The High Chaparral Tape Sources

We would all like to have a high quality, full length, commercial-free source for all The High Chaparral episodes, but so far there is no legitimate U.S. source for the series. For now (2011) the Kinowelt/German DVDs are the best (really, the only) legitimate source for High Chaparral. There are pirate-type operators who have taped-from-television episodes, but it's really buyer beware with those, as the quality can be iffy, the episodes are edited, and the DVDs may or may not play. Since these bootleg sites are already operating outside the copyright laws, they may take a casual approach to other regulations as well, like honoring return policies or playing havoc with credit card charges.

Because the German DVDs are in the European or PAL format, you need to check the specifications on your DVD or Blu-ray player. It's possible it may play PAL format disks, as many DVD and blue-ray players are already all-region players. If so, then the PAL format Kinowelt disks will play just fine on your TV. The DVD player (or blue ray player) takes care of converting the signal so it correctly shows on the television. The HC episodes are absolutely gorgeous and the sound quality is marvelous. Many U.S. fans have purchased the DVDs and are playing them on US televisions with no problem....provided they have a player that is region-free or will play PAL format disks. Don't worry about the language difference -- they can be played in either German or English.

Another option is that many PC DVD drives are region-free, so check the specs for your computer on that. If you can play the DVDs on your computer, you can probably get a cable that will let you run the video output from your PC to your TV, and - hey presto! - you've got High Chaparral on your TV!

If all else fails and you're looking for a region free DVD player, it's not necessary to ship one in from Germany. You can pick a cheap one up on Amazon or ebay. Really cheap, in the $30 range, and they ship here in the U.S.

You may run across old copies of two episodes that were made available commercially on video tape years ago. One is the double episode called "New Lion of Sonora", which is frequently available on auction sites or through other video outlets in its original commercial packaging. The second, "Shadow of the Wind" is seen less often. It is a black and white version of questionable origin that was part of a 7-pack of old television Westerns sold some years ago at Costco and elsewhere. You can see a photo of the full set below, but it may end up on auction sites alone or with the set. The one from The High Chaparral is last in the set with Leif Erickson's picture at the top. The other tapes are for other television Westerns, all in black and white regardless of whether or not they were originally shot in color.