Technicolor test patterns

This page is dedicated to cataloging the numerous test pattern types used by Technicolor Video Services, formerly known as VCA/Technicolor, S/T Videocassette Duplicating Corp. and Technicolor Videocassette, for over 40 years.

Test pattern types
The first four test pattern types listed below were used on tapes printed in Newbury Park and/or New York City from late-1985 to April 1989.
 * Black screen, 400 Hz tone
 * Black screen, 410 Hz tone
 * Black screen, 1010 Hz tone
 * Gray screen, 400 Hz tone
 * White screen, Silent (only used on some 2006 tapes)
 * White screen, 1000 Hz tone (only used on Mexican releases and on some tapes in the late 1990s)
 * From 1986 to 1987, some tapes released by Walt Disney Telecommunications & Non-Theatrical Company had a silent white screen (with black vertical lines). This usually preceded the black screen with the tone.
 * From 1989 to 2004, most tapes duplicated in New York City and Livonia in SP mode would open and close with DTMF tones. This is usually identifiable if there is/are generic prefix(es) on the printing on the tape spine, and no tape speed names next to the stock number on the printing.
 * Sometimes, the tones were heard twice (at either the beginning and/or the end).
 * Sometimes, in 1992, the tones were only heard in the linear track.
 * Most tapes had the tones played on the left audio channel. Sometimes, in early-to-mid-1993, the tones were heard on the right audio channel. However, the tones are identical if the linear track on your VCR is only mono, as it is rare to find a VCR with linear stereo.
 * During the 1990s, some tapes had shuffling color/black-and-white bars (usually 1-2 seconds if at the end of the tape; 1-6 seconds if it's a print-mastering error in the middle of the tape)

Honorable mentions

 * Some tapes from few other duplicators, printed after the early-1990s, use the black screen with the 400 hz tone.