Twin Peaks Season One Korean DVD Box Set
Region 3 – Paramount Home Video – Korea NTSC
Reviewed by Dugpa January 13th 2003
So I finally got my copy of the Korean Twin Peaks Season One DVD Box Set. Rather than do a whole blow by blow review of the set, I’ll give the highlights and then go over the look and feel of the Pilot included in this set.
Highlights:
- Pilot with TV Ending is Included on this set just like the Region 2 Sets
- Missing the Log Lady Intro for the Pilot Episode just like Region 2 Sets
- Encoded in NTSC which works great with all US Television Sets
- Region Coded to Region 3 which means it won’t work with any US DVD Player that is not a Region Free DVD Player
- New Menu for Postcards from the Cast (Much easier to navigate)
- Sorry Ladies… Paramount must not like James Hurley, as his Interviews were left OFF this set
Probably the sole purpose for me picking up this set is the Pilot. Assuming that Paramount used the same master for the Region 2 releases that they used for this release, the quality of the Pilot isn’t as good as the rest of the series. With that in mind, I personally feel that it is a LOT better than the Taiwan Region 0 version that is available on Ebay and Amazon.com. The Sound is clear and crisp, but only in Dolby Stereo. No 5.1 remix for this one. At no time does it sound like the actors are off pitch or under water. My advice to you is that if you are looking for a good copy of the Pilot in NTSC, and have a Region free DVD player… go for the Korean DVD set. At the current exchange rate, the Japanese Region 2 NTSC Twin Peaks Season One DVD set is going for around $120 plus shipping. The Korean Region 3 NTSC Twin Peaks Season One DVD set is going for half of that, and is reported to be exactly the same as the Japanese and the other Region 2 releases. Rather than take my word for it, I’ve provided some nice screen caps comparing the Korean Region 3 Pilot and the Taiwan Region 0 Pilot. For the most part, the rest of the Episodes seem identical to the Artisan Region 1 set minus the DTS sound.
Final thoughts…
If you are a diehard fan living in the US or Canada, want the best version of the Twin Peaks Pilot currently available, and have a Region Free DVD player, then this set is for you. If you have not yet purchased the Twin Peaks Season One DVD set and have a Region Free DVD player, then this set is also for you. The colors are much truer to life and this version has much less artifacting. The sound alone is at the right pitch and does not have that god awful out of phase/flanger going on. So if you are looking for something to hold you over until Paramount, Artisan, and Republic figure out their legal mess with the US rights to the Pilot, this is your best bet.