Deluxe Digital Studios
Former names
- Bell & Howell Video Systems (1978-1979)
- Bell & Howell/Paramount Pictures Video Services (1979-1981)
- Bell & Howell/Columbia Pictures/Paramount Video Services (1981-1988)
- Rank Video Services America (1988-1998)
- Deluxe Video Services (1998-2006)
- Deluxe Digital Studios (1998-2006)
Current names
- Deluxe Media Entertainment (2006-present)
List of Customers
- 20th Century-Fox Home Entertainment (1990-2000)
- Buena Vista Home Entertainment (1987-1990, 1998-1999)
- Signal Research/ABC Video Productions (1988-1991)
- Walt Disney Home Video (1987)
- Touchstone Home Video (1988-1990, 1998-1999)
- Central Park Media
- Concord Video (198?-199?)
- Fotomat Video
- Geneon Entertainment (2000-2007)
- Lionsgate Home Entertainment
- Prism Entertainment (1984-1993) (including tapes distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment)
- Artisan Entertainment (1988-2000)
- Hallmark Home Entertainment
- Vista Home Video
- Vidmark Entertainment (1988-1990)
- Media Home Entertainment (The Cold Room)
- MGM/UA Home Video (1982) (original release of Victor/Victoria)
- Paramount Home Entertainment (1979-2005)
- Republic Pictures Home Video (1988-1992)
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (1981-2005)
- Sony Music Entertainment (1999-2005)
- Sony Wonder (1999-2005)
- Random House Home Video (1986-2005)
- Sony Wonder (1999-2005)
- Sony Music Entertainment (1999-2005)
- Golden Books Family Entertainment (1985-2000)
- ClassicMedia (2000-2005)
- Sterling Entertainment Group (2003-2004)
- Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (1980-1983, 1986-present)
- VCI Home Video (some 1981 tapes)
- VideoVisa S.A.
- Columbia House Video (1992-2002)
- Warner Home Video (1989-1999)
- Allied Artists Video
- HBO/Cannon Video (1981-1986)
- Zenith Electronics (1984-1992)
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 pull-my-finger sound at the end of the tape before the tape either cuts to the fullscreen static or stops itself. Some EP mode tapes until mid-1997 also had this sound at the end after the static, and before the tape reaches the very end.
- Sometimes the moaning sound only lasts 3-5 seconds and/or has a slightly different pitch.
- Most 1986-1992 tapes duplicated at Rank 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.
- Some 1996-2001 tapes also have the white screen test pattern mentioned above, but in this case, it's usually only on EP mode tapes and (sometimes) carryovers from pre-1995 pressings.
- Most 1981-2006 tapes have a year-week code.
- The first number is the last number of the year the tape was printed. The last two numbers indicate the week.
- E.G. if the code reads "PAR228", "PAR 228", "RVS 228" or "DLX 228", then depending on the age of the tape, it could mean the tape was printed on the 28th week of 1982, 1992 or 2002. Sometimes in 1989, the code is printed backwards, in which the week is the first two numbers and the year is the third and last number. If the code reads "WHV 439", it could mean the 43rd week of 1989.
- 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 code engraved on the right side of the tape.
- On most 1989-2006 tapes, if the company abbreviation letters from the year-week code on the tape do not indicate the distributor, they will always be RVS (1989-1998) or DLX (1998-2006).
- 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 distributor watermark logo. The logo is usually plastered over the back of the packaging.
- The first number is the last number of the year the tape was printed. The last two numbers indicate the week.
- Tapes duplicated at the arm's Mexicali facilities from 1987-1995 would have a visible blend sticker plastered over the back of the packaging that says "Made in Mexico."
Fun Facts
- Paramount Pictures acquired the first 30% of Bell & Howell's duplication arm in 1979.
- Bell & Howell sold the other 30% of its duplication arm to Columbia Pictures in 1981. Shortly after, the arm was merged with Columbia Pictures' duplication arm, forming Bell & Howell/Columbia Pictures/Paramount Video Services.
- All three companies mentioned above sold their shares in this arm to Rank Organization in 1988. Shortly after, the arm was renamed from Bell & Howell/Columbia Pictures/Paramount Video Services to Rank Video Services America.
- In 1990, Rank Organization bought out Deluxe Laboratories from 20th Century Fox Film Corporation.
Known abbreviation letter codes
- CHC - tapes sold through Columbia House Video
- CTV - post-1992 tapes released under the Columbia TriStar Home Video label and its subsidiaries
- DLX - tapes duplicated following the name change from Rank Video Services America to Deluxe Video Services
- MCA - pre-1997 tapes released under the MCA/Universal Home Video (formerly MCA Home Video) label
- PAR - tapes released by Paramount Home Entertainment (formerly Paramount Home Video)
- RCA - pre-1992 tapes released under the RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video label and its subsidiaries
- RVS - tapes released by 20th Century-Fox Home Entertainment, Central Park Media (only on Software Sculptors titles), and LIVE Entertainment, and their respective subsidiaries
- TEV - tapes released under the Thorn EMI/HBO Video (formerly Thorn EMI Video) label
- UHV - tapes released under the Universal Studios Home Video label
- VV - tapes released by VideoVisa
- WHV - select tapes released by Warner Home Video
Locations
- Garden Grove, California (1987-????)
- Mexicali, Baja California (1981-????)
- Newbury Park, California (1988-1989) (acquired from IVE and ultimately consolidated into Rank's Garden Grove operations)
- North Little Rock, Arkansas (1995-????)
- Northbrook, Illinois (1978-????)
- El Segundo, California (19??-1988) (ultimately sold to AME)