Deluxe Digital Studios

From Home Video

List of Customers

  • 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1990-2000)
  • Allied Artists Video
  • Central Park Media
  • Fotomat Video
  • Geneon Entertainment (2000-2007)
  • Hallmark Home Entertainment
  • Lionsgate Home Entertainment (2004-2007)
    • Artisan Entertainment (1988-2004)
    • Trimark Home Video
  • Media Home Entertainment (The Cold Room)
  • MGM Home Entertainment (original release of Victor/Victoria)
  • Paramount Home Entertainment (1979-2005)
  • Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (1981-2005)
    • Sony Wonder (1999-2005)
      • Random House Home Video (1986-2005)
      • ClassicMedia (1999-2005)
  • Sterling Entertainment Group (2003-2006)
  • Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (1980-1983, 1986-present)
  • VCI Home Video (some 1981 tapes)
  • Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (1987-1989, 1999)
    • Signal Research/ABC Video Productions (1988-1991)
  • Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (original release of Batman)
    • HBO Home Entertainment (1981-1986)
  • Zenith Electronics

How to Tell

  • Pre-August 1985 prints would have an orange or green sticker on the supply reel.
    • Pre-September 1981 prints would have either "Q.C. WHS" or "Q.C. WHSE" on the sticker.
  • Some tapes with a blank barcode sticker on the tape guard have the moaning sound (a.k.a. the pull-my-finger tone) at the end of the tape before the tape either cuts to the fullscreen static or stops itself.
    • Sometimes the moaning sound only lasts 3-5 seconds and/or has a slightly different pitch.
  • Most 1986-1992 tapes duplicated at Rank Video Services have an ink print date on the bottom left side.
  • Some 1986-1995 tapes have the white test pattern with a 1000 hz looping beep-tone at the end.
  • Most 1981-2007 tapes have a year-week code.
    • Pre-1985 prints have the code engraved on the back of the tape.
      • Pre-1983 prints have the company abbreviation letters engraved next to the code.
      • 1983-1985 prints have the company abbreviation letters engraved on the top of the code.
    • Post-1985 prints have the code engraved on the tape guard.
    • Most 2003-2005 tapes distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment have the week and year code engraved on the right side of the tape.
    • On most 1989-2007 tapes, if the company abbreviation letters from the year-week code on the tape do not indicate the video distributor, they will always be RVS (1989-1998) or DLX (1998-2007).
      • Some factory sealed copies of 1991 and 1998-2005 tapes, mainly those that either have no year-week code at all, or have the company abbreviation letters on the top of the code indicate the tape duplicator instead of the distributor, have the blue or white Deluxe "Film Reel" watermark logo on the original plastic wrap, in place of the video distributor watermark logo. The logo is usually inked over-neath the back of the tape slipcover or clam shell casing.

Fun Facts

  • Bell & Howell sold a minor stake in its duplication arm, Bell & Howell Video Systems, to the two motion picture companies, Columbia Pictures and Paramount Pictures in 1981. Shortly after, the arm merged with Columbia Pictures' duplication arm, Columbia Pictures Videocassette Services to become Bell & Howell/Columbia Pictures/Paramount Video Services.
  • Bell & Howell sold its duplication arm to Rank Organization in late 1987. Shortly after, the duplication arm was renamed from Bell & Howell/Columbia Pictures/Paramount Video Services to Rank Video Services America.
  • In 1990, Rank Organization bought Deluxe Laboratories from 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation. Shortly after, this arm became the official duplication service for The CBS/Fox Company and its successor, 20th Century-Fox Home Entertainment, only three years after The CBS/Fox Company's in-house duplication arm was sold to Technicolor Videocassette (known at the time as VCA/Technicolor). The duplication partnership only lasted almost 10 years and ended in early 2000. Since then, Cinram Video took over.

Locations

  • Garden Grove, California (opened 198?)
  • Mexicali, Baja California (opened 198?)
  • North Little Rock, Arkansas (opened 1995)
  • Northbrook, Illinois (opened 1978)

See also