Simply watching the new Twin Peaks on your TV is not good enough, David Lynch declared last night at the first theatrical screening of the new series (Parts 1 & 2) in Italy, an event organized by the Lucca Film Festival.
For me, the key to why Twin Peaks changed television is because we see it as a film, not a TV show. One film broken into 18 parts … A beautiful picture and beautiful sound. And I would like to tell you and ask you to tell you friends and your friends around the world, that when you see Twin Peaks on a television, or a computer, or even worse, a telephone, you are not hearing the full soundtrack.
The director is not implying you have to wait until an 18-hour theatrical release, so don’t cancel Showtime and throw out that 4K Ultra HD Smart TV yet. There’s a simple way to completely immerse yourself.
I recommend getting whatever screen* you’re looking at as close to your eyes as you can get, and use headphones. Turn the lights down. And then you have a chance of getting into a new world.
Not only did David Lynch direct every second of what you see on the screen, he’s single-handedly credited for all the sound design. You better “listen to the sounds” and listen to them good!
*Unless it’s a telephone. Never, ever watch any David Lynch on a telephone.
Fire walk with 
On a related note, what is the highest quality way to watch the new season? Streaming on Showtime is ok… but I wonder if there is a less compressed way to view somehow.
I don’t know whats available to you but I stream it through the Amazon instant video app on my PlayStation 4 and it’s crystal clear
I’m streaming through an Apple TV via the Showtime Anytime app. It’s good as far as streaming goes, but it’s pretty lossy. Especially in the dark blacks; I feel like it is a compromised way to watch. I wonder if the live broadcast via Showtime on cable or if a DVR capture is less compressed…
I have been watching on cable but don’t like the picture quality. Will be trying Amazon for part 8.
Streaming through Amazon has amazing quality.
I’m sure it’ll be much better when the DVD comes out, but for now we have what we have. We’ll all be buying it, of course!
You realize DVD is lower quality than streaming?
Better on DVD? Not likely. Blu-ray maybe.
Talk about your long-awaited grand entrances! (First video, second segment.)
But then I felt somewhat robbed, due to the lack of English subtitles. 🙁
Some of you, like me, watched and enjoyed Twin Peaks when it came out the first time, in the era it was first shown in. You have to really want to like it this time. I am really trying. It seems that this is David Lynch’s special form of masturbation, and I don’t know how much longer I will be able to watch him masturbate.
This man knows his stuff, when i watched the first episodes i was high on a dark room really close to the computer screen, it was the best experience i ever had with a tv show/movie, when Cooper was falling through space i swear to God i felt like i was falling exactly like him!
Obviously I totally agree with Mr. Lynch that there are optimum ways to watch the show. To watch anything really… I even hate to watch youtube clips on a phone. My girlfriend and I have made it a ritual every Sunday to sit down at 6 PM and watch the new episodes on my big screen, stereo loud, subs on (we use Amazon to stream showtime – the quality wavers from fair to outstanding). Having an ‘event’ on the tv takes me back to when I watched the show in high school as it aired (I was lucky enough to randomly see the pilot as the Sunday night movie it premiered as – I think I was a freshmen and have been hooked ever since). That said, in a pinch I will watch it any way I can. Before the DVD’s were released ($100 for that first set of 6 tapes) I had all the episodes recorded on 3M or Maxell or whatever brand of blank video tapes. Those tapes were watched endlessly so they degraded. Same with those initial VHS set, which I lent to friends to hook them (it worked!). This week I ended up stuck in the hospital and I will be forced to watch episode 8 on my laptop. Not ideal for sure, but I’ll give it a proper viewing when I get home.
I realized I will have Showtime in perpetuity until the day those Blu Rays are released!
Oh man, this week’s was a BAD episode to watch on a laptop, sorry to hear that!
I’ve been watching it on satellite and the picture quality is outstanding. Satellite obviously has the capability of the highest picture quality, over streaming of course. Friends have been streaming and mentioned the difference when at my place to watch on my 1080p plasma 🙂
I’m not seeing ‘Twin Peaks’ at all. :o(
Neither am I, not until the full season can be purchased on Amazon Streaming without a Showtime account. 🙁
I’m looking forward to the bly ray or DVD. Hopefully it’ll be out before Christmas. Till then we have to stay away from spoilery sites like this, I guess.
The only way i have ever watched Twin Peaks is loud and in the dark, preferably low ac as I live in Florida. Also high, is not essential but it is a fine accessory, as is coffee.
David Lynch is an all time favorite director, storyteller, its brilliant to have him back and Yes in deed with an 18 hour film. My thought exactly. Love every minute.
If you listen with headset, be sure to leave you’re sub on! Also, why is there no 4K version released? C’mon Lynch and Frost – it’s 2000 AND 17… Is it at least produced in 4K? I did see a teaser trailer on cinema. Looked good. ?
That should be a smiley at the end there, not question-mark.
I am watching it in mega HD screen and headphones- most high tech you can get in your time period. It literally a metaphysical experience. As someone who has come from the 31st century I can assure you that we have a national holiday of twin peaks and celebrating its art on most HD screens possible.
I have to admit, the only way I’ve ever watched anything by David Lynch has been with the screen right up close to me and with headphones. I tried to show a friend a scene from Twin Peaks and I could only do so on their television and it just was not the same overwhelming experience at all. So yes, headphones are a must! The sounds, whether just hums, drones or slowed music are just incredibly well-crafted as well as totally unique.
I have noticed from listening on a two-speaker system which is inside the 32″ LG monitor, that the theatrical surrounding portion of the sound is missing. My delivery system is thru Dish Network, which could easily relay the Dolby 5.1… if I had an amp and speaker setup. I know that the surround sound is missing, because I like to read both the dialogue and descriptive text on the Closed Captioning. (Yes, there are clues in there too!) In some scenes, the descriptive text will read something like; “atmospheric music”, or “low rumbling noise” or “owl hoots”. In any case, the LG is unable to down-convert D5.1 to a two-speaker design. It is one of the 1st gen of HD digital monitors. But I definitely agree, it really should be listened to the way it was recorded to get the immersive effect. By the way, the CC helps tremendously to understand what those goth bands are singing!
Sure way to enjoy Twin Peak to see it with clear mind, knowing it is art. Watch it on a big screen, in a dark room with volumes high.
To get a full experience, watch it with a glass of absinthe.