Blu-ray

This supernatural series has never been afraid to court controversy with its graphic sex and violence. But that’s nothing compared to the fuss generated by the fairy-filled opening to this fourth season. This 'Marmite moment' caused some fans to claim True Blood had finally jumped the shark, but for my money it’s only a minor blip in an otherwise enjoyable saga about rogue witches and amnesiac vampires.

Long-time fans - and anybody familiar with the quality of HBO's other hi-def releases - will already know what to expect from the set’s AVC 1.78:1 1080p encodes and DTS-HD MA 5.1 mixes. In other words, they're absolutely first rate and put many movie Blu-rays to shame.

The selection of extras will also be familiar to anyone who has picked up any of the previous seasons on Blu-ray. Each episode is accompanied by an Enhanced Viewing Mode (consisting of the usual Character Perspectives picture-in-picture video, Flash Forwards, Flashbacks, Histories, Biographies and FYIs), an Inside the Episode behind-the-scenes featurette, plus Recaps and Previews. In addition, six of the episodes feature audio commentaries, and the final disc houses a 28min roundtable discussion of the show's post-production and an interactive True Blood Lines feature allowing you to see how the characters link up.

HBO Home Entertainment, All-region BD, £45 Approx, On sale now
HCC VERDICT: 4/5