Analog Protection System

The Macrovision Analog Protection System (APS), also known as Copyguard by some people, is a videocassette and videodisc copy protection system originally developed by Macrovision Corporation. The system was developed to prevent bootlegging of videocassettes and DVDs.

System History

The Analog Protection System was originally introduced in 1985 with the home video release of the 1984 film The Cotton Club by Embassy Home Entertainment. It was intended to replace the StopCopy protection system first introduced in 1978. By 1990, most of the major companies were using the APS system for their releases, with the main holdout coming from RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video.

List of Customers

• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (VHS: 1986-1998, 2004-2006; DVD: 1998-2020)
• AIX Media Group
• Ambrose Video Publishing (tapes released through the MacArthur Library)
• Artisan Entertainment (mainly on DVD releases and on a few blockbuster VHS releases in the 1990s)
  • Family Home Entertainment (mainly on DVD releases from 1997-2005, as well as the 1990 VHS of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie)
• Bandai Entertainment
• Caputo Publishing, Inc.
• Central Park Media
• Coronet/MTI Film and Video
• Direct Cinema Limited
• DreamWorks Home Entertainment (1998-2003)
• Eye Films and Video
• FUNimation Entertainment
• Group Productions
• Guilford Publications, Inc.
• Home Vision Entertainment
  • Public Media Video
• The Lyons Group (1988-1989, 1992-1995)
• Jive Records
• Koch Lorber Films
• Kodak (1980s)
• Leucadia Family Films
  • Sandstar Family Entertainment
• London Films (tapes released through the MacArthur Library)
• The MacArthur Library
• Media Home Entertainment (except for VHS releases distributed by Video Treasures/Anchor Bay Entertainment)
• MGM/UA Home Video (1986-1993)
• New Yorker Video (????-2005)
• Palm Pictures (2000)
• Paramount Home Media Distribution (1990-1993, 1998-2013)
  • Simon & Schuster Video (tapes released through the MacArthur Library)
• PBS Video (tapes released through the MacArthur Library)
• Pioneer Entertainment (mainly on DVD releases)
• PolyGram Video (1997-1999)
• Price/Stern/Sloan Video (1992)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (on some rare occasions on VHS: 1996-1999; DVD: 1997-2003)
  • Sony Wonder (on some 2006 releases)
• Time-Life Video (1992-1993, including some rare occasions including: Barney & Friends: Volumes 1-20)
• United Learning
• Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (1986-2007)
• Viz Video (mainly on DVD releases)
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (1986-2014, except a few rare occasions including: all LP-mode releases, some copies of the 1995 VHS of While You Were Sleeping that have no previews, and some mid-'80s short-form releases)
  • Disney Educational Productions
• Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (1986-1993)
  • HBO Home Entertainment
  • New Line Home Entertainment (on early DVD releases, as well as on the VHS of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze and on some pre-Time Warner Turner-era VHS releases)
    • Nelson Entertainment (1985-1988) (experimental)
• Wide-Eyed Learning (2003)
• World Wide Pictures Home Video (1990s-2000s)
• Zomba Video

List of Known Duplicators That Used Macrovision

• AAV Australia
• AAV New Zealand
• AB Filmteknik
• Abetas s.l.
• Abril Video da Amazonia S.A.
• Advanced Video Duplication Limited
• AIMedia Solutions (formerly Opryland Duplicating Services and Network Duplication Services)
• Alexandria Video
• Allied Vaughn (formerly Allied Film & Video and Allied Digital Technologies) (since December 1985)
  • Hauppauge Video Manufacturing, Ltd. (since 1986)
  • Vaughn Communications Inc.
• All Post, Inc.
• American Sound & Video (since 1986)
• Artech Video Record
• Ashland Video Corp.
• AstralTech Inc.
• Audio-Video-Color Corp.
• Aztec Video Ltd.
• B. Gürtler GmbH
• Bavaria Kopierwerk GmbH
• Bergvik HF
• C.I.F.T. Media Products Co.
• Canon Video Ltd.
• Cassette Engineering Co., Ltd.
• CDI Media (formerly Cassette Duplicators Incorporated)
• Centercom Inc.
• Central de Video (also known as Central Video)
• Central Shoji Co., Ltd.
• Centro de Communicaça e Imagem
• Cinematiraje Riera. S.A.
• Cinevision Australia
• Cinevision Corporation
• Cinram
  • AP Video International
  • Duplication France
  • Vidéo Pouce S.A.
• Clear Image Duplication
• CMI Media Management Solutions (formerly Cine Magnetics Video & Digital Laboratories)
• Colliman Video Publishing Ltd
• Color Film Corporation
• Comcopy Pty Limited
• Contrast Video
• Copy & Convert AB
• CopyVision
• DAICOLO
• Dansk Video Konvertering Aps
• Deluxe Digital Studios (formerly BHCP Video and Rank Video Services America) (since April 1986)
  • Video Technology Services (since 1986-87)
• DENDENSHA
• Denver Dubbing
• Digital Communications Technology Corporation (formerly MagneTech Corporation)
• Digital Excellence
• Digitalvision SA
• Dubco cc
• Dupli Video Sound SPA
• Duplicacaciones Sincrovideo S.L.
• Duplication Express Ltd.
• Duplico Multimedia S.A.
• Duplico SA
• DXB Video Tapes, Inc.
• Echo Systems
• Eclair Laboratoires
• Edivideo Portugal II
• EFO Video Faciliteiten
• Egyptian Video Centre
• EJECT Mobile Vidoekopiertechnik
• ENAC Company, Ltd.
• Euphon Technicolor SPA
• Europe Itera Syteme (EURIS)
• Eurotape/Bavaria Print GmbH
• EXA International Co., Ltd.
• Expo Video
• First Trading Co., Ltd.
• Forward Sound & Vision
• Fuji AV Center
• Full Perspective Video Services, Inc. (formerly fp Video Services, Inc.)
• Global Television Pty. Ltd.
• H.A.V.E.
• High West Enterprise
• Highspeed Video, Inc.
• Hoek & Sonepouse
• Humphries Video Services Ltd.
• ID Magnetech
• IMAGE Print Service
• Imagica Corporation
• Imagica Osaka Corporation
• Instel Ltd.
• International Cassette Corp.
• International Trading Logistic
• Islenska Sjönvarpsfelagid HF
• Jadran Film d.d.
• Jongenelen Video Roosendaal
• LS TV-Studio GmbH
• LVR Srl
• Magnew Manufacturing & Trading
• Marcon Video-Service GmbH
• Marine Art Co., Ltd.
• Matrix Video Duplication Corporation (also known as Matrix Video)
• Mayking Multimedia
• Media Concepts
• MediaCopy (formerly West Coast Video Duplicating)
  • Media Home Entertainment (since 1986)
• MediaTech
• MPL Media
• Myndform SF
• Neda'a
• Nihon Magne
• Nihon VTR
• Nippon Columbia
• Noda Electron Corporation
• OMATA
• Orlando Film d.o.o.
• Pacific Mirror Image Duplication
• Panasonic Disc Services Corp.
• Paragon Media, Inc. (since May 1998)
• Perfect Advertising & Prod.
• PlayArte Pictures Ltda
• Pony Canyon Enterprise Inc.
• Precise Video
• Premiere Video (since no later than 1987)
• Producers Color Service Inc. Video Cassette Division (since July 1987)
• ProfiMaz GmbH
• Pulse Global Communications (Pvt)
• Pyramid International Ltd
• Rainbow Images Ltd.
• Rank Video Services
• Rank Video Services GmbH
• Rewiew SA
• RSB Video
• Satcom Gemini GmbH
• Scandinavian Duplicating Centre
• Scenewise Inc. (formerly Custom Duplication Incorporated and Scope Seven)
• SDC-Norge A/S
• SDC/CVideoBolaget AB
• SEIKOSHA
• Shochiku Daiichi
• Sifford Media
• Société Euris
• Sony Music Operations
• Sony P.C.L. Inc.
• Southern Star Duplitek
• Spa Films Ltd.
• Star Video Duplicating
• TBS Service, Inc.
• Tecnison S.A.
• Tecnodisco S.A.
• TeleTV
• Televicine Espana SA
• Television Associates
• Thames Valley Video Duplication
• The Machine Room
• Toei Chemical Industry Inc.
• Toft & Fischer A/S
• Tokyo Laboratory Ltd.
• Tokyo Magne Systems Corp.
• Tokyo Recording
• Toshiba EMI
• TOYO Recording
• Transfer West Duplication
• Tribal
• Twentieth Century Video Ltd.
• United King Video 1990 Ltd.
• Vantiva Supply Chain Solutions (since October 1985)
  • The CBS/Fox Company (since February 1986)
• VCA-Teletronics (since 1985)
• VDC Group
• VDM Duplication
• Veritas
• Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.
• Video 8
• Video Art d.o.o.
• Video Copy Services
• Video Distributors, Ltd.
• Video Duplications (Pty.) Ltd.
• Video Graph
• Video Link Consultants Ltd.
• Video Transfer
• VideoBolaget AB
• Videogest Lda
• Videokopi A/S
• The Video-Matic Group
  • The Duplication Group (formerly Cassette Productions)
• Videomatic International
• Videoquem
• Vidéolab SA
• Vogue Trading Video NV/SA
• Video Services Group, Inc.
• Video Transfer
• Vidicopy Corporation
• Vision Wise
• VTR Video
• WRS Motion Picture & Video Laboratory