Technicolor Video Services

Former names

 * VCA Teletronics, Inc. (1972-1987)
 * S/T Videocassette Duplicating Corp. (1981-1985)
 * VCA/Technicolor (1985-1987)
 * Technicolor Videocassette, Inc. (1987-1993)

List of Customers

 * MGM Home Entertainment (1980-1990, 2002)
 * Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (1987-1989, 1991-1996, 1997-1999, 2005-2007) (some later copies of the 1985 VHS release of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, as well as 1991-1996 tapes licensed by Castle Rock Entertainment, New Line and Turner Entertainment and 2005-2007 tapes)
 * Sony Wonder (1995-1999)
 * Random House Home Video (1996-1999)
 * Sony Video Software (1982-1991)
 * RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (1987-1989)
 * Avon (1988-2003)
 * Paramount Home Entertainment (1988-1992, 2000, 2005-2007)
 * Republic Pictures Home Video (1992-2000)
 * Worldvision Home Video (1987-1995)
 * Simon Marketing (1988-1995)
 * Columbia House Video
 * Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (1982-1986, 1988-1989, 1994-1995, 2005-present)
 * UAV Corporation
 * VidAmerica, Inc.
 * VCI Home Video (1981)
 * Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (1980-2009)
 * Warner Home Video (1980-present)
 * HBO Home Entertainment (1981-1982, 1986-present)
 * Time-Life Video (1982-2003 incarnation)
 * BCI Home Entertainment (1997-2004)
 * Simitar Entertainment (1990-1992)
 * Kit Parker Films (1985-1993) (tapes distributed by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment)
 * Lionsgate Home Entertainment (1999-2004)
 * Artisan Entertainment (1989-2000)
 * Vestron Video
 * Time-Life Video (pre-1982 incarnation) (1980-1982)
 * Trimark Home Video (1992-2001)
 * Anchor Bay Entertainment (1995, 2006-2007)
 * Video Treasures (1990-1995)
 * Burbank Video (1991-1995)
 * Jenal Entertainment (1991)
 * Teal Entertainment (1994-1995)
 * Strand Home Video (1994)
 * MNTex Entertainment (1992-1995)
 * Starmaker Entertainment (1989-1995)

How to Tell

 * Tapes duplicated at VCA from 1980-1982 would have a sticker with numbers on it on the tape guard.
 * Pre-1990 tapes duplicated at VCA, Technicolor and S/T have 2 different types of stickers (with or without print dates): Tapes duplicated at S/T and Technicolor between 1981 and 1990 have a blue (sometimes white) sticker on the bottom left or middle side, while tapes duplicated at VCA between 1982 and 1987 have a white sticker on the tape guard (and later on the bottom middle side starting in 1985).
 * Pre-April 1989 tapes duplicated through Technicolor and S/T have two different types of a black (sometimes dark gray) screen test pattern at the end: Some 1985-1986 tapes have a black test pattern with a 410 hz looping beep-tone, or a 420 hz looping beep-tone, while most 1986-1989 tapes have either a 400 hz looping beep-tone, or a 1010 hz looping beep-tone.
 * Some 1986-1987 tapes duplicated at VCA have a strange list of other films to play on the master tape at the end.
 * For example, some copies of the 1985 VHS release of American Flyers printed in 1986 have a list showing a couple of Universal films, as well as a few other Warner Bros. films to play on the master recording at the end. The list also shows "Back to the Future" as the Q.C.
 * Most 1986-2007 tapes duplicated at Technicolor have an ink print date instead of a sticker, while some only have stock numbers on the ink or sticker (sometimes with the tape speed, the print time and a side number next to it).
 * Some post-1988 tapes duplicated at Technicolor with only stock numbers (sometimes with the tape speed and a side label digit next to it) on sticker on the bottom middle side had a barcode on the top, most notably those duplicated at the arm's New York City facilities. Tapes prior to 1988 had either the distributor name (on white stickers) or the P.O. box number (on blue stickers) without a barcode.
 * Starting in 1993, some tapes duplicated at Technicolor with a print date on ink or sticker on the bottom middle had a barcode on the right, as well as a time.
 * The time was directly next to the date on post-1995 tapes. However, on most 1993-2001 tapes, it would be next to the length code.
 * For example, if the print date/time on the VHS tape reads "010196-1729", that means the tape was printed at 5:29 PM on January 1, 1996.
 * Most 1989-2003 tapes duplicated at Technicolor had the DTMF phone dial-tone sequence at the start and/or end of the tape (sometimes with a faint sequence of extra tones preceding it).
 * Most 1981-2001 tapes had a digit for the shift next to the print date, which was usually either 1, 2 or 3 letters or numbers.
 * Most 1981-2004 tapes have an abbreviation engraved in either gold orange, dark blue, plain black or plain white on either the left or right side of the tape that usually indicates the company that distributed it.
 * Most post-2001 tapes, duplicated at the arm's Guadalajara facilities, would have either a white sticker printed somewhere on the case cover, or blue watermark ink, reading "MADE IN MEXICO".

Fun Facts

 * VCA Teletronics, Inc. was spun off in 1987, shortly after the acquisition of CBS/Fox's duplication facilities.
 * The name, "Technicolor Videocassette, Inc." was changed to "Technicolor Video Services" by fall 1993, as the arm was completing a move from Newbury Park to Camarillo. However, the former name remained in use on the back covers of titles released by Starmaker Entertainment, until around late 1994.
 * S/T Videocassette Duplicating Corp. was a joint venture between Sony Corporation, then-parent company of Sony Video Software, and VCA Teletronics, Inc.
 * S/T = Sony/Teletronics

Known abbreviation letter codes

 * DIS - pre-1988 tapes released under the Walt Disney Telecommunications and Non-Theatrical Company label and its respective subsidiaries
 * BVHV - post-1988 tapes released under the Buena Vista Home Entertainment label and its respective subsidiaries (regularly engraved in gold orange, but sometimes engraved in plain white)
 * AVN - tapes sold through Avon
 * NWV - tapes released by New World Video
 * WHV - tapes released by Warner Home Video and its respective subsidiaries
 * VT - tapes released by Video Treasures and its respective subsidiaries, including Burbank Video and MNTex Entertainment (regularly engraved in plain black, but sometimes engraved in gold orange)
 * RVS - tapes released by companies that normally worked with Rank Video Services America, such as Paramount Home Video, Columbia TriStar Home Video or MCA/Universal Home Video (sometimes engraved in dark blue)
 * T275 - tapes sold through Columbia House Video (engraved on the left side)
 * 275T - tapes sold through Columbia House Video (engraved on the right side)
 * EP - post-1993 tapes duplicated in EP/SLP mode
 * SP - post-1993 tapes duplicated in SP mode
 * 2 PK - two-tape releases
 * SKG - tapes released by DreamWorks Home Entertainment
 * EHE - tapes released by Embassy Home Entertainment
 * MCAT - tapes released under the MCA Home Video label
 * HW - tapes released exclusively to Hollywood Video stores

Known initial prefix codes

 * WB - some tapes released by Warner Home Video and its respective subsidiaries
 * WHV - 1988-2000 tapes released by Warner Home Video and its respective subsidiaries
 * BVH - 1988-1990 tapes released by Buena Vista Home Video and its respective subsidiaries
 * WDTNT - pre-1988 tapes released under the respective subsidiaries of Walt Disney Telecommunications and Non-Theatrical Company
 * WD - post-1990 tapes released under the Buena Vista Home Entertainment label and its respective subsidiaries
 * VA - tapes released by VidAmerica
 * VTS - pre-1991 tapes released under the Video Treasures label
 * VTM - pre-1991 tapes released by Video Treasures under license from Media Home Entertainment
 * VTSV - 1991-1992 tapes released under the Video Treasures label, duplicated in either LP or EP/SLP mode
 * VT - post-1992 tapes released under the Video Treasures label and its respective subsidiaries
 * VTBV - tapes released under the Burbank Video label, duplicated in either LP or EP/SLP mode
 * VTTG - same meaning as VTBV
 * VTTR - same meaning as VTTG and VTBV
 * VTMN - tapes released under the MNTex Entertainment label, duplicated in either LP or EP/SLP mode
 * BRC - tapes released by Brentwood Home Video
 * AV - tapes sold through Avon
 * HBO - pre-1997 tapes released under the HBO Home Entertainment label
 * VV - tapes released under the Artisan Entertainment label and its respective subsidiaries, mainly Vestron Video and excluding Republic Pictures Home Video and Worldvision Home Video
 * RPE - tapes released under the Republic Pictures Home Video label
 * RNK - pre-1993 tapes released by companies that normally worked with Rank Video Services America
 * RK - post-1993 tapes released by companies that normally worked with Rank Video Services America
 * WV - tapes released under the Worldvision Home Video label
 * PA - select 2000 tapes released by Paramount Home Entertainment
 * VM - tapes released by Trimark Home Video
 * K8 - May or may not have test patterns
 * Y1 - Same meaning as K8
 * RC - Same meaning as K8 and Y1
 * Y5 - Same meaning as K8, Y1 and RC
 * X8 - Same meaning as K8, Y1, RC and Y5
 * X16 - Same meaning as K8, Y1, RC, Y5 and X8
 * TVM - some tapes duplicated after 2003
 * TVS - same meaning as TVM

Locations

 * Camarillo, California (1993-2007) (sold to Sandstone Properties)
 * Guadalajara, Jalisco (2001-present)
 * Leonia, New Jersey (1972-1987) (divested as part of VCA spinoff)
 * Lincolnshire, Illinois (19??-????)
 * Livonia, Michigan (1987-2016) (acquired from CBS/Fox and ultimately sold to Ford Motor Company, which currently uses the site as an auto parts warehouse)
 * New York City, New York (1981-2001) (moved to Guadalajara)
 * Newbury Park, California (1981-1993) (part of U.S. Video acquisition; moved to Camarillo)