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Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Logo descriptions by James Stanley Barr and Kris Starring
Logo captures by V of Doom, EnormousRat, and others
Editions by V of Doom and kidinbed
Video captures courtesy of Tlogos, Eric S., MacroSunshine, Royger Short, and Watcher3223
Background: Universal Home Entertainment was founded in 1977 as the MCA DiscoVision. It didn't sell too well and MCA closed its former videodisc division in 1981. After this, MCA created two video labels; MCA VideoDisc (which lasted until 1983) and MCA Videocassette (which lasted until 1984). However, the "MCA Home Video" moniker was applied to both VHS and disc releases and became simply known as "MCA Home Video". In 1990, MCA Home Video renamed itself as "MCA/Universal Home Video" to captailize the Universal Studios name. Later in 1997, it renamed itself what is known today as "Universal Studios Home Entertainment".
MCA DiscoVision
1st Logo
(1977) 
Nickname: "Glowing V-LaserDisc"
Logo: We start out with glowing blue light in the center of the screen. The glowing light shrinks until it is the size of a small circle embedded in an yellow upside down triangle split vertically in the center. The words "MCA DISCO-VISION" appear on top of the triangle.
FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: The shrinking of the light in the center of the screen.
Music/Sounds: A drum beat followed by a violin stinger.
Availability: Only used in a 1977 test pressing that was used as a public display by MCA, so this is considered ultra rare.
Scare Factor: Low to medium; the somewhat creepy music and the glowing may scare some.
2nd Logo
(1978-1981)
Nickname: "Big V"
Logo: The words "DISCOVISION" crawl across the entire screen in a rainbow of colors, and rows of vertical orange lines appear on the screen. The center lines open up in a rainbow of colors to reveal a white "V", with "DISCO" and "ISION" appearing on the left and right sides of the V, respectively, appearing on a blackish background with a large blue-green streak in the middle. The DiscoVision logo sparkles for a second and then an abrupt cut to black.
Variants:
FX/SFX: The crawling of the "DISCOVISION" letters, the appearance of the logo, the splitting of the logo, the sparkling of the logo.
Cheesy Factor: Scanimate animation. DiscoVision was MCA's baby (at the time).
Music/Sounds: A flute tune accompanied by a lavishly orchestrated theme.
Availability: Seen on every DiscoVision release from 1978 to 1981.
Scare Factor: Low; a good logo to be exact.
_______________________________________________________________
MCA Videodisc
Background: After the somewhat abrupt failure of MCA's DiscoVision system, a new videodisc label arose from the ashes known as MCA Videodisc, which lasted until 1983.
(1981-1983)
Nickname: "Flashing MCA Rainbow (of Doom)"
Logo: On a black screen, the words "A PRESENTATION OF" zoom out in the 1980 MCA font in yellow before dissolving in the center. Following that are streaks of rainbow color that zoom out to the middle of the screen and flash to form...
...all in the MCA logo font. More rainbow streaks of light shoot out of the words and then settle back in.
FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: 80's computer effects.
Music/Sounds: A synth drone that culminates in a dreamy siren-like sound, ending with some synth bass notes to fade.
Availability: Rare; seen on all MCA Videodisc releases from 1981 to 1983.
Scare Factor: Medium to high; the dark nature of the logo, abruptness, and slightly creepy synth music make this a scary logo. The scare factor is much lower for those who are used to seeing it.
_______________________________________________________________
MCA Videocassette, Inc.
Background: MCA Videocassette, Inc. was a videocassette label which lasted from 1980 to 1984.
(1980-1984)
Nickname: "The Arc"
Logo: On a black background, the MCA logo appears in the center of the screen colored in blue. The words "VIDEOCASSETTE INC.", in a white segmented pattern, which 
seem to be spaced farther apart when they reach the bottom, surround the MCA logo, looking like the CBS/FOX logo.
Variant: Black and white movies featured this logo in black and white.
FX/SFX: The appearance of "VIDEOCASSETTE INC.".
Cheesy Factor: The logo looked cheap. MCA was heavily invested in laserdisc at the time.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Seen on every release from 1980 to 1984.
Scare Factor: Low; the appearance of the logo may scare some.
_______________________________________________________________
MCA Home Video
1st Logo
(1983-1984)
Nicknames: "The Silver MCA", "VHS Assembly"
Logo: On this still logo, we find a silver/chrome MCA Home Video logo. This logo has the usual MCA logo (with the C and A connected) and the word "HOME VIDEO" (in a
sleek, smaller font that has the same width as MCA) in a box that resembles a videotape (but MCA overlaps this box on the top, making it "cut open"). All of this takes place on an oatmeal gray background.
Variant: There is a variant where the "MCA HOME VIDEO" logo was in red and on a black background. This variant is nicknamed "The Red MCA".
FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: A pretty tough find. This was only used for one year before replacing it with the next logo. Was seen on a VHS release of The Deer Hunter. The red variation is ULTRA RARE! This was used in tandem with the MCA Videocassette logo from 1983 until 1984.
Scare Factor: None.
2nd Logo
(December 1983-1990)
Nicknames: "The Gold MCA", "The Zooming MCA"
Logo: On a CGI starry background, the MCA Home Video logo zooms in slowly, like the Universal globe at the time. The logo fades out to the starry background for a second, and then an entire fade to black.
Variants:
FX/SFX: The stars, the zooming in on the logo.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Seen on every MCA release of the period, such as the 1988 video release of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and The Land Before Time.
Scare Factor: Low; a good logo to be exact.
_______________________________________________________________
MCA/Universal Home Video
1st Logo
(1990-1997)
Nicknames: "The Clean Globe", "Shiny Globe"
Logo: On a black background, we see the following text all centered:
The text shines and soon afterwards, a globe (showing only the Americas) fades in the center. A starfield fades in behind everything else, then the text shines again.
Variants:
FX/SFX: The slow appearances of the globe and space and the sparkling of the logo.
Music/Sounds: None. However, on The Making of E.T., the opening theme plays over the logo.
Availability: Rare. Seen on releases of the era such as The Making of E.T. and An American Tale: Fievel Goes West. The last videos to use this logo were Mystery Science Theatre 3000: The Movie, The Trigger Effect, and very early Universal Home Video releases.
Scare Factor: None, this is a very clean and beautiful logo.
2nd Logo
(1994-1997)
Nicknames: "Airplane Passing Globe" (not the early Universal logo), "The Filmstrips", "Rotating Globe"
Logo: On a space background, we see an airplane passing over the globe, as usual, posed against on screen. Suddenly, rainbow filmstrips are seen falling over the logo before the sky fades in. Over the globe, we see these words coming from the left and right sides of the screen (respectively):
A few seconds later, a red orange/yellow gradient fire forms the words "HOME VIDEO" underneath, with a line above it.
Variants: There are two variations of this logo. The first one is a short version in which the airplane and filmstrips are cut out. The second one is a still version of the logo without music.
FX/SFX: The airplane passing globe, the transition from black and white to color.
Music/Sounds: An orchestration of the Back to the Future theme. On the short version, the music is cut short. On the still logo, there is no music at all.
Availability: Uncommon. Seen on releases of the era such asThe Land Before Time II, Jurassic Park, and the 1996 VHS release of E.T. It debuted on The Little Rascals film adaptation (the short version). The still version appeared on The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth: Molar Island before the previews. The long version can be seen on the trailer for The Shadow.
Scare Factor: None to low.
_______________________________________________________________
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
(1997- )
Nickname: "CGI Globe #2"
Logo: Only the current Universal Pictures logo with no video indicator whatsoever.
FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: The same as the regular Universal logo from 1997.
Music/Sounds: The same as the regular Universal logo from 1997.
Availability: Current. Appears on Driect-to-Video DVDS and made-for-TV family specials such as Balto III: Wings of Changes, Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior, Alvin and the Chipmunks meet Frankenstein and The Wolfman, and the 1971-1982 Dr. Seuss/DFE animated specials, among others.
Scare Factor: The same as the regular Universal logo from 1997.
_______________________________________________________________
Universal HD-DVD
(2006-2008)
Logo: The above logo plays normally, but at the end, the logo zooms back to reveal it is being reflected in a giant HD-DVD logo in the same space background. The logo shines.
FX/SFX: Same as the above logo, except the end.
Music/Sounds: See above.
Availability: On every Universal HD-DVD.
Scare Factor: None, unless the sudden logo transition gets to you.
Logo captures by V of Doom, EnormousRat, and others
Editions by V of Doom and kidinbed
Video captures courtesy of Tlogos, Eric S., MacroSunshine, Royger Short, and Watcher3223
Background: Universal Home Entertainment was founded in 1977 as the MCA DiscoVision. It didn't sell too well and MCA closed its former videodisc division in 1981. After this, MCA created two video labels; MCA VideoDisc (which lasted until 1983) and MCA Videocassette (which lasted until 1984). However, the "MCA Home Video" moniker was applied to both VHS and disc releases and became simply known as "MCA Home Video". In 1990, MCA Home Video renamed itself as "MCA/Universal Home Video" to captailize the Universal Studios name. Later in 1997, it renamed itself what is known today as "Universal Studios Home Entertainment".
MCA DiscoVision
1st Logo
(1977)
Nickname: "Glowing V-LaserDisc"
Logo: We start out with glowing blue light in the center of the screen. The glowing light shrinks until it is the size of a small circle embedded in an yellow upside down triangle split vertically in the center. The words "MCA DISCO-VISION" appear on top of the triangle.
FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: The shrinking of the light in the center of the screen.
Music/Sounds: A drum beat followed by a violin stinger.
Availability: Only used in a 1977 test pressing that was used as a public display by MCA, so this is considered ultra rare.
Scare Factor: Low to medium; the somewhat creepy music and the glowing may scare some.
2nd Logo
(1978-1981)
Nickname: "Big V"
Logo: The words "DISCOVISION" crawl across the entire screen in a rainbow of colors, and rows of vertical orange lines appear on the screen. The center lines open up in a rainbow of colors to reveal a white "V", with "DISCO" and "ISION" appearing on the left and right sides of the V, respectively, appearing on a blackish background with a large blue-green streak in the middle. The DiscoVision logo sparkles for a second and then an abrupt cut to black.
Variants:
- On 1979-1981 releases, a copyright notice appeared underneath the DiscoVision logo.
- Black and white DiscoVision movies featured this logo in black and white.
- If played on a non-DiscoVision player, the text crawl animation is skipped over, leaving just the colors opening up.
FX/SFX: The crawling of the "DISCOVISION" letters, the appearance of the logo, the splitting of the logo, the sparkling of the logo.
Cheesy Factor: Scanimate animation. DiscoVision was MCA's baby (at the time).
Music/Sounds: A flute tune accompanied by a lavishly orchestrated theme.
Availability: Seen on every DiscoVision release from 1978 to 1981.
Scare Factor: Low; a good logo to be exact.
_______________________________________________________________
MCA Videodisc
Background: After the somewhat abrupt failure of MCA's DiscoVision system, a new videodisc label arose from the ashes known as MCA Videodisc, which lasted until 1983.
(1981-1983)
Nickname: "Flashing MCA Rainbow (of Doom)"
Logo: On a black screen, the words "A PRESENTATION OF" zoom out in the 1980 MCA font in yellow before dissolving in the center. Following that are streaks of rainbow color that zoom out to the middle of the screen and flash to form...
MCA
VIDEODISC
VIDEODISC
...all in the MCA logo font. More rainbow streaks of light shoot out of the words and then settle back in.
FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: 80's computer effects.
Music/Sounds: A synth drone that culminates in a dreamy siren-like sound, ending with some synth bass notes to fade.
Availability: Rare; seen on all MCA Videodisc releases from 1981 to 1983.
Scare Factor: Medium to high; the dark nature of the logo, abruptness, and slightly creepy synth music make this a scary logo. The scare factor is much lower for those who are used to seeing it.
_______________________________________________________________
MCA Videocassette, Inc.
Background: MCA Videocassette, Inc. was a videocassette label which lasted from 1980 to 1984.
(1980-1984)
Nickname: "The Arc"
Logo: On a black background, the MCA logo appears in the center of the screen colored in blue. The words "VIDEOCASSETTE INC.", in a white segmented pattern, which
Variant: Black and white movies featured this logo in black and white.
FX/SFX: The appearance of "VIDEOCASSETTE INC.".
Cheesy Factor: The logo looked cheap. MCA was heavily invested in laserdisc at the time.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Seen on every release from 1980 to 1984.
Scare Factor: Low; the appearance of the logo may scare some.
_______________________________________________________________
MCA Home Video
1st Logo
(1983-1984)
Nicknames: "The Silver MCA", "VHS Assembly"
Logo: On this still logo, we find a silver/chrome MCA Home Video logo. This logo has the usual MCA logo (with the C and A connected) and the word "HOME VIDEO" (in a
sleek, smaller font that has the same width as MCA) in a box that resembles a videotape (but MCA overlaps this box on the top, making it "cut open"). All of this takes place on an oatmeal gray background.Variant: There is a variant where the "MCA HOME VIDEO" logo was in red and on a black background. This variant is nicknamed "The Red MCA".
FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: A pretty tough find. This was only used for one year before replacing it with the next logo. Was seen on a VHS release of The Deer Hunter. The red variation is ULTRA RARE! This was used in tandem with the MCA Videocassette logo from 1983 until 1984.
Scare Factor: None.
2nd Logo
(December 1983-1990)
Nicknames: "The Gold MCA", "The Zooming MCA"
Logo: On a CGI starry background, the MCA Home Video logo zooms in slowly, like the Universal globe at the time. The logo fades out to the starry background for a second, and then an entire fade to black.
Variants:
- Some later releases featured an announcement asking the viewer to stay tuned for previews of future releases that faded out shortly before the logo's appearance.
- MCA releases co-released by Goodtimes Home Video have "UNDER LICENSE TO" at the bottom of the screen. The Goodtimes logo of the period would follow.
- On some French-Canadian tapes such as A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child, a French FBI Warning will appear before the logo.
FX/SFX: The stars, the zooming in on the logo.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Seen on every MCA release of the period, such as the 1988 video release of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and The Land Before Time.
Scare Factor: Low; a good logo to be exact.
_______________________________________________________________
MCA/Universal Home Video
1st Logo
(1990-1997)
Nicknames: "The Clean Globe", "Shiny Globe"
Logo: On a black background, we see the following text all centered:
MC/\
UNIVERSAL
H O M E------------------V I D E O
UNIVERSAL
H O M E------------------V I D E O
The text shines and soon afterwards, a globe (showing only the Americas) fades in the center. A starfield fades in behind everything else, then the text shines again.
Variants:
- On the Car Wash 1996 release, the MCA/Universal logo plays normally without music, but at the end, the words "UNDER LICENSE TO" pops up, peeking above the globe as the logo fades out. The Goodtimes Home Video logo would follow.
- Some MCA/Universal releases have a Goodtimes byline at the bottom.
- On The Making of E.T., the logo is sped up.
FX/SFX: The slow appearances of the globe and space and the sparkling of the logo.
Music/Sounds: None. However, on The Making of E.T., the opening theme plays over the logo.
Availability: Rare. Seen on releases of the era such as The Making of E.T. and An American Tale: Fievel Goes West. The last videos to use this logo were Mystery Science Theatre 3000: The Movie, The Trigger Effect, and very early Universal Home Video releases.
Scare Factor: None, this is a very clean and beautiful logo.
2nd Logo
(1994-1997)
Nicknames: "Airplane Passing Globe" (not the early Universal logo), "The Filmstrips", "Rotating Globe"
Logo: On a space background, we see an airplane passing over the globe, as usual, posed against on screen. Suddenly, rainbow filmstrips are seen falling over the logo before the sky fades in. Over the globe, we see these words coming from the left and right sides of the screen (respectively):
MC/\
UNIVERSAL
UNIVERSAL
A few seconds later, a red orange/yellow gradient fire forms the words "HOME VIDEO" underneath, with a line above it.
Variants: There are two variations of this logo. The first one is a short version in which the airplane and filmstrips are cut out. The second one is a still version of the logo without music.
FX/SFX: The airplane passing globe, the transition from black and white to color.
Music/Sounds: An orchestration of the Back to the Future theme. On the short version, the music is cut short. On the still logo, there is no music at all.
Availability: Uncommon. Seen on releases of the era such asThe Land Before Time II, Jurassic Park, and the 1996 VHS release of E.T. It debuted on The Little Rascals film adaptation (the short version). The still version appeared on The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth: Molar Island before the previews. The long version can be seen on the trailer for The Shadow.
Scare Factor: None to low.
_______________________________________________________________
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
(1997- )
Nickname: "CGI Globe #2"
Logo: Only the current Universal Pictures logo with no video indicator whatsoever.
FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: The same as the regular Universal logo from 1997.
Music/Sounds: The same as the regular Universal logo from 1997.
Availability: Current. Appears on Driect-to-Video DVDS and made-for-TV family specials such as Balto III: Wings of Changes, Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior, Alvin and the Chipmunks meet Frankenstein and The Wolfman, and the 1971-1982 Dr. Seuss/DFE animated specials, among others.
Scare Factor: The same as the regular Universal logo from 1997.
_______________________________________________________________
Universal HD-DVD
(2006-2008)
FX/SFX: Same as the above logo, except the end.
Music/Sounds: See above.
Availability: On every Universal HD-DVD.
VofDoom |
Latest page update: made by VofDoom
, Nov 4 2009, 8:41 PM EST
(about this update
About This Update
Edited by VofDoom
2 words added 1 word deleted view changes - complete history) |
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Keyword tags:
General Electric
NBC Universal Inc.
Universal Studios
More Info: links to this page
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELIEB | MCA VIDEOCASSETTE | 0 | Oct 22 2009, 1:50 PM EDT by ELIEB | ||
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Thread started: Oct 22 2009, 1:50 PM EDT
Watch
i have a copy of the blues brothers and i will post it on youtube soon (within a week)
Do you find this valuable?
Keyword tags:
General Electric
NBC Universal Inc.
Universal Studios
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| Yoshidude987 | MCA 1981 to 1983, CUTE! | 0 | Oct 9 2009, 6:21 PM EDT by Yoshidude987 | ||
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Thread started: Oct 9 2009, 6:21 PM EDT
Watch
The MCA "Rainbow" logo is so cute!! I love this logo, mainly my children may love the rainbow font. It is less scary for me, because of the font colors, the funny synth music, and the flashes.
Do you find this valuable?
Keyword tags:
General Electric
NBC Universal Inc.
Universal Studios
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| THELOGOfactory1.12 | Movie | 0 | Sep 3 2009, 6:52 PM EDT by THELOGOfactory1.12 | ||
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Thread started: Sep 3 2009, 6:52 PM EDT
Watch
Wait a minute. Was "PGatSW" really distrubuted by Universal? Because all the other Pokemon films were from Disney.
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