Allied Vaughn

Former names

• Allied Film Laboratories, Inc. (1960-1995)
• Allied Film & Video Services (1983-1995)
  • Diner+Allied Film & Video Services (San Francisco location) (from a merger with Leo Diner Films)
• Allied Digital Technologies (1995-2002) (from a merger with HMG Digital Technologies Corporation)
  • Allied DT (shorthand form)

The company's current name came from a division formed from a merger with Vaughn Communications Inc. in March 1999.

List of Home Media Customers

• Academy Entertainment (1993)
• Advanced Hunting Equipment, Inc.
• America's Dairy Farmers (1994) (one known copy of Make Mine Milk)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1995-2000)
  • Video Treasures (1995-1998)
    • Burbank Video (1992-1995)
    • MNTEX Entertainment (1995-1998)
  • Starmaker Entertainment (1995-1998)
• Arista Records (2000)
• Benson Music Group
• Best Film and Video Corporation
• Broadman & Holman Publishers (1993-1994)
• Buena Vista Home Video (1997)
  • ABC Video (1995-1997)
• Cascom Home Video (2004)
• Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. (2003)
• CerBurg Products, Ltd.
• Chrysler Corporation
• Clyde Records, Inc. (1993)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1992) (some copies of The Fisher King)
• Congress Video Group (1988-1991)
• DCI Music Video (1999)
• Delta Education (1999)
• Disney Educational Productions (1993-2007)
• DK Vision
• DreamWorks Records
• DuPont Agricultural Products
• East Texas Distributors (except for Paramount releases) (1993-????)
• Facets Video (2000)
• Feature Films for Families
• First Baptist Church of Orlando, Florida (some tapes)
• Focus on the Family (2002-2003) (tapes distributed by Zondervan)
• FoxVideo (1994) (some copies of Speed)
• FUNimation Productions, Ltd. (1999) (some copies of DragonBall Z: Frieza - Death of a Prince)
• Geffen Home Video
• GlaxoWellcome Health Education (1997)
• Golden Book Video/Golden Books Family Entertainment (1991-2001)
• Goldhil Video (1998)
• GPN Educational Media (2006)
• Group Productions
• Hanna-Barbera Home Video
• HBO Video (screening cassettes)
• Home Vision Entertainment
  • Public Media Video
• Integrity Music
• International Video Network (1995)
• Islander School of Fashion Arts (1995)
• Jay Jay Enterprises
• Kultur Video
• Lance Entertainment Inc.
• Little Palm Island (1993)
• Lyrick Studios (1997)
  • The Lyons Group (1988-1997)
• Madacy Music Group (1997)
• Made-to-Order Productions (1990)
• MGM/UA Home Video (1989) (some copies of Moonstruck and the colorized version of 42nd Street)
• Monarch Home Video
• MPI Home Video (2003-2005)
• National Geographic Video (1992-2008)
• The Nature Company (1992)
• Nelson Entertainment (S-VHS product)
• Orbison Records (2000)
• Orion Home Video (S-VHS product)
• Palm Pictures
  • Manga Entertainment
• Pamplin Entertainment (1996)
• Paramount Home Video (S-VHS product)
• Parker Brothers (1996-1997) (Star Wars Interactive Video Board Game)
• Pixar Animation Studios (1998) (Geri's Game)
• Playhouse Video (some copies of Dimples)
• PolyGram Video (1995-1997)
• Publisher's Choice Video (2000)
• Pyramid Film & Video (1999)
• Questar Home Video
• Reedswain Soccer Videos & Books (1999)
• Rhino Home Video (1999)
• The Right Stuf International
• RS Tours (1997) (one known copy of The Rolling Stones: Bridges to Babylon - 1998)
• Schlessinger Media (1998-2004)
• SCI (1998)
• Shannon Tanner (1999)
• Shooting Gallery (2000)
• Soccer Learning Systems
• Sony Music Entertainment (1995-2001)
  • Sony Wonder (1994-2001)
    • Random House Home Video (1995-2001)
• Sparrow (1996)
• Super Source Video
• Tai Seng Video Marketing
• Time-Life Video
• Tommy Nelson (1999-2000)
• TruVantage International Inc. (1998)
• Unapix Consumer Products
• Universal Studios Home Video (2000) (some copies of End of Days, For the Love of the Game, Man on the Moon, Snow Falling on Cedars, The Best Man and The Hurricane)
• USAA
• Video Professor Industries (1996)
• View Video
• Walt Disney Attractions (1998)
• Warner Home Video (1998-1999) (some copies of The Shawshank Redemption)
  • Warner Bros. Publications (1999)
  • WarnerVision Entertainment (19??-1995)
    • The Maier Group
• WBIR-TV
• WEA Latina Inc. (1998-1999)
• Wellspring Media (2003-2005)
• Wolfe Video (1996) (one known copy of Dos Fallopia: Pretty Girls, Not Too Bright)
• Wood Knapp Video
• Word Entertainment (1997-2000)
• World Wide Pictures Home Video
• World Wrestling Entertainment Home Video (2005)
• Xenon Entertainment Group (2000) (one known copy of Soweto Green)
• Zondervan (2002-2003)

List of Audio Customers

• Arista Records
• Focus on the Family
• Griffin Music
• JK Music, Inc.
• Milan
• RRRecords
• Ruthless Records
• Select Records
• Self Abuse Records
• Silvertone Records
• Tee Pee Records
• The Beautiful Music Company
• Tyndale Entertainment
• Wolfgang Records
• World Domination Recordings

List of CD-ROM Software Customers

• Acclaim
• Simon & Schuster
• Turner Interactive

How to Tell for Home Media Releases

• Most tapes duplicated at Allied Digital have a numeric code on the vertical-blanking interval of the video signal at the beginning and end of it, akin to how tapes duplicated at Technicolor using Sony Sprinters begin and/or end. Some tapes from 1991 had it formatted like this for example:

AFV TN 031 Y2 SHIFT 3

• On tapes from 1992 to 1995, the vertical blanking interval has a date in the code, and begins with either "AFV TN," "AFV," "AFVTN", "AAFVTN" or "@FVTN". Starting around mid-late 1995, this same code started with "ADT." In late 1995, the code became similar in terms of the typeface to the ones that appear on tapes duplicated at Technicolor's Livonia plant using Sony Sprinters, and was changed to a different code like this for example: "ADT8011161:07," with the code instead beginning with "ADT04" on tapes from clients inherited from HMG beginning in mid-1998. However, on tapes encoded with Macrovision, the Macrovision signal usually blocks all but the top of the code. But sometimes, the full code is shown for a few seconds before the Macrovision signal takes over.
• Several early tapes use oversized reels, while some use regular reels.
• Late '80s and early '90s tapes duplicated at Diner+Allied had a white or orange sticker with information and a print date on it, like this for example:

MOONSTRUCK

4180-01 112689BCB03-571 NTSC

• '80s tapes from its other locations had no printings on them save for what the manufacturer itself printed.
• Early '90s tapes from this duplicator had dark printings above the recording tab spot, like these examples:

Example 1:

11-227-120-M

Example 2:

23-76-T30-M

Example 3:

332-3-T60

Example 4:

2B-171-T144-R

• Post-1993 tapes duplicated at Allied Digital have a day-year code, as well as time. In addition, there would also be a name of the release, a nominal length, and/or a serial code. Here are a few examples of how it was displayed:

Example 1:

T-29 D-027-021 0135-197-93

Example 2:

T-29 3-018-021 0056-092-94

Example 3:

0415655 023 032 22:38 056 99

T-31

Example 4:

T-85 023 032 20:10 264 99

Example 5:

0210649 2 21:17 264 97

THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN

Sometimes, the day-year code and time are on the side. Here are a few examples of how it was displayed on the side:

Example 1:

A-1-93-111

Example 2:

A-1-1239-197-93

Example 3:

A-1-07:30-340-97

• On some tapes, the printings were different, and they ended with "EG." These tapes did not have anything on the side of the tape shell. Look at the following examples:

Example 1:

T25 B-003-033 18:31-187-95-EG

Example 2:

T45 C- 029-009 01:17-218-99-EG

Example 3:

T-30 A-003-009 11:54 225-04-EG

On these tapes, the code on the vertical blanking interval at the beginning and end of the tape was different (e.g. C187-5-2 for pre-1995 tapes (as well as some with the recording tab spot dark printings) or A2021891 for 1996-2008 tapes, as well as some with the standard printings.

Sometimes, the last digit of codes like these is different at the end, compared to the beginning.

However, a few tapes with either kind of printing had nothing in the vertical blanking interval.

• Some other tapes from 1992-1995, such as a few tapes by Monarch Home Video and View Video, had a different VBI code (e.g. D294-931).

• On some tapes, most notably from customers inherited from HMG, there wasn't any form of printing at all.
• Some tapes from 1995-2000 with the mid-late 1995 "ADT" codes and the "ADT80" codes have the static roll of death at the end.
• Some World Wide Pictures Home Video tapes had dark printings on the bottom middle side (e.g. T-115 B-003-008 22:21-150-02 MN).

• Some tapes had dark printings that were formatted differently (T-45 101099 1432).

• Some 2000's EP mode tapes from this duplicator had a different format for the printings (e.g. C SPR 111-05 W.O.69474).

• Some tapes that reuse Technicolor Video Services masters, particularly post-1995 pressings of pre-1995 Anchor Bay Entertainment tapes, may retain that duplicator's VBI credential, consisting of the tape's stock number with the distributor/label's prefix, followed by either "MN#" or "MM#" and a three-digit number or a four digit number, on the left of the VBI at the beginning, like these three examples:

Example 1:

VT01421 MN#021

Example 2:

VT01421 MN#025

Example 3:

VT09399 MM#007

• Tapes from Rank Video Services America customers, at least before Allied's merger with HMG, had that duplicator's tape guard etchings inked on one side of the tape (e.g. CTV-227, possibly meaning the 27th week of 1992).
• Tapes duplicated at the Hauppauge facility in the first couple of years following Allied's merger with HMG did not have any form of printing on the cassette, as it was with tapes printed at the facility under HMG ownership before the merger. Some tapes from this facility during that time had shuffling color/black and white bars and/or color static at the end.

How to Tell for Audio Releases

• CDs manufactured by Allied Digital Technologies generally have the following CD matrix format:

xxxx-y-y ALLIED DT *[release cat#/title]*

Gallery

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  This is an example of what the sticker on tapes by Diner+Allied of San Francisco looked like.

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  The white variant of these printings.

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  The dark red variant of these printings. They may be hard to see in this photograph.

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  The special printing reserved for companies that normally worked with Rank Video Services America.

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  Allied Vaughn's former Portland, Oregon location.

VBI codes

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  An example of the VBI code used on some tapes from 1991.

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  An example of the VBI code that begins with "AFV."

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  An example of the "AFV" code being blocked off by the Macrovision signal.

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  An example of the VBI that begins with "AFVTN."

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  An example of the "AFVTN" code being blocked off by the Macrovision signal.

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  An example of the VBI that begins with "AAFVTN."

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  Starting around mid-1995, the text in the beginning of the VBI code was changed to "ADT," presumably after the name change to Allied Digital Technologies.

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  An example of the VBI code on tapes from the early 1990s until 1995, on some tapes with dark printings above the recording tab spot, as well on tapes of the time whose printings end with "EG."

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  An example of the VBI code on tapes starting in late 1995.

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  An example of the late 1995 VBI code style being blocked off by the Macrovision signal.

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  An example of the VBI code on some early 1996 tapes printed in Hauppauge.

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  An example of the VBI code on tapes printed at the Hauppauge plant from late 1996 to mid-1998.

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  An example of the VBI code on most tapes from 1996-2008 whose printings end with "EG," although it sometimes appeared on other tapes with the regular printings as well.

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  An example of the VBI code on tapes printed in Hauppauge starting in mid-1998.

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  An example of the 1998 HMG-client VBI being blocked off by the Macrovision signal.

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Locations

• Bingham Farms, Michigan (1969-2002)
• Brisbane, California
• Chicago, Illinois (19??-1993) (ultimately consolidated into Allied's Elk Grove Village operations)
• Clinton, Maryland (198?-199?) (moved to Landover)
• Clinton, Tennessee (1990-????)
• Dallas, Texas (1993-????) (acquired in Teletronics acquisition)
• Elk Grove Village, Illinois (1993-????) (acquired in Teletronics acquisition)
• Englewood, Colorado (1997-????) (acquired in Denver Dubbing acquisition)
• Hauppauge, New York (1995-????) (acquired in HMG acquisition)
• Houston, Texas (1993-????) (acquired in Teletronics acquisition)
• Irving, Texas (1984-????)
• Landover, Maryland (199?-????)
• Leonia, New Jersey (1993-1997) (acquired in Teletronics acquisition and ultimately consolidated into Allied's Hauppauge operations)
• Livonia, Michigan
• Los Angeles, California
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Nashville, Tennessee
• New York, New York
• Norcross, Georgia
• Orange County, California
• Orlando, Florida (1985-????)
• Phoenix, Arizona
• Portland, Oregon (today, this location is owned by PlayDate PDX)
• Raleigh, North Carolina
• San Francisco, California (1983-????)
• Seattle, Washington
• Tampa, Florida

Websites

• allied-digital.com (via the WayBack Machine)
• alliedvaughn.com

Older revisions of the site can be viewed via the WayBack Machine.

Trivia

• CEO James Merkle's resignation resulted from a botched consolidation of the duplicator's videocassette operations to its East Tennessee facility in the summer of 1995 that took months to recover from.