MediaCopy: Difference between revisions

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File:MediaCopy.jpg
File:MediaCopy.jpg
File:VD5.jpg|Tapes on an assembly line at one of the company's plants.
File:VD5.jpg|Tapes on an assembly line at one of the company's plants.
File:131 (Stargate, 2001 Live Entertainment).jpg
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File:Ink Label (MediaCopy, Inc.) (Attack of the Puppet People, 2000 MGM).jpg|An example of what the ink printings looked like from 1996 to 2002.
File:MGM UA (Follow That Dream, 1997 MGM UA Home Video).jpg
File:TURNER (The Adventures of Pinocchio, 1996 New Line Home Video).jpg
File:The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996 New Line Home Video).jpg| An example of what the ink printings looked like on some mid-late 1996 tapes.
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File:Ink Label (MediaCopy, Inc.) (Attack of the Puppet People, 2000 MGM).jpg|An example of what the ink printings looked like from late 1996 to 2002.
File:Friends (021397).jpg
File:Friends (021397).jpg
File:The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald - Have Time, Will Travel (2001 McDonald's) (eBay Photo).jpg
File:The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald - Have Time, Will Travel (2001 McDonald's) (eBay Photo).jpg

Revision as of 06:56, 23 June 2024

History

TBD

Former names

  • West Coast Video Duplicating, Inc. (1987-1996)

List of Customers

  • 3:13 Productions (2000)
  • ABC Video Enterprises (1991-1992) (tapes sold through Simon Marketing)
  • A.I.P. Home Video (1990-1992)
  • Bandai Entertainment (2000-2001)
    • Anime Village
  • Central Park Media
    • U.S. Manga Corps (2001)
  • Columbia House (1987-2005)
  • Columbia TriStar Home Video (1990-1996) (screener copies)
  • Fox Lorber Home Video (1997) (some copies of Tetsuo the Iron Man)
  • Globalstage Productions (1999)
  • HIT Entertainment (2001-2002) (Bob the Builder and Kipper tapes)
    • Lyrick Studios (2001) (Bob the Builder and Kipper tapes)
      • The Lyons Group (1993-1995)
  • J2 Communications (1991-1992) (some tapes, including The Star Wars Trilogy Animated Collection, Volume 1 sold through Simon Marketing)
  • J & N Media (2002)
  • Jesus Video Project (some copies of Jesus)
  • kaBOOM! Entertainment Inc. (2001-2004)
  • Live Entertainment/Artisan Entertainment (some copies of Paula Abdul: Get Up and Dance and The Substitute and some tapes sold through the Columbia House Video Club)
    • Family Home Entertainment (1990) (some copies of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tapes sold through the Burger King Kids' Club)
  • Major League Baseball Home Video
  • MCA Music Video
  • McDonald's (2000-2001) (The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald: Birthday World and Have Time, Will Travel)
  • MGM Home Entertainment (1990-2004)
    • Orion Home Video (199?-1998)
    • Fries Home Video (1987-1989)
  • Miramar Productions (1992-1993)
  • MPI Home Video (1991-????)
  • New Horizons Home Video
  • Pacific Arts Video
  • Paramount Home Entertainment (1990-2005) (some tapes, particularly tapes sold through the Columbia House Video Club)
    • Nickelodeon Home Entertainment (some tapes sold through the Columbia House Video Club)
  • Pioneer Entertainment (1994-2000)
  • PolyGram Video
  • PPI Entertainment (2002)
  • Prism Entertainment
  • Random House Home Video (1991-1992) (The Berenstain Bears Forget Their Manners, sold through Simon Marketing)
  • Saban (2000) (Power Rangers in 3-D)
  • Shapiro Glickenhaus Entertainment
  • Silverado Productions
  • Simitar Entertainment (1990) (some copies of Fighter Aces of World War II)
  • SyberVision
  • Tai Seng Video Marketing (1997)
  • Video Treasures (1994)
    • Media Home Entertainment (1990-1993)
    • Strand Home Video (1992-1994)
  • Vidmark Entertainment
  • Viz Video
  • Warner Home Video (1989-1992) (some copies of Batman and Batman Returns and some tapes sold through the Columbia House Video Club)
    • Turner Home Entertainment (199?-1997)
      • Hanna-Barbera Home Video (1992)
    • New Line Home Video (1991-1997)
  • World Wide Pictures Home Video
  • Xenon Entertainment Group (1998)

How to Tell

  • Most VHS tapes duplicated here have ink information on the bottom middle side of the tape that is printed in a variety of colors.
    • Until 1990, the printings were laid out like the following examples:

Example 1: 

27A1      15000                  10119
T-130                            20:19

Example 2: 

TMD-EP                15833    27842          12490
21A2           APRIL FOOLISH W/COMMERCIAL     22:15

Example 3: 

T-59       106813/WC0634       31590
21A2            WCVD           17:41

Example 4: 

T-130   BATMAN  WCVD15000        20:33
27A1                               10169

Example 5: 

T-52       110737/F0176        51790
71A3            WCVD           09:26
    • The information on the tape beginning in mid-1990 includes the print date and time on the right. Next to the print date and time are letters that usually indicate the duplicator (though on some tapes, they indicate the distributor). This was usually followed by a catalog number and, optionally, the tape speed's initialism. On tapes with a different color cassette, the color and style of the printing varied.
      • For example, if the print date/time is numbered "020795 1358", then that means the specific VHS tape was printed on February 7, 1995 at 1:58 PM.
    • Until January 1990, as seen in the first example above, the date was in MM/DD/Y format. From January to September 1990, the date was in M/DD/YY format.
  • Some Fries Home Video tapes duplicated here prior to 1989 said "WCV" (1988-1989) or "WCVD" (1989) in the bottom right corner of the face label.
  • In addition, tapes duplicated at this company also have a length code on the left of the information. On pre-1996 tapes, the nominal length is above the record tab (usually broken off), while on post-1996 tapes, it is on the bottom label portion. On some tapes printed using Otari thermal magnetic duplication systems, the length was preceded by the letters "TMDSP" or "TMDEP".
  • After 1996, tapes duplicated at MediaCopy, Inc. would have an engraving on the left side that indicates the company that distributed it.
  • Tapes from this duplicator, that say "TMDEP" or "TMDSP" in the printings, had a few additional seconds of black screen following the blank space at the very end.
  • Some EP/SLP (TMDEP) tapes from this duplicator may lack a hi-fi audio track; others may include it.
  • Some tapes with the tape speed’s initialism (e.g. T-120) in the printings, end abruptly.
  • Very rarely, a tape printed here may have a silent white screen test pattern at the end.
  • Tapes duplicated by this company's Los Angeles locations had a print date in dark ink, like this for example:
  T-48      99-3M    082195     M
                     1142       P
  • But instead, on some New Line Home Video demo tapes, there were white printings above the recording tab spot, like this for example:

T-127

CS

  • Tapes from the Los Angeles locations also had white printings on the left side of the tape, like this for example:

PA12220 01

0445 150619

Known abbreviation letter codes

  • 131 - Columbia House Video Club (1996-2003)
  • MGM/UA - MGM/UA Home Video (1996-1999)
  • MGM - MGM Home Entertainment (1999-2004)
  • WHV - Warner Home Video (1989-1997), Turner Home Entertainment (1997)
  • OHV - Orion Home Video (1996-1999)

Known stock number prefix codes

  • WCVD (1988-1996)
  • MCI (1996-2002)
  • INFO (2002-2005)
  • JLB - J.L. Bowerbank & Associates (199?-199?)
  • PAR - Paramount Home Video (1998)

Gallery

West Coast Video Duplicating, Inc.

  • An ad for the company, circa 1991

    An ad for the company, circa 1991

  • An example of what the dark ink printings looked like on some, but not all, early tapes prior to 1990.

    An example of what the dark ink printings looked like on some, but not all, early tapes prior to 1990.

  • An example of what the printings on tapes from early 1990 look like. It may be hard to see in this particular scan.

    An example of what the printings on tapes from early 1990 look like. It may be hard to see in this particular scan.

  • An example of what the dark ink printings looked like from late 1990 to 1996.

    An example of what the dark ink printings looked like from late 1990 to 1996.

  • Same example as picture #3, except the letters read "JLB".

    Same example as picture #3, except the letters read "JLB".

  • This is an example of what print dates on tapes printed in Los Angeles looked like. It may be hard to see in this capture.

    This is an example of what print dates on tapes printed in Los Angeles looked like. It may be hard to see in this capture.

  • This is an example of what the white printings on the left side of tapes printed in Los Angeles looked like.

    This is an example of what the white printings on the left side of tapes printed in Los Angeles looked like.

  • While most tapes by West Coast Video Duplicating didn't usually have anything in the vertical blanking interval, a few Orion Home Video tapes in EP/SLP mode had information like this in the vertical blanking interval.

    While most tapes by West Coast Video Duplicating didn't usually have anything in the vertical blanking interval, a few Orion Home Video tapes in EP/SLP mode had information like this in the vertical blanking interval.

MediaCopy

  • Tapes on an assembly line at one of the company's plants.

    Tapes on an assembly line at one of the company's plants.

  • An example of what the ink printings looked like on some mid-late 1996 tapes.

    An example of what the ink printings looked like on some mid-late 1996 tapes.

  • An example of what the ink printings looked like from late 1996 to 2002.

    An example of what the ink printings looked like from late 1996 to 2002.

  • An example of what the ink printings looked like from 2002 to 2003.

    An example of what the ink printings looked like from 2002 to 2003.

  • An example of what the ink printings looked like from 2003 to 2005.

    An example of what the ink printings looked like from 2003 to 2005.

  • On some 2004 tapes, the printings did not say INFO.

    On some 2004 tapes, the printings did not say INFO.

Locations

  • Beverly Hills, California (199?-????)
  • Brisbane, California (1987-1995) (moved to San Leandro)
  • Culver City, California (1990-199?) (acquired from Media Home Entertainment, moved to Beverly Hills)
  • El Paso, Texas (1998-2004)
  • Juarez, Chihuahua (1998-2004)
  • San Leandro, California (1995-2001)

Website

Trivia

  • Some tapes with the company's WC initialism on the printing on the tape spine, specifically Strand Home Video tapes pressed in late 1994, were instead duplicated at Technicolor Video Services, possibly as a result of Video Treasures being Strand Home Video's distributor in the US at the time.
  • In May 1994, West Coast Video Duplicating sued Michael Nesmith for $4.8 million due to unpaid bills for video duplication services. According to court records, the actual amount was $2.4 million. Since the invoices clearly showed his company liable for the services, Nesmith and his lawyers opted for a trial with a jury in an attempt to delay the proceedings while he tried to win a lawsuit with PBS.
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