User talk:MrServoRetro

Something I noticed when you uploaded the opening and closing to the 1991 VHS re-release of the 1989 Chip ‘N’ Dale’s Rescue Rangers volume, “Double Trouble” to YouTube.
I noticed that your opening and closing to that tape has the tape audio in linear instead of hi-fi. Did your copy come that way or did you set the audio track to linear? Because if your copy came that way, what tape speed was it duplicated in? SP or LP?

Another question, was your copy of that tape printed with a vertical sticker-label, or a horizontal ink-label? Or what type of label on the front was it printed out of? 2601:4C4:4000:A8C0:1598:888D:624D:AD9E 02:13, 19 March 2022 (UTC)


 * To answer your questions, I think my copy was duplicated in that way, and it uses the horizontal ink-label. --MrServoRetro, 10:18 PM, March 18, 2022 (EST)

Then what tape speed was your copy duplicated in, now that it was duplicated to only have a linear track? SP or LP? 2601:4C4:4000:A8C0:1598:888D:624D:AD9E 02:29, 19 March 2022 (UTC)


 * There was nothing on the cassette or its case that said anything about the tape speed, so I can't say for certain. --MrServoRetro, 11:04 PM, March 18, 2022 (EST)

Weird. That probably made most people assume the tape would have been in SP, especially since LP tapes usually had the words “LP Mode” on the back case. Even Paramount tapes that were in EP/SLP would have had the words “Duplicated in EP/SLP” or the Master Sharp logo and Rank Video Services references on the back case. By the way, were the bottom label printings on your copy, including the print date, printed on ink or a yellow or white sticker? Was there a barcode next to them? 2601:4C4:4000:A8C0:1598:888D:624D:AD9E 03:36, 19 March 2022 (UTC)


 * There was nothing else on the bottom spine other than the print date. This copy was printed in April 3, 1995. --MrServoRetro, 12:16 AM, March 19, 2022 (EST)

So the print date on your copy was an ink print instead of a sticker? 2601:4C4:4000:A8C0:1598:888D:624D:AD9E 04:40, 19 March 2022 (UTC)


 * Yes, and it appeared to be duplicated at Technicolor. --MrServoRetro, 12:41 AM, March 19, 2022 (EST)

Do you think you could show a file of what the bottom spine on your "Double Trouble" tape looks like? 69.85.235.231 18:20, 23 March 2022 (UTC)


 * By the way, here's a piece of advice for future edits: Visual aids can help prove a point. You do have a scanner, don't you? --MrServoRetro, March 23, 2022, 03:23 PM (EST)

I wish I did, but I don’t happen to as of right now. In fact, I’m not sure what the best scanner is for VHS tapes and their covers. 2601:4C4:4000:A8C0:8D90:E039:32C:409C 20:00, 23 March 2022 (UTC)


 * I'm using an HP Envy 5055 printer for my stuff. Any sort of printer that has a scanner is my recommendation. --MrServoRetro, March 23, 2022, 04:10 PM (EST)

By the way, is "BVHV" engraved on the left, or the right side of the tape? In gold-orange or white? Also, could you scan what the front of the tape looks like (if it's rewound)? 69.85.235.231 15:10, 24 March 2022 (UTC)


 * Here's what the front looks like, and the "BVHV" is engraved on the right side of the tape ion orange-gold. --MrServoRetro, March 25, 2022, 03:45 PM (EST)

Judging by how small the tape strip is, it’s certain that copy might be an LP-copy (even though there is nothing on the cassette indicating the speed). 2601:4C4:4000:A8C0:91B8:7133:F638:407B 00:50, 26 March 2022 (UTC)

About the Neon Mickey VHS release of “Alice in Wonderland”
If you have the Neon Mickey release of “Alice in Wonderland”, is your copy the original 1981 VHS, the 1982 VHS re-release or the 1983 VHS re-release? Is your copy of that tape a Canadian print or a US print? 2601:4C4:4000:A8C0:5D2:A0B8:1D2A:7906 17:05, 19 March 2022 (UTC)


 * My copy is apparently a 1982/83 re-release. The title is black on the tape label, and the print date reads June 1, 1983. --MrServoRetro, March 19, 2022, 1:20 PM (EST)

So I’m guessing you have the US print. Is the print date on a blue S/T sticker or white VCA sticker? Is the sticker print date info printed on the bottom spine of the cassette or the tape guard? Is the tape guard colored tan or black? 2601:4C4:4000:A8C0:5D2:A0B8:1D2A:7906 18:41, 19 March 2022 (UTC)


 * The print date is on a VCA sticker, the tape guard is coloured tan with "For Sale Only Not Intended for Rental" engraved on it in white, and before you ask, this copy has the "Walt Disney and You" promo at the end. --MrServoRetro, March 19, 2022, 3:07 PM (EST)

Is the VCA sticker on the guard or the bottom spine? 2601:4C4:4000:A8C0:5D2:A0B8:1D2A:7906 19:28, 19 March 2022 (UTC)


 * The sticker is on the tape guard. --MrServoRetro, March 19, 2022, 3:29 PM (EST)

Earliest Walt Disney Mini-Classics tapes with Ink Labels
Are there any pre-1990 Mini-Classics tapes that you have with the 1991-1992 later ink-label as completely opposed to the old oversized Betamax-styled sticker-label? Particularly ones that utilize updated masters? 2600:387:C:7114:0:0:0:B 02:04, 21 March 2022 (UTC)


 * No, none of the pre-1990 Mini-Classics tapes in my collection have ink labels. The only tapes I own that have those labels are "Peter and the Wolf," "The Prince and the Pauper," and the 1993 copies of "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day" and "Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore." --MrServoRetro, March 20, 2022, 10:31 PM (EST)

What do the print dates on your copies of “The Prince and the Pauper” and “Peter and the Wolf” read? 2600:387:C:7114:0:0:0:B 02:51, 21 March 2022 (UTC)


 * The print date on my copy of “The Prince and the Pauper” reads April 12, 1991, and my copy of “Peter and the Wolf” is a Canadian copy (please note that I live in Canada), so there's no print date on it. --MrServoRetro, March 20, 2022, 11:05 PM (EST)

I live in the US, and the only Canadian VHS tape I have as of right now is the 1988 Troy Gold (circa 1989/1990 Burbank Video re-print) release of “Old Mother Hubbard”, which contains only 4 public domain cartoons (running time is 30 minutes), 2 of which are Max Fleischer cartoons. It was distributed by HGV Video Productions, the Canadian branch of Handleman Corporation and GoodTimes Home Video Corp. The ink-label on that tape has a copyright date in 1989. It does not have a print date either. On the bottom spine, it just has the tape nominal length, which is H-15 and the country the tape was manufactured in, which is Hong Kong [those printings were made of black ink]. At the end of that tape, after the fourth cartoon, there is half a minute of silence, then the regular 1000 hz pitched looping beep-tone of death playing over the black screen, which lasts for only a minute or so until the tape transitions into the full static screen of death. It originally had the record tab intact when I got it in the mail, however I broke it off when I noticed it, just so I don't accidentally erase anything that was originally on the tape. The tape appeared to be duplicated at GTK Duplicating Co., the video duplication arm of GoodTimes Home Video Corp. 2601:4C4:4000:A8C0:DD05:5501:2FB3:C63B 10:56, 21 March 2022 (UTC)

By the way, what do the print dates on your 1993 VHS versions of "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day" and "Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore" read? (unless they are Canadian copies) 69.85.235.230 17:47, 21 March 2022 (UTC)


 * Of course they're both Canadian copies. --MrServoRetro, March 21, 2022, 03:20 PM (EST)

So are the print dates replaced by cartridge numbers instead, or no cartridge numbers on those either? Do those two Winnie the Pooh tapes still have the Mini-Classics logo despite being the 1993 releases? 2601:4C4:4000:A8C0:3C3D:D1AE:9601:541F 23:08, 21 March 2022 (UTC)


 * The tapes were duplicated by AstralTech, which didn't start printing cartridge numbers until 1995. And yes, these two tapes do have the Mini-Classics logo. --MrServoRetro, March 21, 2022, 07:18 PM (EST)

Oh right. But what do the cartridge number printings actually look like on the post-1995 tapes? The same as on the early and mid 2000s tapes, or slightly similar? 2601:4C4:4000:A8C0:3C3D:D1AE:9601:541F 23:22, 21 March 2022 (UTC)


 * It should look like this. --MrServoRetro, March 23, 2022, 01:10 PM (EST)

Interesting. That tape is cartridge number 89 out of 510 cartridges. 69.85.235.231 18:13, 23 March 2022 (UTC)


 * You know what? Speaking of cartridge numbers, I wrote on the AstralTech page that pre-1995 tapes duplicated by them have a sticker on the tape guard. The numbers on the sticker might have something to do with cartridge production. I have three 1986 Canadian copies of "Sleeping Beauty" and each of them use the same sticker but with different numbers. However, I can't say if this sort of information is accurate. --MrServoRetro, March 25, 2022, 04:05 PM (EST)

I don’t even know if the numbers on 1980-82 VCA/Teletronics tape stickers had anything to do with production of the cartridges, even though they later started doing conventional print dates. 2601:4C4:4000:A8C0:91B8:7133:F638:407B 01:41, 26 March 2022 (UTC)


 * Weeks ago, I explained that AstralTech didn't start printing cartridge number information until 1995. But then, there's this kind of printing they did (see picture). It's much similar to the ones duplicated at Technicolor, and as far to my knowledge, it only exists on 1994 copies duplicated by AstralTech.
 * --MrServoRetro, April 20, 2022, 04:10 PM (EST)

The Earliest VHS Tape You Have with a Print Date
The earliest VHS tape that I have with a print date as of right now is the rare 1987 VHS [TrueValue exclusive] of “Happy Holidays Sing-Along Vol. 1”, released by Sugar Plum Productions and Baby Take-A-Bow. It was duplicated by Rank Video Services America and printed on 10/12/87 (October 12, 1987). What is the earliest VHS tape that you have with a print date? 2601:4C4:4000:A8C0:84E8:799D:765F:A4CF 16:45, 26 March 2022 (UTC)


 * The oldest tape I own with a print date is my 1981 rental copy of "Superman II." The print reads September 22, 1981.
 * --MrServoRetro, March 26, 2022, 01:04 PM (EST)

Duplicated by Sony/Teletronics? 2601:4C4:4000:A8C0:84E8:799D:765F:A4CF 17:22, 26 March 2022 (UTC)


 * Yeah.
 * --MrServoRetro, March 26, 2022, 02:42 PM (EST)

The latest VHS tape I have with a print date, as of right now, is a later pressing of the 2003 VHS release of the 1995 Universal film, "Babe". It was duplicated by Technicolor Video Services and printed on 08/18/05 (August 18, 2005). Oddly enough, my copy of that one is still on a black tape guard and white tape reels, and still utilizes the 2003/2004 print master. The horizontal white sticker-label on the front of the cassette also still appeared to be copyright-dated 2003. What is the latest tape you have with a print date? 69.85.235.231 16:37, 30 March 2022 (UTC)


 * I have two, actually. "DuelMasters: Go Ahead, Make My Duel" and "DuelMasters: Show Me the Mana;" both released by Paramount, both released in 2005, both duplicated by Technicolor, and both with the same print date: June 03, 2005.
 * --MrServoRetro, March 30, 2022, 12:52 PM (EST)

What are the time codes next to the dates on those two tapes? I'd like to know which one was truly printed later. 69.85.235.224 19:13, 25 April 2022 (UTC)

The Latest VHS Tape You Have with the DTMF Phone Dial-Tones
The latest VHS tape I have with the DTMF phone dial-tones, as of right now, appears to be the 1996 VHS release of the Disney animated film, "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" (1977). It was printed on 02/10/96 (February 10, 1996), which was 4 days before Valentine's Day of that year, and uses the vertical white sticker-label, and underneath the label appears to be the horizontal ink-label for the 1993 VHS release of "Aladdin" (1992), which is partially blacked out. What is the latest VHS tape you have with the DTMF phone dial-tones? 69.85.235.228 18:57, 30 March 2022 (UTC)

EP/SLP VHS Tapes with Print Dates
Do you have any EP/SLP VHS tapes with print dates? I have a couple of tapes released by Anchor Bay Entertainment and its predecessors Video Treasures and Burbank Video that are in EP/SLP with print dates on them.

The tapes I have in EP/SLP with print dates are:

Under the Burbank Video label

 * The Last of the Mohicans (1932) - 1991/1992 VHS release - Print date: 12/13/92 (December 13, 1992) - Duplicator: Technicolor Videocassette - Note: Part of the Hollywood Matinee Specials lineup which was introduced in late 1991 and renamed to Hollywood Matinee Serials in early 1993. The front tape label on my copy is the mid/late 1992 later horizontal ink-label, which still has Burbank Video logo and header on the top left of the label.

Under the Burbank Video label, but with the Video Treasures logo

 * Abbott & Costello Vol. 1 - 1990 VHS release - Print date: 12/08/93 (December 8, 1993) - Duplicator: Technicolor Videocassette - Note: The front tape label on my copy is the 1992/1993 later horizontal sticker-label with Video Treasures logo on the top left of the label, and the stock number on the label was altered to read "BV596", in place of the original number "596" which is still on the top, left and right cover spines.

Under the Video Treasures label

 * It's a Wonderful Life: Colorized Version (1946/1986) - 1992/1993 VHS release - Print date: 09/17/93 (September 17, 1993) - Duplicator: Technicolor Videocassette - Note: Licensed from RHI Entertainment, but still has the Hal Roach Studios logo both at the beginning on-screen and on the slipcover case. The back cover is still copyright-dated from 1989, and the front tape label on my copy is the mid 1993 later horizontal ink-label.


 * Delta Force 2: Operation Stranglehold (1990) - 1992/1993 VHS release - Print date: 01/24/94 (January 24, 1994) - Duplicator: Technicolor Videocassette - Note: Licensed from Media Home Entertainment, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and The Cannon Group. The back cover is still copyright-dated from 1991, and the front tape label on my copy is the mid 1993 later horizontal sticker-label. On-screen, the tape still uses the print master seen on version B of the original Media release, which has no previews or commercials at all. (Version A had an advertisement for the now-defunct Scott Newman Center (est. after the death of Scott Newman himself in 1978), followed by previews for "Delta Force 1" and "Hero and the Terror".). Despite that one being in EP/SLP, the VCR service check disclaimer screen is not shown, which is odd.

Under the Starmaker Entertainment label, but with the Video Treasures logo

 * 50 Classic Cartoons Vol. 1 - 1997 VHS release - Print date: 237th day of 1999 (August 25, 1999) - Duplicator: Allied Digital - Note: Released under the Starmaker Entertainment label, but has the Video Treasures logo at the beginning on-screen. The front tape label on my copy is the horizontal ink-label without the tracking control disclaimer text.


 * 50 Classic Cartoons Vol. 2 - 1997 VHS release - Print date: 282nd day of 1998 (October 9, 1998) - Duplicator: Allied Digital - Note: Released under the Starmaker Entertainment label, but has the Video Treasures logo at the beginning on-screen. The front tape label on my copy is the horizontal sticker-label with generic-font lettering and the tracking control disclaimer text.

69.85.235.229 12:39, 8 April 2022 (UTC)

The Disney Mini-Classics Titles that Use Television Prints
On three out of four Mini-Classics Winnie the Pooh titles, how can you tell the difference between a television version of the film and the original version? Is it the logos, the credits or both being different? 69.85.235.231 16:34, 12 April 2022 (UTC)


 * There are some minor differences for the televised versions: On "Honey Tree", there are 3 small cuts (the one I noticed was when Rabbit went "Honey?!"). On "Tigger Too", a portion of the song "Winnie-the-Pooh" was cut, and there is fade-out when Tigger bounces back into the mist to find Rabbit. As for "Blustery Day", I honestly don't know what the differences are, but I do know one thing: All three of them omit the Buena Vista logos.


 * --MrServoRetro, April 12, 2022, 12:54 PM (EST)

Weird. It seems that the same things could apply to the post-1994 Storybook Classics re-releases of those films. 69.85.235.231 17:26, 12 April 2022 (UTC)


 * Nope. All subsequent reissues after June 1993 use the same restored film transfers.


 * --MrServoRetro, April 12, 2022, 04:10 PM (EST)

You’re probably right. And those issues retain the Buena Vista logo on the restored transfers, right? On YouTube, I have just checked Jordan Rios’ opening to the 1994 issue of “The Blustery Day” and that issue appears to retain the Buena Vista logo following the Storybook Classics title logo. 2601:4C4:4000:A8C0:644B:531E:7C4C:F30A 23:00, 12 April 2022 (UTC)

Disney Mini-Classics titles with the Vertical Sticker-Label
Do you have any Disney Mini-Classics titles that use the vertical sticker-label? 69.85.235.231 17:26, 13 April 2022 (UTC)

About the 1988 issue of “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” with the distributor info on the back cover now reading Buena Vista Home Video
How can you tell if your copy of that tape is the 1988 one? Unless your copy is Canadian, is there a print date somewhere on the tape? 2601:4C4:4000:A8C0:C0C6:2BA0:2F9E:ABBA 11:17, 15 April 2022 (UTC)


 * That's easy. First of all, if you look at the bottom of the back of any Disney video case, you'll find numbering in brackets: The first set of numbers on the left is the issue's catalog number. The last number on the right indicates the number of times released on video.


 * So, to answer your question, "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" was first issued on October 14, 1986, so the numbering would read (480-1). For the May 1987 re-issue, it would read (480-2). And for the October 1987 re-issue, it's (480-3).


 * And yes, my 1988 copy (480-4) is Canadian, and there's no blue lines on the tape label. It also uses the same master from its original 1986 issue.


 * --MrServoRetro, April 15, 2022, 11:26 AM (EST)

Alright. So that means the 1988 issue is the fourth issue of the title, from possibly February since that's when "You Can Fly" was first released. The 480-2 issue from May 1987 still mentions WDTNT. And since the back cover for the original October 1987 release of "The Bare Necessities" still mentions WDTNT, it's very likely that the 480-3 issue of "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" from that month of 1987 also still mentions WDTNT. 69.85.235.231 15:50, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

The weird thing, is that back around 2006 (2 years before I was born), the "Heigh Ho" volume was thought to be originally released as the first volume in 1986. In case you might not remember, well this link appears to be the proof. 69.85.235.231 15:59, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

What’s weird, is that when Disney re-issued the pre-1989 Sing-Along Songs titles in August 1990, they had decided to re-use the bracket numbers from second issues of the ones that were originally released before “Fun with Music” was. E.G., the 1990 issue of “Heigh-Ho” is bracket no. 531-2, taken from the Oct. 1987 issue. And the 1990 issue of “The Bare Necessities” is bracket no. 581-2, taken from the Feb. 1988 issue. 2601:4C4:4000:A8C0:1483:FF2C:66EB:8BC8 03:26, 16 April 2022 (UTC)

About the 1991 issue of “You Can Fly”
Do you actually happen to have that one? If so, what type of label on the front does your copy use? Horizontal ink-label or vertical sticker-label? Also unless your copy is Canadian, what do the print date(s) on your copy read? 2601:4C4:4000:A8C0:21DF:156F:F7B7:D172 13:27, 16 April 2022 (UTC)


 * I own no such copies. The only two copies I own are the 1988 and 1990 issues; both Canadian, both with the same 1988 print master, and both with the same Betamax-style label.
 * --MrServoRetro, April 16, 2022, 9:35 AM (EST)

What do the numbers on the stickers on the tape guard read? 2601:4C4:4000:A8C0:9C0F:A6C7:3FED:4ACC 15:13, 16 April 2022 (UTC)


 * My 1988 copy was actually re-issued around August 1989 (662-2). The numbers on the tape guard read "22476." As for my 1990 copy, they read "67986." There are also numbers in dark ink on the bottom spine that read "20511261."
 * --MrServoRetro, April 17, 2022, 9:37 AM (EST)

Many different variations of the 1986 Black Diamond Classics release of “Alice in Wonderland”
I have some questions regarding many different variations of the 1986 BDC release of “Alice in Wonderland”:
 * A similar variant of the slipcover packaging of this release labels the bracket no. on the back as 36-2. Was this variant issued on 10-14-1986 when they also first issued the clamshell version, or somewhere around then? Or did this bracket no. indicate a second version of the print master?
 * A second clamshell issue is bracket no. 36-3. Was this issue released 10-06-1987 or 05-19-1987?
 * A third clamshell issue is bracket no. 36-4. Was this issue released 10-06-1987 or 02-02-1988?
 * A fourth clamshell issue is bracket no. 36-5. Was this issue released on 08-31-1989 or a different 1989 date or something?

I would like to know because there does not seem to be much information about this release of the title. Instead the other users’ informations are mainly just based on the 1986, 1987 and 1988 issues, most likely since they don’t know bracket numbers on Disney titles that much yet. 107.119.65.20 04:16, 17 April 2022 (UTC)


 * Okay, so we all know "Alice in Wonderland" was first released on video in 1981. And then it was re-issued in May 1986 as part of Disney's Wonderland Sale; all titles in that promotion were packaged in cardboard slipcovers. So...
 * The first BDC clamshell issue (06/14/1986) simply re-used the artwork from the slipcover release, including the bracket number (036-2).
 * The second clamshell issue (10/06/87) is bracket no. "036-3."
 * The third clamshell issue (10/04/88) is bracket no. "036-4."
 * The fourth clamshell issue (07/12/91) is bracket no. "036-5."
 * There's also the 1992 re-issue with bracket no. "036-6."
 * It's the best answer that I can give you.
 * --MrServoRetro, April 17, 2022, 11:01 AM (EST)

I would deduce that the 36-5 issue was released on 04-18-1989, because they were still using the program copyright year on the cover and tape labels back then, and the clamshell cover on that one is still in the flat shape design. The 07-12-1991 issue has the 1989 BDC logo. As for the 36-6 issue, I would deduce that one was released on 09-18-1992. 2600:387:15:61A:0:0:0:C 17:02, 17 April 2022 (UTC)

Pre-1989 Disney Sing-Along Songs tapes with horizontal ink-label or vertical sticker-label
Are there any pre-1989 Disney SAS tapes you have with the later ink-label from 1990-1992, or the vertical sticker-label? (this also applies to 1990-1991 re-issues of these titles) 68.35.208.19 03:04, 29 April 2022 (UTC)