Standard Ganool – usually AC3 5.1 or stereo. It does the job. Dialogue is clear (crucial for all that political chatter), and the Ramin Djawadi score comes through well enough. Don’t expect reference-quality surround sound.
Wanted to re-watch the early seasons and grabbed the "Game Of Thrones Season 1 Bluray 720p x264 Ganool" release. Here’s my honest take for anyone considering this specific encode. Game Of Thrones Season 1 Bluray 720p X264 Ganool
Here’s a sample review for that specific release, written from the perspective of a torrent/download user. You can adjust the rating and tone as needed. Good for its age, but show its limits on a big screen Rating: 3.5/5 Standard Ganool – usually AC3 5
This is a pirated release. Support the show legally if you can (HBO Max, 4K Blu-ray). Don’t expect reference-quality surround sound
It’s solid for a 720p rip from the Blu-ray source. Ganool was known for balancing file size and quality, and this is a classic example. On a laptop, tablet, or smaller TV (under 40 inches), it looks perfectly fine – sharp enough, with the dark Winterfell and King’s Landing scenes holding up decently. However, on a large 4K TV, the compression artifacts (especially in snowy or dark scenes like the prologue beyond the Wall) are noticeable. It’s not "blocky mess" bad, but don’t expect crisp detail.