Technicolor Video Services

List of Customers

 * MGM Home Entertainment (1980-1990, 2002)
 * Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (1985-1986, 1988-1989, 1991-1996, 1997-1999, 2005-2007) (some 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 1997-1999 and 2005-2007 tapes self-licensed)
 * Sony Wonder (1995-1999)
 * Random House Home Video (1996-1999)
 * Sony Video Software (1982-1991)
 * RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (1985-1986, 1988-1989)
 * Time-Life Video
 * Avon Video (1989-2003)
 * Paramount Home Entertainment (1988-1995, 2000, 2005-2007)
 * Simon Marketing (1985-1992)
 * Columbia House Video (mostly tapes licensed by Warner Home Video, and tapes issued under permission from high-budget video distributors like Paramount Home Video and Turner Home Entertainment)
 * Thorn EMI/HBO Video (1981-1982, 1986-present)
 * Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (1982-1986, 1988-1989, 1994-1995, 2005-present)
 * VidAmerica, Inc.
 * Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (1980-2009)
 * Warner Home Video (1980-present)
 * Brentwood Home Video (1997-20??)
 * Lionsgate Home Entertainment (1999-2003)
 * Artisan Entertainment (1990-2000)
 * Vestron Video (1982-1993)
 * Anchor Bay Entertainment (1995, 2006-2007)
 * Video Treasures (1990-1995)
 * Burbank Video (1992-1995)
 * Bingo Video (1988-1989) (tapes distributed by Simitar Entertainment)
 * Teal Entertainment (1994-1995)
 * Strand Home Video (1994)
 * MNTex Entertainment (1992-1995)
 * Starmaker Entertainment (1989-1995)

How to Tell

 * Tapes duplicated through VCA from 1980-1982 would have a sticker with numbers on it on the tape guard.
 * Pre-late 1989 tapes duplicated through Technicolor and S/T have 2 different types of sticker print dates: Tapes duplicated through S/T between 1981 and 1989 have a blue (sometimes white) sticker on the bottom left or middle side, while tapes duplicated through 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 through VCA have a strange list of other films to play on the master recording 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 1989-2007 tapes duplicated through 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-1989 tapes duplicated through 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. Pre-1989 tapes duplicated through S/T had either the distributor prefix or name on these types of stickers, but no barcode.
 * Starting in 1993, some tapes duplicated through 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 1993-2003 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 through 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 1981-2003 tapes had a digit for the shift next to the print date, which was usually either 1, 2 or 3 letters or numbers.
 * 1985-2007 tapes have an abbreviation engraving on either the left or right side of the tape that usually indicates the company that distributed the tape.
 * However, on 1994-1995 tapes distributed by Anchor Bay Entertainment and its predecessors, the abbreviated letters indicate the tape speed.
 * The engraving on either the left or right side of tapes distributed by Columbia House Video says either "275T" or "T275".

Fun Facts

 * VCA was spun off in early fall 1987, shortly after the acquisition of CBS/Fox's duplication facilities. At the same time, Handleman Corporation started retailing video releases from Walt Disney Telecommunications and Non-Theatrical Company, Republic Pictures Home Video, International Video Entertainment, MCA Home Video and The CBS/Fox Company.

Locations

 * Camarillo, California (1993-2007) (sold to Sandstone Properties)
 * Guadalajara, Jalisco (2001-present)
 * Leonia, New Jersey (1972-1987) (divested as part of VCA spinoff)
 * 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 (19??-????)
 * Newbury Park, California (1981-1993) (moved to Camarillo)