it just looked oddly TOO REAL. Sure, it is crystal clear and all, but it felt like I was watching from the viewpoint of the "making of" camera that was filming from behind the big cameras. Or like I was watching a daytime soap opera. Although, I should mention that after the show I discovered that my friend has the brightness on his TV set pretty high, which might account for some of the wierdness the image had for me. Leaving me unsure if I like HD or not for shows, or just for gaming.
Like most HBO shows, it is a visual delight. This is the kind of thing I would watch many times because it's just so pretty.
So that Soap Opera look or "making of feel" is a product of LCD/LED tvs falsely creating a 120hrtz or greater picture. What is really happening is the TV taking a 60 hrtz picture and it is guessing the missing half of the images from frame to frame and that is why people look so false.
Not really.
All the 120 vs. 60 setting really affects is your TV display refresh rate. The TV never extrapolates anything - any image interpolation is done in postproduction (when something is shot @ 24 fps and edited for broadcast in 59,94 fps).
What you described is rather the difference between a show shot in interlaced video @ 29,97 fps (59,94 fps) where half the image (every other scanline) is displayed first, then the other half (how this is handled by the screen is what the 120 vs. 60 setting affects) versus footage shot in progressive video (23,976 fps, aka 24p) where both halves of a frame are identical (aka full frame video), except 1 frame every 4, which is interpolated (an automatic merging of the frame before and after) and interlaced. It's called "pulldown" in the trade, and its purpose is to convert 24 fps to 30 fps).
Picture looks sharper in 24p (especially when paused), but movements, especially fast ones, look far more fluid in 59,94 fps. Most high scale fiction is shot in 24p (just like movies), edited and finished in 24p, then transferred with added pulldown for 59,94 fps interlaced broadcast. A great deal of TV shows (live stuff, non fuiction and so on) is shot directly in 59,94 fps. This is what your 60 vs. 120 setting is for.
The picture looking too sharp/too clean has nothing to do with that, it's just a matter of getting used to HD definition and look (and the brightness etc.), especially acute for people who switch from SD to full HD. After a while, you get used to it and the old SD TV look like crap.
In post, we dirty up the image (add noise, crunch the colors etc.) to avoid the "too sharp" effect, but if people have a less than ideal color set up on their TV, it makes things worse instead.
Game of Thrones - Episode 1: Official discussion thread
17/04/2011 11:04:49 AM
- 3172 Views
i'm going to start off with....
17/04/2011 04:08:12 PM
- 1478 Views
It seems to have focused him back on aSoFaI....He has made alot of progress on aDwD almost Done!!! *NM*
17/04/2011 10:58:09 PM
- 630 Views
HOLY CRAP
18/04/2011 03:06:55 AM
- 1575 Views
No, but Jaime and Tyrion have a VERY strong sibling resemblance.
18/04/2011 06:29:00 AM
- 1151 Views
Joff's lips were just not pouty enough I thought, still I can't stand the sight of him, so good job *NM*
18/04/2011 07:13:22 AM
- 501 Views
I also approve of the casting. Other impressions:
18/04/2011 06:33:44 AM
- 1269 Views
Dany's wedding night did not end with a smile....
18/04/2011 07:08:38 AM
- 1286 Views
Hmm.
18/04/2011 07:47:44 AM
- 1195 Views
I think you're pretty close to remembering correctly
19/04/2011 02:28:06 AM
- 1120 Views
Meh, I didn't really mind that scene.
19/04/2011 03:38:34 AM
- 987 Views
I really enjoyed it, but one thing that was distracting me...
18/04/2011 08:15:54 AM
- 1341 Views
So you were definitly watching it on a LCD or LED tv with 120hrtz or greater.....they are poopy
18/04/2011 08:52:29 AM
- 1135 Views
Ouch....
18/04/2011 09:59:28 PM
- 1076 Views
I'm not an expert by any means, but I think you have that wrong.
19/04/2011 03:22:46 AM
- 1269 Views
Re: I'm not an expert by any means, but I think you have that wrong.
19/04/2011 02:29:30 PM
- 1019 Views
As I said, you sound like you know what you're talking about.
19/04/2011 03:53:34 PM
- 1143 Views

I've gotta butt in
19/04/2011 04:46:28 PM
- 988 Views

The more, the merrier.
19/04/2011 05:26:29 PM
- 1146 Views

Poopy was kinda strong language. It is a matter of taste and Aemon is my new favorite.
19/04/2011 06:25:15 PM
- 1068 Views
Re: Poopy was kinda strong language. It is a matter of taste and Aemon is my new favorite.
19/04/2011 06:44:18 PM
- 1035 Views
Re: As I said, you sound like you know what you're talking about.
20/04/2011 12:24:25 AM
- 978 Views

this whole discussion has gone way over my head
20/04/2011 12:53:06 AM
- 944 Views
Don't worry about it, there's no reason to know most of that stuff.
20/04/2011 08:08:15 AM
- 1066 Views
One question that can be seen in the preview
18/04/2011 06:55:16 AM
- 1162 Views
I wondered at this too
18/04/2011 07:26:15 PM
- 960 Views
Re: I wondered at this too
18/04/2011 08:21:07 PM
- 1049 Views
Yes like predator! Don't like the noises they had it making too. Importance of colour:
18/04/2011 11:47:17 PM
- 1253 Views
It appears doggy-style is the preferred method of copulation so far.
*NM*
18/04/2011 08:11:45 AM
- 563 Views

the last couple we saw doing it that way
18/04/2011 08:34:33 AM
- 1452 Views
I could be wrong but I seem to think the book had her looking over his shoulder from missionary.
*NM*
19/04/2011 04:29:26 AM
- 592 Views

Is it me
18/04/2011 12:48:48 PM
- 1178 Views
Yes, it was definitely a different scenery than the rest of Winterfell.
19/04/2011 04:31:00 AM
- 1075 Views
Yeah, she was walking through the inner yard and then arrived there
19/04/2011 08:35:54 AM
- 1221 Views
Well I think it was as good as it could have been.
19/04/2011 03:03:27 AM
- 1251 Views
Interesting that you comment on the looks, because I felt the same.
19/04/2011 03:50:49 AM
- 1222 Views
That was very good, but...
19/04/2011 08:17:02 AM
- 1162 Views
A couple of early impressions...
19/04/2011 07:55:04 PM
- 1315 Views
nah, the break out performance on this show is going to be
20/04/2011 01:00:50 AM
- 1081 Views
I enjoyed it. I'll continue watching and maybe even give the book another go when I have time.
20/04/2011 12:58:56 AM
- 1025 Views