House of the Dragon appears in an aspect ratio of 2.00:1 on these Blu-ray Discs. Overall, Season One looked very good.
In general, sharpness seemed strong. Occasional wider shots felt a little soft, as did some low-light interiors, but delineation usually worked well.
Jagged edges and moiré effects failed to materialized, and the programs lacked edge haloes. No signs of source flaws popped up, as the series always offered clean visuals.
Unsurprisingly, the series emphasized gold/amber and teal. The shows depicted the hues as intended.
Blacks were deep and tight, while shadows appeared clear and smooth. I felt largely pleased with the visuals of Thrones.
Dragon came with Dolby Atmos audio. For those of us without Atmos systems, the material played back as Dolby TrueHD 7.1, and the shows sounded quite good.
Whether the track went with lively action or general ambience, the mix used the various channels in a compelling manner. It created an appealing sense of place and environment, with elements that blended in a satisfying manner.
Audio seemed good. Speech was concise and distinctive, without edginess or other issues.
Music was full and dynamic, and effects came across as accurate and clear. When necessary, the tracks boasted deep, rich bass. Though the episodes didn’t always boast audio that truly excelled, they seemed well above average.
As we shift to extras, Disc One launches with Welcome to Westeros, a five-minute, 59-second reel. It offers notes from series creator Ryan J. Condal, author George RR Martin, executive producers Sara Hess and Miguel Sapochnik and co-executive producer David Hancock.
“Welcome” brings a general overview of the series’ characters and themes. It offers a decent primer if you’ve not already watched the shows but it lacks value if you have seen Season One.
A New Reign goes for three minutes, nine seconds and features Sapochnik, Condal, and Martin. They cover some challenges related to the extension of Thrones but mostly tout how big and great the series will be, so they tell us little of substance.
After this we find Returning to Westeros, a four-minute, 42-second piece that involves Sapochnik, Condal, Hess, Martin, stunt coordinator Rowley Irlam, production designer Jim Clay, costume designer Jany Temime, and actors Paddy Considine, Steve Toussaint, Emma D’Arcy, Milly Alcock, Eve Best, Rhys Ifans, and Matt Smith.
“Returning’ examines various production elements like sets and costumes. A few insights emerge, but much of this feels promotional.
Before the Dance spans five minutes, 27 seconds and bills itself as an “illustrated history with George RR Martin”. The author provides some context for the series’ events and characters in this fairly engaging piece.
Up next comes Height of an Empire. It goes for four minutes, one second and delivers notes from Condal, Martin, Sapochnik, Considine, Alcock, and Smith.
“Height” deals with characters and narrative concepts as well as some production elements. Expect a fluffy and general piece, one that also repeats quotes from other programs.
Noble Houses lasts three minutes, 49 seconds and brings comments from Martin, Ifans, D’Arcy, Ifans, Considine, Sapochnik, Clay, Toussaint, Condal, Best, and actor Emily Carey.
This piece covers more story/character domains. It gives us more promotional fodder.
Disc One ends with Familiar Places, a three-minute, 32-second reel. It features Sapochnik, Condal, Clay, Alcock, Considine, D’Arcy, set decorator Claire Nia Richards, hod prop modeler Craig Narramore and props master Lee Wiseman.
“Places” views sets and design choices. A few new insights appear, but the puffy tone ensures we still don’t learn much.
Disc Two starts with Return to the Seven Kingdoms, a 25-minute, eight-second piece that involves Condal, Considine, D’Arcy, Smith, Martin, Sapochnik, Hancock, Carey, Hess, Best, Alcock, Toussaint, Clay, Ifans, Wiseman, Richards, line producer/unit production manager Sofia Noronha, production manager Alison Aird, supervising locations manager David Pinnington, assistant hod prop modeler Peter Lee, casting director Kate Rhodes James, directors Greg Yaitanes and Clare Kilner, supervising art director Dominic Masters, special effects supervisor Mike Dawson, and director of photography Catherine Goldschmidt.
“Return” covers the development of the series, casting and characters, the depiction of dragons, sets, locations and props. Expect a mix of fluff and facts in this sporadically informative program,
Introducing the Characters lasts 15 minutes, 14 seconds and provides info from D’Arcy, Smith, Considine, Ifans, Alcock, Carey, Toussaint, Best, and actors Sonoya Mizuno and Fabian Frankel.
As implied by the title, we get basics about the series’ main participants. It offers rudimentary impressions but nothing especially insightful.
House of the Dragon seems largely loved by the fan base, and maybe it acts as catnip to the Game of Thrones diehards. For someone who merely semi-enjoyed the earlier series, though, the first season of Dragon feels sluggish and unnecessary. The Blu-rays offer pretty solid picture and audio along with a minor selection of bonus materials. Hopefully Season Two will fare better than this less than stimulating collection of shows.