MediaCopy

From Home Video

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 (1987-2005)
  • 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)
  • Jesus Video Project
  • 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, The Star Wars Trilogy Animated Collection and ABC Video Enterprises 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)

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). 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.
      • On tapes distributed in Canada by Orion Home Video through J.L. Bowerbank & Associates, the letters would say "JLB".
  • 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. On some tapes printed using thermal magnetic duplication, 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. As indicated by these printings, they used thermal magnetic duplication systems from Otari.
  • EP/SLP tapes from this duplicator usually lack hi-fi sound.

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
  • OHV - tapes released by Orion Home Video

Known stock number prefix codes

  • WCVD - tapes printed between 1990 and 1996
  • MCI - tapes printed between 1996 and 2002
  • INFO - tapes printed after 2002
  • JLB - tapes released by J.L. Bowerbank & Associates in Canada

Gallery

West Coast Video Duplicating

  • An example of what the dark ink printing looks like from 1991 to 1996.

    An example of what the dark ink printing looks like from 1991 to 1996.

  • Same example as picture #2, except the letters read "JLB".

    Same example as picture #2, except the letters read "JLB".

  • 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, Inc.

  • An example of what the ink printing looks like from 1996 to 2001.

    An example of what the ink printing looks like from 1996 to 2001.

Locations

  • Brisbane, California (1987-1995) (moved to San Leandro)
  • Culver City, California (1987-199?) (acquired from Media Home Entertainment)
  • El Paso, Texas (1998-2004)
  • Juarez, Chihuahua (1998-2004)
  • San Leandro, California (1995-2002)

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.
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