Here is why the "old" codec holds the real throne. Season 01 of Game of Thrones was shot on the Arri Alexa, but it was treated like film. Cinematographer Alik Sakharov used natural firelight and candlelight. The result was a show that looked oily and warm —specifically in the Winterfell and Vaes Dothrak sequences.
Specifically, the encodes of Season 01.
It is not sharper. It is not cleaner. It is truer . And in the game of codecs, you either preserve the grain, or you die. game of thrones season 01 h264