German Lost Highway Problems
 

I recently purchased the German Lost Highway (from Amazon.de) and the English 5.1 audio is slightly off sync. Does anyone else have this and also have the problem? I've also read conflicting reports online that this problem was rectified in later pressings.

I'm also concerned about trying to return this, as I do not speak German. It was simple enough to order, but explaining a return is not going to be easy.

Any advice on this would be very helpful.

Also, if anyone has either the UK or Aussie versions of this film, are they decent pressings? I know they are only DD 2.0, but something is better than nothing

Thanks,
Joe

The German release does have a minor synching problem late on into the film. Having watched the disc 3 times it's really not a massive problem (for me) because the disc is such a good transfer (much much better than other Region releases -check them out here ). I would never return my disc.

If you send it back to Germany you would be best to confirm with the retailer that they will pay for the expensive shipping (assuming the disc is still in one of those horrible Super Jewel cases) as it may not be worth sending back.

Did you not check people's comments before you bought the disc? The information is there.

Any news on the Region-1 SE yet?

;)

May never happen as the lawyers are rifling through paperwork.

Lost Highway was one of the last CIBY 2000 films. Their back catalogue ended up at Vivendi Universal I think -I also read MGM bought some rights. As Vivendi Universal were [are?] esentially bankrupt they sold off parts of their 'empire' so I have no idea who owns the North American rights (I assume it's Universal for the US).

The German disc is great. I've seen images from the French, UK, Canadian and Australian discs and they're awful (the Canadian disc is a complete disaster).

I just ordered a copy of the German R2 LOST HIGHWAY for 25,84 EuroDollars. Couldn't hold out any longer. What's bizarre is that I only paid 10,34 Euros for the DVD, but 15,50 for shipping.

Go figure!

cheers, Tony Block

There's some info below about USA Films, Universal and the R1 Lost Highway DVD debacle, which pretty much supports what Lucas said.

cheers, Tony Block

http://www.dugpa.com/dvdlimbo.html

Hm..I got that DVD quite some time now and seen it 2 or 3 times.
can't remember a synchronisation error, but maybe that's because we only get dubbed crap in tv here and got used that.

anyway, if you have to return it i could help you with the german part. service of amazon.de rocks, best company i know. but we can return goods free of charge if there are some flaws.

Sorry, there's no such thing as EuroDollar ;)
It's called just "Euro".

This may seem like a silly question, but does this version have chapter stops? I'm considering a purchase of this version. Thank you.

My copy from Germany just arrived today and it has 22 glorius (sowwy David) chapter stops!

I'll post back on the quality of the transfer and audio later.

cheers, Tony Block

I just received the PAL R2 German version of LOST HIGHWAY in the mail today, and just finished watching it. The transfer is anamorphic and very good, especially for a film that I'm sure was very difficult to transfer to DVD, even holding up in the very dark scenes, for example when Fred Madison walks into/and out of the dark shadow/void in his dark brown (?) bedroom. Also, the scene were Patricia Arquette and Balthazar Getty make love in the desert is breathtaking, looking even more spectacular then it did theatrically, and the daytime scenes, like the little cruise Mr. Eddie and Pete take through the Hollywood Hills, are gorgeous too.

But the really really oustanding feature on the German LOST HIGHWAY DVD is the English 5.1 audio, which is one of the best 5.1s I've heard. Unlike some other Lynch 5.1 tracks, this one is extremely, extremely active in the rear speakers too. This is one gorgeous and creative aural collage, and all speakers are constantly active with sound effects and music.

Some people have complained about synching problems with the English 5.1 audio, but on my Cyberhome CH-500, I only noticed one scene, a conversation btw Getty & Arquette (that only lasted for about ten seconds), where there was an obvious synching problem. The back of the DVD also says that it runs 135 minutes, but the actual running time is 129 minutes, probably due to a PAL transfer (?). I know I didn't notice anything missing.

The German PAL R2 DVD of LOST HIGHWAY has a beautiful transfer & an extremely active and creative 5.1 audio, IMO, make this the way to go until we get the long awaited Lynch approved transfer & audio mix that has been done, from what I've read at dugpa.com, for over two years now.

This DVD is currently available at amazon.de for 11,99 Euros, (10,34 for Americans after the VAT tax is subtracted). Shipping is a little steep. 15,5 Euros, but for approximately $26 I got a great copy of a film that I've been waiting to get on DVD since I bought my first player in the fall of '98. Well, well worth it.

cheers, Tony Block

Glad you appreciated the disc.

I'm told that Wild at Heart has an April release in the UK from Universal.

I hope they'll do a better job than their terrible world-wide back catalogue junk.

Now that would be very cool....
Back to Lost Highway, I've had the old Pioneer Japanese disc for years, and even their old LD that was prone to rot, the transfer, in my opinion, isn't that bad (though over the years there has been so much bickering about its quality). I would like to upgrade, but I'd rather wait for a good R1 release.

Dang, I think I said that in my previous post!

PLUS!
 

..... and a further €5 off if u are using Amazon.DE for the 1st time....

yes, i just placed an order for it.... now waiting.... :)

Re: PLUS!
 

They didn't give me 5 Euro off! Darn!

I don't know of any Amazon.de coupons at the moment -maybe worth trying PSK-STUDENTEN (€5 off €30).

...
 

click to amazon.de and wait for a pop-up asking you to register as a new amazon.de member. Fill up the details and they'll email you your "coupon". - €5 off.

Remember: you have to be a NEW member i.e. if you purchased sumthing from there before, chances are they are going to reject you. i remembered Amazon.FR had a similar promo wic i missed out coz i had an account wif them before..... maybe you would like to try another card? ;)


No reason not to buy Lost Highway now.... heh. :)

How does the German version compare the to Australian?

The Aussie release seems a lot cheaper.

German version has out of sync English 5.1 audio. Aussie has plain vanilla 2.0 (but it's pretty darned good 2.0 let me just say), cigarette burns on the transfer (but no other major artefacts) and 40 minutes of extras. Oh, and the Aussie R4 costs about $US8 plus shipping from places like www.fbo.com.au (it's currently part of a distributor special).

Review.

just got my german today...

how about the Portugese version? bugger!

First (and only) rule of buying DVDs internationally:1) Get personal recommendations.

I don't see anyone posting saying they think the Portugese disc is the best option. What use is comparisions if there's no review?

My only experience with discs from Portugal (and Brazil) is poor.


Anyone reading from Portugal?

Did a bit of searching on Estrada perdida (Lost Highway) and it does look like it may be as good as the German disc -at least.

So, who'll buy it first to test the disc? :D


All Lost Highway releases

I just recieved the German dvd of lost highway from amazon.de and I'm surprised at how bad the english 5.1 DD track is. I had read good things about it, but the sync problem is consistently a quarter of a second behind the onscreen action -- that i could live with, but the dialogue has a very intense "tinny" quality that is at its most unbearable in the scene where Fred first talks to the Mystery Man at Andy's party.

if anyone out there has and is happy with any of the other versions available with a 5.1 DD english track with removable subtitles, please post a quick note here. thanks.

Playing back on...
JVC s500 multi-region dvd player
Onkyo receiver
Paradigm speakers and subwoofer

I'm surprised at how bad the english 5.1 DD track is.


Surprised to hear that.

I don't understand either as the track is one of the reasons the German disc is seen (or heard) as the best option (for several years in fact).

You sure that's not just the normal PAL speedup issues at work?

...er... Josh Z: the 'PAL speedup issues' affect picture and sound equally...

. . . :o . . .

Hendrik, I was referring to his "tinny" comment. I've edited my last post to pare down his quote to the relevant section.

I recently purchased the R4 version. Although it does not have 5.1, I was satisfied with the sound and picture, and the price is right, about $10US. I didn't want to spend much as I'm sure this will eventually get a R1 release.

I'm sure it is, but its significantly worse than any of my other PAL dvds I own. I gave it another listen, and it seems this "tinny" quality is only attributed to voices in the soundtrack while music and fx sound much, much better -- only minimally affected by PAL speedup.

CD-Wow has the R4 "Lost Highway" for 5.99 pounds, converts to about $9.50 US. http://www4.cd-wow.com/detail_result...duct_code=2426

CD-Wow has the R4 "Lost Highway" for 5.99 pounds, converts to about $9.50 US.

That's where I bought it. If you enter their site through www.cd-wow.net instead of .com, their prices are displayed in dollars instead of pounds.

CD-Wow.net
 

For the penny conscious, it seems to be the case that <A HREF="http://www.mastercard.com/specialoffers/meo/jumppages/MasterCard/143801.html" target="_blank">the link from Mastercard's site</a> is still giving an extra dollar off. I just checked and the <A HREF="http://www2.cd-wow.net/detail_results_2.php?product_code=2426" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:none">R4 DVD</a> is $8-95 - when accessed via the Mastercard link.

FYI: I've only used CD-Wow for CDs so far but both the US and the UK versions of the outfit have performed admirably.

I was in Hong Kong last month and there was a shop selling the Hong Kongese version for US$1.99. It's a rubbish transfer but I'm sure some of you guys will buy it as it's so cheap.

It's available online (99c shipping to the US) from www.hongkongcheapdvd.com


The review for the all Region CDWow disc is over @ DVDBeaver

Not a complete disaster but definitely a dirt track compared to the highway that is the German release.

For $1.99, there's about a 99% probability that it's a bootleg. I hadn't heard of Lost Highway being officially released in Hong Kong yet.

"I like to remember things my own way...how I remember them, not necessarily the way they happened."

Here's another review of the German R2 PAL DVD.
All I can add is that some people have complained about synching problems with the English 5.1 audio, but on my Cyberhome CH-500, I only noticed one scene, a conversation btw Getty & Arquette (that only lasted for about ten seconds), where there was an obvious synching problem.

cheers, Tony Block
_____________________________________________

Lost Highway
Director: David Lynch • Starring:
Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, Balthazar Getty
German Region 2 (PAL) DVD
Ratio: 2.35:1 (Anamorphic) Audio: Digital Digital 5.1 (448kbps) Order it from Amazon.de today!

Overview and review (here) by Stephen Foster
selected and edited from Shivers #89

If the introduction of the DVD format has taught dedicated film fans anything, it’s that there are often substantial benefits from investigating their options before buying copies of their favourite movies. Discriminating consumers now routinely look to the US via the Internet for the best version of a particular title, and generally find it. Some connoisseurs are also now beginning to look to other English-speaking territories, like Australia, to see if their discs offer anything that the British or American versions do not (like their anamorphic version of the Natural Born Killers Director’s Cut, with all the supplements of the packed US disc, or an uncut PAL version of The Matrix, in a proper keep case!).

Now other countries are getting the DVD bug, and are releasing discs that will have Horror fans drooling. There are reputable mail-order sites in most European countries, (including the French version of Amazon: www.amazon.fr and the German: www.amazon.de), and most seem happy to ship to the UK. Of course, there are more than a few traps for the unwary traveller. The most common problem is that some titles won’t have English audio or subtitles, although some countries, like France, are very keen on making the version originale (V.O.)available to their customers, because, bona fide cinephiles that they are, they routinely expect it. Less obvious, but perhaps equally problematic, is that the discs that do have an English soundtrack may also have non-removable foreign subtitles...

It’s impossible to absolutely guarantee that a particular machine will be able to present a particular disc without subtitles (look for phrases like sans sous-titres in French and untertitel aus in German). Some websites offer this information. It is useful to have a skimpy grasp of the language of the country you’re buying from: films are often listed under their foreign titles. It may be easier to locate a film by searching for a particular actor or the director. You should at least have a grip on a few words commonly associated with e-commerce if you’re to safely navigate the various online forms, etc. The foreign Amazon sites have very similar layouts and procedures to the UK and US versions, so anyone familiar with their system should breeze through the German and French equivalents.

One thing that may be ringing alarm bells is the thought that these foreigners use different TV standards. Well, Germany and Holland are PAL countries, the same as the UK. France broadcasts in SECAM, but is gradually switching to PAL, and their DVDs are also in PAL. Australians use PAL, too, sensible fellas.

The big Hollywood studios generally dictate the contents of their DVDs across the world, ensuring a degree of homogeny. Films made independently are often sold on to a different company in each territory, and they are generally given autonomy to market the movie in any way they damn well please. This can result in radically different discs in each country. Sometimes other countries simply have access to better materials, or have decided on different technical specifications: France has exclusive DTS versions of Sleepy Hollow and Stir of Echoes, for example.

There are some relatively mainstream American movies that haven’t had a proper DVD release anywhere other than continental Europe, like David Lynch’s Lost Highway, which was previously only available as an expensive Japanese import. Other important films, like Nic Roeg’s Don’t Look Now (available in Germany as Wenn die Gondeln Trauer tragen, and France as Ne Vous Retournez Pas, both in English with optional subtitles) are similarly neglected in the countries that actually parlay the lingo.

Lost Highway

This disc from BMG Germany is a terrific presentation of a movie that was always going to present film-to-video transfer problems, because so much of it takes place in deep shadow. The film is presented in its correct theatrical ratio of 2.35:1, which is essential since Lynch likes to make full use of the whole frame. It also boasts a powerful 5.1 audio mixes in English and German, making the best of the characteristically dense Lynchian soundtrack, Angelo Badalamenti’s score and aggressive music by acts like Rammstein and Nine Inch Nails. The disc has optional subtitles.

Some copies of this disc have significant lip-synch problems on the English version, which can be distracting, although this has apparently been rectified on more recent pressings. The disc isn’t entirely bereft of extras either: there are about ten minutes worth of sound bites from Lynch and his cast (in English), and several wide-screen German trailers.



http://www.visimag.com/shivers/h89_reviews.htm

Excellent info, Tony :)

And remember 'locked subtitles' might not be so locked!

Does anyone know if the lip sync problem of the German disc have been solved on more recent pressings? Also has anyone gotten the Portugese version. That too is supposed to have 5.1 audio and I was wondering how it compared to the German release.