While HBO and Warner Home Entertainment have yet to announce an official release date for Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season on Blu-ray, Warner's publicity website now displays a Game of Thrones Blu-ray Sampler listing.
No further technical or supplementary specifications are known for the single-disc sampler, save for a preliminary running time of sixty-one minutes and a street date of January 10th, 2012.
While this thinpack edition appears to be for promotional use only, its existence confirms that HBO and Warner have an interest in bringing Game of Thrones to high definition, possibly utilizing the sampler for the same reason behind Paramount Home Entertainment's upcoming Star Trek: The Next Generation Blu-ray sampler collection: to gauge both public and retail interest in having the series available on Blu-ray.
Whatever the motivation behind this early Game of Thrones Blu-ray, hopefully it indicates that consumers will see a full season set in the near future.
God, HBO sucks. I remember when The Pacific came out, we gave out single-episode samplers for Boardwalk Empire, which was back in like November 2010-- It's JUST NOW coming out as a complete season Jan. 2012. I sure hope that isn't any indicator, and we see this come March or before summer; so much buzz, and I haven't seen a single episode, but really wanting to knock it out over a weekend or so.
Awesome show! I really hope they follow through without too much delay. Season 2 is supposed to air around April last I read, so hopefully they decide to put out the first season before that at least.
veritas: Who are "we"? Where can we get these sample disks, if they are released at all by any retailer to the public?
Also, I strongly believe Boardwalk to be an isolated issue. I heard they had significant problems with that release due to licensing issues relating to the several classic songs featured in the series (which is why the soundtrack was released a full year after the 1st season). I don't think they'll be having similar problems with GOT (for instance, the soundtrack for Game of Thrones was released very soon after it began airing on HBO).
Damn you HBO! One of the best shows ever to hit TV. I’m almost done with the 4th book and if they stick to an honest representation of the books as they did in the 1st season, this will be a long running show that will bow your mind. The 1st book is only a teaser compared to the following books in the series. Martin is the American Tolkien and these books are amazing. Season 2 is set to air in March, so let’s get this damn Bluray out .
MovieStop-- My job. It was a free gift for anyone who bought The Pacific in store. We had so many left over, we just gave them out with any HBO purchase, used or new.
metamorphic: I've seen various sampler discs at Barnes and Noble. Usually, if you buy one HBO bluray, you get a free sampler.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure we all assumed that their would be a bluray of GOT someday. HBO will probably release it a month before the new season.
Are all you people new to TV series releases? Almost all DVD or Blu-ray releases come out shortly before the series starts again. That's why you see so many series releases in August. so I'm not sure why this release date could suprise you in any way. So I am going to say something that your mother should tell you right now. Grow up.
@kzbay: No need to get so negative. As one poster already said, HBO delayed Boardwalk for a pretty long time, and did NOT release it before the second season; in fact, they're releasing it in January, which will be a full year and half after the first series. Many commentators have therefore posited various reasons for this, so it's a valid discussion. As I've said, in my personal view, Game of Thrones won't get similarly delayed, because there wouldn't be any feasible licensing issues with the release.
How is trying to encourage people to become better, negative? You're taking my post in the wrong tone. My posts are blunt and to the point. I would never be angry about what other people think, otherwise my head would have exploded a LONG time ago:).
HBO starts off so well with many things. They almost never end on a high note.
ROME was ended early and the 2nd season was completely rushed.
Deadwood ended when it should have kept on going.
Carnivale was cancelled way too soon, and with a bad excuse too boot.
The Sopranos only came out with the 1st and 6th seasons on Blu ray. To throw salt in the wound, they broke the 6th season up into 2 sets.
Boardwalk Empire's DVD & Blu-ray release has been far too long of a wait.
I'm almost afraid to even get into Game of Thrones. Either the author will die before he completes the books or HBO will cancel it a few seasons in.
I'll stick with AMC. They are a wreck internally. They still release all of their sets on Blu-ray in a timely manner and so far are working towards series going to their logical conclusions.
Amazing book series and a promising television series. I highly doubt it'll get cancelled before they can do all the books. I would love to pick up this set when it comes out
My 3 months of free HBO ran out after the 7th or 8th episode when it was on this spring...right before a certain something happened to Ned's character, so I've heard. Definitely going to pick this up when it eventually goes down a bit in price.
I hate samplers. Samplers are invariably a very bad idea.
People don't want to pay for a handful of unrelated episodes, so they skip the sampler and wait for the full deal, but the smartass studios deduce from the poor sampler sales that the series will not sell, and the complete series takes forever to be released (if ever).
A great show that should of won the Emmy for Best Dramatic Series but you know how the Emmys go keep giving it to the same show year after year! Knowing HBO they will release Season 1 on Blu Ray shortly before the second season starts. HBO is very committed to this series having announced a second season right after the second show aired on TV. Also, with the books there is a lot more to tell of this fantasy world.
Gad, I knew they were going to charge an arm-and-a-leg for this. It's just like Star Trek. They jack up the price because they know us geeks will pay for it. 10 episodes for $60?
Seriously? I may be mistaken, but I seem to remember reports that this show was getting higher ratings and more positive reactions in general than almost any show in HBO's now near-legendary cannon.
I just hope it doesn't meet the same fate as high-budget predecessors like Carnivale, Deadwood and Rome which were also wildly popular and cancelled far too early in their respective runs.
It comes out the same week as Boardwalk Empire. Guarantee this will be a free premium if you buy Boardwalk Empire on Blu, and season 1 will probably hit in March just before the beginning of season 2.
We shouldn't have the wait we had on Boardwalk, simply because Amazon is already taking preorders. They don't do that until they've gotten some tacit approval from the studios.
@CaptainBlu-ray: Not necessarily true, my Boardwalk Empire pre-order's been in place since January 2011, right after the first season aired. The Game of Thrones pre-order has similarly been up since the end of the first series as well. So while that doesn't prove anything, the lack of licensing issues for the release will see GOT not getting delayed like Boardwalk, yes.
I really hope HBO puts GOT out on Blu-ray. I watched the 1st episode for shits and giggles back in April(not expecting too much) and I have been hooked ever since. It's a really good series that is hopefully going to stick around for a few years. I can't wait until April 2012 for the 2nd season to begin. "Winter is Coming"
Actually @Russell22, a lot of new tv shows don't come to Blu Ray. Only the high profile ones that get decent ratings and critical acclaim. Parks and Recreation and Community are both much better than The Office but The Office gets released on blu ray while the other ones don't. This is simply because The Office is more popular. The critically acclaimed shows like The Pacific, Mad Men and Breaking Bad fortunately come out on Blu Ray no questions asked.
@Mortalkombat14 Yeah but all of HBO's new shows are or about to come out on blu and given the high profile of this show i think it would be a banker for release in most people's eye's anyway. I never once thought this wouldn't get a release on blu ray.
GoT looked great in HD on cable...I can only imagine how much better it will look on Blu-ray...only bad thing is that I read an interview with the producers where they stated that the Blu-ray would not contain any deleted or extended scenes as they used most of what they filmed
Every other HBO show releases the Blu-Ray before the New season comes out I think they will do the same for GoT. The only one who has not done this is Boardwalk Empire I have no idea why.
