Video Cassette Duplicating Corp.
List of Customers
[edit]- Media Home Entertainment (1988-1992) (some self-distributed tapes; mostly tapes distributed by Video Treasures)
- Hi-Tops Video (1990-1992) (tapes distributed by Video Treasures)
- The Nostalgia Merchant (1988) (some self-distributed tapes)
- Video Treasures (1985-1992)
- Burbank Video (1989, 1991-1992)
- MNTEX Entertainment (1991-1992)
How to Tell
[edit]- Some pre-1989 tapes may have the record tab intact. Most tapes omit it, however.
- Pre-1986 tapes may have a silent color bars test pattern.
- 1986-1987 tapes may have a silent white screen test pattern.
- Most post-1988 tapes switch from color to black and white for either one or a few seconds, then back to color, at the beginning, middle and/or end.
- Some post-1988 tapes have a hi-fi track, in addition to a linear one.
- On most 1988-1990 tapes printed in Hackensack where the face label is inked/silkscreened, the lettering is grey. However, on most post-1989 tapes printed in Cincinnati, the lettering is plain white.
- Most 1987-1990 tapes have a dark ink print date in an unusual format, preceded by the nominal length. However, some pre-1987 tapes do not have any printings at all; neither do most post-1989 tapes printed in Cincinnati.
- For example, if the print date reads "AUG 25 89", that means the tape was printed on August 25, 1989.
- Some copies of Abbott & Costello - Colgate Comedy Hour Vol. 5, from Burbank Video, printed in Cincinnati had a whirring sound effect at the beginning of the tape for some reason (presumably from the master tape it was duplicated from), which sounded like someone saying "Whooooooooo…". This credential occurred right before the tracking control disclaimer. Said copy was printed in early 1992, according to the face label (which is a sticker) on the tape which has the Video Treasures logo.
- Some copies of 25 Classic All-Star Cartoons Vol. 1, from Burbank Video, printed in Cincinatti had a faint clock ticking sound effect at the beginning of the tape for some reason (presumably from the master tape it was duplicated from). This credential occurred right before the tracking control disclaimer.
- One known copy of Tales of Robin Hood, from Burbank Video, printed in Cincinnati (recycled from an unsold copy of The Glory Boys, from Video Treasures) has 5 and a quarter minutes of blank tape at the beginning.
- Some Burbank Video tapes printed in Cincinnati beginning in mid-1991, as well as some copies of Sugar & Spice: Cinderella and The Jungle Bookfrom Saban Video through Video Treasures, used a face label for an older Video Treasures release of either the same or a similar title, albeit with the Video Treasures logo and copyright notice usually being pre-erased.
- On at least one known Burbank Video tape, The Story of Elvis Presley: A Documented Legend, the face label itself was a completely new one albeit with the aforementioned credentials, in turn with the copyright notice dated 1990 (ironically when the title was originally released). Some copies had those credentials pre-erased, while one known copy had them present.
- One known copy of More Baby Songs from Hi-Tops Video through Video Treasures, printed in Cincinnati in 1991, had the first second of the warning screens cut off. Another known such copy had the warning screens entirely removed, as well as the first couple of seconds of the Hi-Tops Video logo chopped off, at the beginning.
Gallery
[edit]-
This is what the dark ink print date, used on some tapes from 1988 to 1990, looks like.
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Locations
[edit]- Cincinnati, Ohio (1989-1992) (ultimately consolidated into Technicolor's Livonia operations)
- Hackensack, New Jersey (1985-1990) (possibly mostly consolidated into Technicolor's Livonia operations, while some assets may have been possibly consolidated into their Newbury Park counterpart)
- Marina Del Rey, California (1988-199?) (acquired from Hal Roach)
Trivia
[edit]- A few issues of Billboard Magazine published after 1989 referred to the company as Video Treasures.