Tape manufacturers

This list is dedicated to the tape stock companies and their customers.

3M

Customers

• 3M
• Buena Vista Home Video
  • Walt Disney Home Video
• Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment/RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video/Columbia TriStar Home Video
• Fotomat Video
• Magnetic Video Corporation/20th Century Fox Video/CBS/Fox Video
• MCA Videocassette, Inc./MCA Home Video
• MGM/CBS Home Video/MGM/UA Home Video
• Paramount Home Video
• Thorn EMI Video/Thorn EMI/HBO Video
• Time-Life Video
• VCI Home Video
• WCI Home Video/Warner Home Video
• World Video Pictures

Known duplicators

• Deluxe Video Services
  • Columbia Pictures Videocassette Services
• Technicolor Video Services
  • AstralTech
  • The CBS/Fox Company

How to tell

• Tapes manufactured prior to the late 1980s would have the text "Load this way - Do not touch tape" either engraved in white, or moulded, on the tape guard. On some PAL tapes, it may have the words "Copyright Programme" instead.
• On some tapes, especially early ones, the Scotch logo is either engraved in white, or moulded, on the tape guard.
• Mid 1980s-early 1990s tapes may have the Scotch logo engraved above the record tab.
• On Scotch VHS VCR Head Cleaner tapes, the title of the product is written in white on the tape guard.

Agfa-Gevaert

Customers

• MGM/UA Home Video
• SportsChannel/Rainbow Home Video
• United Home Video

How to tell

• The Agfa logo can be found above the record tab.

• 

Ampex

Customers

• Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment
• Fotomat Video
• Magnetic Video Corporation
• MCA Videocassette Inc.
• MGM/CBS Home Video
• Paramount Home Video
• Time-Life Video
• WCI Home Video

Known duplicators

• Allied Digital Technologies
  • VCA-Teletronics
• Deluxe Video Services
  • Columbia Pictures Videocassette Services
• Producers Color Service
• Technicolor Video Services
  • The CBS/Fox Company

How to tell

• For Betamax, the words "Do not touch the tape inside - Insert this side into recorder" may be found on the tape guard.

BASF

Customers

• Lionsgate Home Entertainment
  • Artisan Entertainment (1987-2004)
    • Vestron Video (1987-1992)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1995-2007)
  • Video Treasures (1986-1998)
    • Burbank Video (1987-1995)
      • Jenal Entertainment (1987-1991)
      • Viking Video Classics/Troy Gold (1987-1989)
    • MNTEX Entertainment (1987-1998)
    • Strand Home Video (1989-1994)
  • Starmaker Entertainment
• Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (1987-2007)
• Lyrick Studios (1998-2001)
• HiT Entertainment (2001-2006)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (1994-2007)
• Sterling Entertainment Group
  • UAV Corporation (1985-1998)
  • VidAmerica, Inc. (1987-1992)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (1994-2007)
• Warner Home Video (1987-2007)
• MGM Home Entertainment (1987-2007)
  • Orion Home Video

Known duplicators

• Allied Vaughn
• Deluxe Video Services
  • Video Technology Services
• Mirror Image Duplication Services
• Premiere America Inc.
• Premiere Video
• Technicolor Video Services

How to tell

• Certain tapes may have the safety notice text on the tape guard in English and French. It would be found written as "Do not touch the video tape - Ne touchez pas la bande vidéo" or "DO NOT TOUCH THE TAPE - NE TOUCHEZ PAS LA BANDE VIDEO".
• Tapes manufactured after 2001 have "TTGNIC" moulded on the back of the cassette, usually next to the supply reel.
• Tapes manufactured prior to 1990 would have the safety notice on the tape guard engraved in white, while tapes manufactured after would have it moulded in a cheesier font.
• Tapes are duplicated using thermal magnetic duplication, which requires chromium dioxide tape (a BASF exclusive). Many are branded under license as 3M, Agfa-Gevaert, Memorex, PDM Magnetics, Sony, and TDK, among others.

• 

  An example of a BASF tape.

Fujifilm

Customers

• Astral Video [Canadian]
• Family Home Entertainment
• Magnetic Video Corporation
• Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment/RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video [Canadian]
• Media Home Entertainment
• Paragon Video Productions
• Thorn EMI Video
• Time-Life Video
• Buena Vista Home Video [Canadian]
  • Touchstone Home Video
  • Walt Disney Home Video

Known duplicators

• Deluxe Video Services
  • Columbia Pictures Videocassette Services
  • Video Technology Services
• Media Home Entertainment
• Premiere America Inc.
• Technicolor Video Services
  • AstralTech
  • The CBS/Fox Company

How to tell

• Tapes manufactured prior to 1990 may have the Fuji name on the tape guard.
• During the 1990s, some tapes had dark ink code information, including the day-year code.
  • For example, if the code reads "8 200 91 1311", then that means that the side of the tape is labeled 8 and that the tape was manufactured on the 200th day of 1991, or July 19, 1991, at 01:11 PM.

• 

Global Zero

Customers

• 3-G Home Video
• Alpha Video Distributors, Inc.
• Capcom U.S.A., Inc.
• Ford Motor Company
• General Motors
• Goldstar Video Corporation
• McDonald's
• Midway
• NordicTrack
• Rock Video Monthly
• United American Video Corporation
• Wahl Clipper Corporation
• Walt Disney Home Video
• Warner Home Video

Known duplicators

• 3-G Videocassette Corporation
• Allied Vaughn
• Alpha Video Distributors, Inc.
• Digital Communications Technology Corporation
• Mirror Image Duplication Services
• Rank Video Services America (Street Fighter II Turbo only)
• Resolution Video Production and Duplication
• Technicolor Video Services
• WEA Manufacturing

How to tell

• TBD

JVC

Customers

• Allied Artists Video
• Hellfire Video
• Magnetic Video Corporation
• Media Home Entertainment

Known duplicators

• Deluxe Video Services
• Media Home Entertainment
• Technicolor Video Services
  • The CBS/Fox Company

How to tell

• Very early tapes would have the text, "DON’T TOUCH TAPE INSIDE - KEEP CLOSED", written on the top of the tape guard.
• Some tapes would have the JVC logo on the tape guard.

Kodak

Customers

• Congress Video Group
• Hanna-Barbera Home Video
• The Maier Group
• Paramount Home Video

Known duplicators

• Allied Film and Video Services
• Deluxe Video Services

Konica

Customers

• Active Home Video
• Roadshow Home Video [Australian]
• Video Gems

Known duplicators

• Roadshow Home Video [Australian]
• Video Gems

Maxell

Customers

• 20th Century-Fox Home Entertainment
  • CBS/Fox Video
    • 20th Century-Fox Video
• Fotomat Video
• MGM/UA Home Video
• Paramount Home Video
• Columbia/TriStar Home Video
  • RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video
• PBS Video
• Thorn EMI Video
• Time-Life Video
• VCI Home Video
• Buena Vista Home Video
  • Walt Disney Home Video
  • Touchstone Home Video
• Warner Home Video
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1995-2007)
  • Video Treasures (1988-1998)
    • Burbank Video (1988-1995)
      • Viking Video Classics/Troy Gold (1987-1989)
  • Starmaker Entertainment

Known duplicators

• Allied Vaughn
• Deluxe Video Services
  • Republic Pictures Home Video
• Full Perspective Video Services
• Technicolor Video Services
  • The CBS/Fox Company

How to tell

• Tapes manufactured after the early 1990s would have a safety notice written in a Helvetica-like font on the tape guard that says, "Insert this side into recorder" and "Do not touch the tape inside," with an up arrow between the two prompts while tapes manufactured before would have the up arrow below the tape guard instead of into the tape guard, and no safety notice anywhere.

Memorex

Customers

• ADV Films
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1995-1996)
  • Video Treasures (1990-1996)
    • Burbank Video (1988-1995)
      • Viking Video Classics/Troy Gold (1987-1989)
  • Starmaker Entertainment (1990-1996)
• Buena Vista Home Video (1987-1994)
  • Walt Disney Home Video
• PBS Video
• Sony Music Entertainment (1991-2003)
• Vestron Video
• Warner Home Video
  • Allied Artists Video
  • HBO Home Video

Known duplicators

• Deluxe Video Services
• Full Perspective Video Services, Inc.
• MediaCopy
  • Media Home Entertainment
• Scenewise, Inc.
• Sony Digital Audio Disc Corporation
• Technicolor Video Services

How to tell

• Many 1979-1998 tapes have one of four distinct shell designs, the most memorable being one with the top and bottom of the front having squares of horizontal bevels going across the surface. Since 1983, many such tapes have a white release button instead of the standard black release button. Some tapes duplicated by RVSA/Deluxe since the '90s alternatively have a green release button.
• Some 1987-1998 tapes have “Made in U.S.A.” or "MADE IN U.S.A." moulded on the back right of the cassette.
• Some 1987-2003 tapes have dark ink code information, including the day-year code.
  • For example, if the code reads "8 322 90 2211", then that means that the side of the tape is labeled 8 and that the tape was manufactured on the 322nd day of 1990, or November 18, 1990, at 10:11 PM.

• 

  This is an example of what the dark ink code on a Memorex tape looks like. In this picture, the code reads "8 003 89 2130", which means the side of the tape is labeled 8 and the tape was manufactured on the 3rd day of 1989 (January 3, 1989) at 09:30 PM.

• 

  This is another example of what the dark ink code on a Memorex tape looks like. This time, the code reads "2 332 90 0313", which means the side of the tape is labeled 2 and the tape was manufactured on the 332nd day of 1990 (November 28, 1990) at 03:13 AM.

• 

  Front of a Memorex tape.

• 

  Back of a Memorex tape. In this picture, "MADE IN U.S.A." is moulded on the back right.

• 

  Front of a Memorex tape.

• 

  Back of a Memorex tape.

Panasonic

Customers

• CBS/Fox Video
• Family Home Entertainment
• Paramount Home Video
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video
• Media Home Entertainment

Known duplicators

• Deluxe Video Services
  • Video Technology Services
• Technicolor Video Services
  • The CBS/Fox Company

RCA

Customers

• Magnetic Video Corporation
• MGM/UA Home Video
• VCI Home Video
• WCI Home Video
• Buena Vista Home Video
  • Walt Disney Home Video
  • Touchstone Home Video

Known duplicators

• Deluxe Video Services
• Technicolor Video Services
  • The CBS/Fox Company

How to tell

• The tape guard may have the RCA logo and the safety notice "Insert with this side up - Do not touch the tape inside".

Shape Genesis

Customers

• A.D. Vision
• AnimEigo
• Nintendo of America
• U.S. Renditions

Known duplicators

• Cine Magnetics
• Vaughn Communications Inc.
• VTR Productions

How to tell

• These tapes have shells with horizontal ridges going all the way across the front above and below the face label, and rectangular windows on either side of the label area that are smaller to accommodate larger labels. They are also comprised of less parts than the standard VHS cassette.

Sony

Customers

• Buena Vista Home Video
  • Walt Disney Home Video
• MGM/UA Home Video
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video
• Warner Home Video
  • HBO/Cannon Video

Known duplicators

• Deluxe Video Services
  • Video Technology Services
• Premiere America Inc.
• Sony Digital Audio Disc Corporation
• Technicolor Video Services

How to tell

For VHS, either small round depressions in the front shell of the cassette, or a large grid of squares along the entire front area thereof.

TDK

Customers

• Magnetic Video Corporation/20th Century-Fox Video/CBS/Fox Video
• MGM/CBS Home Video/MGM/UA Home Video
• Paramount Home Video
• Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment/RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video
• Fotomat Video
• MCA Videocassette, Inc.
• Time-Life Video/Vestron Video
• Thorn EMI Video/Thorn EMI/HBO Video
• U.S.A. Home Video
• Walt Disney Telecommunications and Non-Theatrical Company
  • Walt Disney Home Video
• WCI Home Video/Warner Home Video
• World Video Pictures

Known duplicators

• Deluxe Video Services
  • Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment
  • Video Technology Services
• Media Home Entertainment
• Technicolor Video Services
  • AstralTech
  • The CBS/Fox Company

How to tell

• The TDK logo can be found above the record tab.
• Tapes manufactured from 1978 to 1987 may have a year-week code printed above the record tab.
  • The first number is the last number of the year the tape was manufactured, and the last two numbers indicate the week.
    • E.G. if the code reads "AKAF413", it could mean the tape was manufactured on the 13th week of 1984.
  • On Betamax tapes, the code may be printed on the bottom spine.

• 

  An example of the TDK logo and a year-week code found above the record tab. The code shown on this image reads "AKAD423", meaning it was manufactured on the 23rd week of 1984.

Unknown tape manufacturers

See also information on other tape manufacturers that are currently unknown.

Notes

• The first companies to provide tape stocks for the physical media industry were the larger manufacturing companies, including those that invented the media formats and accessories.
  • 1930 - 3M invented the Scotch Tape which led to the formation of a sub-label called Scotch.
  • 1935 - TDK invented iron-based magnetic material upon their establishment.
  • 1961 - Memorex invented the computer tape.
  • 1975 - Sony invented the Beta format.
  • 1976 - JVC invented the VHS format.
  • 1987 - An improved version of the VHS format was developed by JVC, called S-VHS. In the meantime, the VHS format has won the war that it once had with the Beta format. As a result, VHS gained more popularity than Beta.
  • 1988 - Sony began making VHS players/recorders.
• The last companies to provide tape stocks for the industry were a soda and chemical manufacturer named BASF and a battery company named Maxell.