Paris, Texas 4K UHD (1984) - Arthaus / StudioCanal GER

[nicwood]

Release date: December 12, 2024.



The one exclusive extra is a new, German-language introduction by Wim Wenders.

This (and their Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me UHD) were done by their usual authoring house that was / is infamous for their not-too-great encoding but they’ve improved a bit over the course of this year, particularly when it comes to HD BDs. I don’t know their name but their involvement is visible as soon as the disc menu comes up since they’re always using the same basic layout across their encodes. They had major encoding issues in HDR10 for the longest time with some of the most aggressive chroma noise whereas things looked much better in Dolby Vision FEL.

Surprisingly, unlike Twin Peaks, this is a very good encode that looks good in DV and HDR10 but I’m certain the DV layer is again FEL and fills in more detail. I’ve only spot-checked the film and I really liked what I saw.

This one’s definitely a solid alternative at the very least but it may turn out even better as the grain retention in some areas I found slightly suspicious on the Curzon felt better here. I’ll definitely compare to the Curzon tonight and report back.

[Kyle15]

These guys are so wildly inconsistent. Oh my!

[nicwood]

Originally Posted by nicwood

This one’s definitely a solid alternative at the very least but it may turn out even better as the grain retention in some areas I found slightly suspicious on the Curzon felt better here. I’ll definitely compare to the Curzon tonight and report back.

Much ado about nothing. The Curzon is superior. What I thought I saw (variations in grain density within two shots at the same location and in the same scene) is present in the master and has nothing to do with the encode. One of the shots simply has less grain, which may be due to some gentle grain management or Robby Müller used a finer stock here compared to the reverse shot. The degrained OCN title card shot doesn’t look better on the Arthaus either.

Curzon remains the best.

[Mr. Kino]

Originally Posted by nicwood

Much ado about nothing. The Curzon is superior. What I thought I saw (variations in grain density within two shots at the same location and in the same scene) is present in the master and has nothing to do with the encode. One of the shots simply has less grain, which may be due to some gentle grain management or Robby Müller used a finer stock here compared to the reverse shot. The degrained OCN title card shot doesn’t look better on the Arthaus either.

Curzon remains the best.

Thanks for your assessment, nicwood. Would you still call the Arthaus a good alternative to the Curzon? Not as good, but certainly a respectable effort? It’s cheaper for me right now and I don’t need the Curzon swag. Also, if possible, the Arthaus has no English subtitles, right? Short of the new Wenders intro in German, are the other extras English friendly? Thanks in advance!

[Hedrox]

Originally Posted by Mr. Kino

Thanks for your assessment, nicwood. Would you still call the Arthaus a good alternative to the Curzon? Not as good, but certainly a respectable effort? It’s cheaper for me right now and I don’t need the Curzon swag. Also, if possible, the Arthaus has no English subtitles, right? Short of the new Wenders intro in German, are the other extras English friendly? Thanks in advance!

The French Carlotta release is even cheaper and has an encode that's just as good as the Curzon. Go for that instead.

[nicwood]

Originally Posted by Mr. Kino

Thanks for your assessment, nicwood. Would you still call the Arthaus a good alternative to the Curzon? Not as good, but certainly a respectable effort? It’s cheaper for me right now and I don’t need the Curzon swag. Also, if possible, the Arthaus has no English subtitles, right? Short of the new Wenders intro in German, are the other extras English friendly? Thanks in advance!

Yes, the StudioCanal (sub-label Arthaus) is a good release but I would follow Hedrox’s advice regarding the Carlotta if you don’t need the extras and PQ is also better. Not all extras on the SC are in English, such as the Roger Willemsen interview and no English subtitles are present either. The Carlotta is perfect for you.

[Mr. Kino]

Not sure how I missed the Carlotta, but, after your endorsements, I’ll bite. Thanks!

[victr_rldan]

it actually includes the spanish and catalan dub in 4k?????

can someone that have this edition confirm it????

[nicwood]

Originally Posted by victr_rldan

it actually includes the spanish and catalan dub in 4k?????

can someone that have this edition confirm it????

Yes, they are included.

You have to select Spain in the menu as otherwise you'll only see German.
There's also no mentioning of Spanish on the cover.