MediaCopy
History
The company's origins date back to 1987 when Media Home Entertainment, a subsidiary of Heron International, spun-off its video duplication arm. As part of the spin-off, Media Home Entertainment had a multi-year duplication contract with this company.
Former names
- West Coast Video Duplicating (1987-1996)
List of Customers
- Anime Village
- Central Park Media
- Columbia House Video (1987-2002)
- HIT Entertainment (2001-2002) (Bob the Builder and Kipper tapes)
- Lyrick Studios (1993-1995, 2001) (in 2001, only for Bob the Builder and Kipper tapes)
- Live Entertainment (some copies of Paula Abdul: Get Up and Dance and The Substitute)
- MCA Music Video
- MGM Home Entertainment (1990-2004)
- Orion Home Video (1987-1998)
- Fries Home Video (1987-1989)
- MPI Home Video (1991-????)
- Pacific Arts Video
- Pioneer Entertainment (1994-2000)
- PolyGram Video
- Prism Entertainment
- Shapiro Glickenhaus Entertainment
- Simon Marketing (1991-1992) (The Berenstain Bears and The Star Wars Trilogy Animated Collection tapes)
- SyberVision
- Video Treasures (1994)
- Strand Home Video (1992-1994)
- Media Home Entertainment (1987-1993)
- Vidmark Entertainment
- Viz Video
- Warner Home Video (some copies of Batman and Batman Returns)
- Turner Home Entertainment (1987-1997)
- Hanna-Barbera Home Video (1992)
- New Line Home Video (1991-1997)
- Nelson Entertainment (1987-1991)
- Turner Home Entertainment (1987-1997)
How to Tell
- By around 1989, VHS tapes duplicated by West Coast Video Duplicating (later MediaCopy, Inc.) have visible ink information on the bottom middle side of the tape that is printed in a couple of different colors, but sometimes the color of the printings is invisible, like dark purple, for example.
- The information on the tape includes the print date and time on the right. Next to the print date and time are letters that say "WCV" (1989-1991), "WCVD" (1991-1996) or MCI (post-1996). 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.
- On tapes distributed in Canada by Orion Home Video through J.L. Bowerbank & Associates, the letters would say "JLB".
- The information on the tape includes the print date and time on the right. Next to the print date and time are letters that say "WCV" (1989-1991), "WCVD" (1991-1996) or MCI (post-1996). On tapes with a different color cassette, the color and style of the printing varied.
- On tapes distributed by Fries Home Video prior to 1989, the front tape label would say "WCV" (1988-1989) or "WCVD" (1989) on the bottom right.
- In addition, tapes duplicated at this company also have two different length codes 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 with a side label digit on the middle.
- After 1996, tapes duplicated at MediaCopy, Inc. would have an engraving on the left side that indicates the company that distributed it.
- EP/SLP tapes from this duplicator usually lack hi-fi sound.
- Some tapes from this duplicator, that say "TMDEP" or "TMDSP" in the printings, had a few additional seconds of black screen after the blank space at the very end.
Known abbreviation letter codes
- 131 - tapes sold through Columbia House Video
- MGM/UA - pre-1999 tapes released under the MGM/UA Home Video label
- MGM - post-1999 tapes released under the MGM Home Entertainment label
- WHV - 1997 tapes released under the respective subsidiaries of Warner Home Video
Known lot number prefix codes
- WCVD - tapes printed between 1990 and 1996
- MCI - tapes printed between 1996 and 2001
- INFO - tapes printed after 2001
- JLB - tapes released by J.L. Bowerbank & Associates in Canada
Gallery
West Coast Video Duplicating
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An example of what the dark ink printing looks like from 1991 to 1996.
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Same example as picture #2, except the letters read "JLB".
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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, Inc.
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An example of what the ink printing looks like from 1996 to 2001.
Locations
- Brisbane, California (1987-1995)
- Culver City, California (1987-199?) (acquired from Media Home Entertainment)
- El Paso, Texas (1998-2004)
- Juarez, Chihuahua (1998-2004)
- San Leandro, California (1995-2002)