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
3298 Views
i'm going to start off with....
- 17/04/2011 04:08:12 PM
1602 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
696 Views
HOLY CRAP
- 18/04/2011 03:06:55 AM
1698 Views
No, but Jaime and Tyrion have a VERY strong sibling resemblance.
- 18/04/2011 06:29:00 AM
1290 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
570 Views
I also approve of the casting. Other impressions:
- 18/04/2011 06:33:44 AM
1411 Views
Dany's wedding night did not end with a smile....
- 18/04/2011 07:08:38 AM
1421 Views
Hmm.
- 18/04/2011 07:47:44 AM
1321 Views
I think you're pretty close to remembering correctly
- 19/04/2011 02:28:06 AM
1261 Views
Meh, I didn't really mind that scene.
- 19/04/2011 03:38:34 AM
1095 Views
I really enjoyed it, but one thing that was distracting me...
- 18/04/2011 08:15:54 AM
1467 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
1273 Views
Ouch....
- 18/04/2011 09:59:28 PM
1196 Views
I'm not an expert by any means, but I think you have that wrong.
- 19/04/2011 03:22:46 AM
1414 Views
Re: I'm not an expert by any means, but I think you have that wrong.
- 19/04/2011 02:29:30 PM
1155 Views
As I said, you sound like you know what you're talking about.
- 19/04/2011 03:53:34 PM
1270 Views
- 19/04/2011 03:53:34 PM
1270 Views
I've gotta butt in
- 19/04/2011 04:46:28 PM
1091 Views
- 19/04/2011 04:46:28 PM
1091 Views
The more, the merrier.
- 19/04/2011 05:26:29 PM
1308 Views
- 19/04/2011 05:26:29 PM
1308 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
1184 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
1170 Views
Re: As I said, you sound like you know what you're talking about.
- 20/04/2011 12:24:25 AM
1101 Views
- 20/04/2011 12:24:25 AM
1101 Views
this whole discussion has gone way over my head
- 20/04/2011 12:53:06 AM
1083 Views
Don't worry about it, there's no reason to know most of that stuff.
- 20/04/2011 08:08:15 AM
1176 Views
One question that can be seen in the preview
- 18/04/2011 06:55:16 AM
1270 Views
I wondered at this too
- 18/04/2011 07:26:15 PM
1068 Views
Re: I wondered at this too
- 18/04/2011 08:21:07 PM
1194 Views
Yes like predator! Don't like the noises they had it making too. Importance of colour:
- 18/04/2011 11:47:17 PM
1380 Views
It appears doggy-style is the preferred method of copulation so far.
*NM*
- 18/04/2011 08:11:45 AM
626 Views
*NM*
- 18/04/2011 08:11:45 AM
626 Views
the last couple we saw doing it that way
- 18/04/2011 08:34:33 AM
1586 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
636 Views
*NM*
- 19/04/2011 04:29:26 AM
636 Views
Is it me
- 18/04/2011 12:48:48 PM
1287 Views
Yes, it was definitely a different scenery than the rest of Winterfell.
- 19/04/2011 04:31:00 AM
1205 Views
Yeah, she was walking through the inner yard and then arrived there
- 19/04/2011 08:35:54 AM
1335 Views
Well I think it was as good as it could have been.
- 19/04/2011 03:03:27 AM
1366 Views
Interesting that you comment on the looks, because I felt the same.
- 19/04/2011 03:50:49 AM
1362 Views
That was very good, but...
- 19/04/2011 08:17:02 AM
1276 Views
A couple of early impressions...
- 19/04/2011 07:55:04 PM
1431 Views
nah, the break out performance on this show is going to be
- 20/04/2011 01:00:50 AM
1213 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
1139 Views

*NM*