Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or hired for home entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into the DVD/Blu-Ray age.
The home video business distributes films, telemovies and television series in the form of videos in various formats to the public. These are either bought or rented, then watched privately from the comfort of home by consumers. Most theatrically released films are now released on DVD-Video, replacing the largely obsolete VHS (Video Home System) medium. The VCD format remains popular in Asia, though DVDs are gradually gaining popularity. Prior to the advent of home video in the late 1970s, most feature films were inaccessible after their theatrical runs, only viewable in re-releases and television broadcasts. Home video release usually follows five or six months after the theatrical release, although recently more films have been arriving on video after three or four months. A time period is often allowed to elapse between the end of theatrical release and the DVD/VHS release, as an effort to discourage piracy, or at least minimize the effect of piracy on the profitability of the theatrical release.
Many TV programs are now also available in complete seasons on DVD. It has become popular practice for defunct TV shows to be released to DVD one season a time every few months, and active shows to be released on DVD after the end of each season. Prior to the television DVDs, most television shows were only viewable in syndication, or on limited 'best of' VHS releases of selected episodes. These copyrighted movies and programs generally have legal restrictions on them preventing them from (amongst other things) being shown in public venues, shown to other people for money, or copied for other than fair use purposes (although such ability is limited by some jurisdictionas and media formats: see below).
There is great controversy about recent attempts to increase protections for rights owners using technical means such as Macrovision and CSS, and by the enactment of laws such as the DMCA, potentially hindering otherwise-lawful "fair-use" rights.
Major United States players in the home video business include Blockbuster Video and Netflix.
List of notable home video companies
The following companies are some of the notable organizations involved the business of producing and marketing pre-recorded cassettes and discs of various formats.
Others
Outside of the United States
 Argentina
- Argentina Video Home
- Gativideo
- Transmundo Video
 Australia
 Canada
- A and Y Productions (2003-now)
- HGV Video Productions (1980-Present, Canadian distributor of Goodtimes Home Video)
- Astral Video (Mid 1980s-1996)
- Vidtex Video
- Media West, Inc. (Low-budget Canadian counterpart of Worldvision Home Video)
- Alliance Releasing
- Video MPA
- Junior Home Video
- Imavision
- BFS Video (distributor of old BBC and ITV programs from the UK)
- La mouche et l'elephant/PR Vidéo (French-language)
 Denmark
- Video Action
- Filmlab Video
- Starbox Video
 Finland
- Magnum Video (no relation to the low-budget B-movie label now owned by Lions Gate)
- Nordic Video
- Capitol Video (released several films from the former Soviet Union)
 France
- StudioCanal Video
- Gaumont/Columbia-TriStar Home Video
- Delta Video
- UGC Video
- Fil-à-Film
- New Family Video
- TF1 Video
- Carrére Video
- Sunrise
- Initial Home Video
- Mondial Home Video
- Régie Cassette Video
- Challenge Video Productions
 Germany
- Kiddinx Video
- RTL Video
- VPS Video Programme Service
- Atlas Film Video
- ITT-Contrast Video
- Select Video
- UFA Video
- All Video
- EuroVideo
 Greece
 India
- Shemaroo
- Ultra
- Moser Baer
- Time
- T-Series (Super Cassettes Industries)
 Italy
 Japan
- Bandai Visual - Emotion (1983-)
- Toei Home Video (?-Present)
- Pony Video (dates unknown)
 Mexico
- Televisa Home Entertainment (dates unknown)
- Video Emoción (1980s-Early 1990s)
 The Netherlands
- Converge Video (1980s)
- Video Screen
- Eagle 6 Video
- Bridge Entertainment DVD
- Classic Video Movies
- Video Garant
- European Video Corporation
 Portugal
- RTP Home Video
- Class Vidéo (????)
- Club Privé Vidéo (1992-Present)
 South Africa
 Spain
- Filmax Home Video (1988-Present)
- Video Diversíon (Mid-1980s)
- Lauren Films Video (1980s-Present)
- Viva Home Video (1980s)
- Video Colección (1990s, Spain's version of The Video Collection/Strand-VCI Entertainment/Strand Home Video)
 Sweden
- Baroness VideoVision
- International Promotions, Inc.
- PRT Elektronik
- Trix Videofilmer
- Video Invest
- Videce Videocentralen
- Mariann Video
- Esselte Video
- Walthers Video
 Turkey
- Cabecera Home Video (Alparslan)
 United Kingdom
- Video Gems (Mid 1980s-1996)
- Guild Home Video (1984-?)
- Telstar Home Entertainment (2000s)
- BBC Video (1980-)
- RCA/Columbia Pictures International Video
- Acorn Media
- The Video Collection/VCI (the original UK version of Strand VCI Entertainment/Strand Home Video)
- Abbey Home Entertainment/Tempo Video
- Screen Legends
- CIC Video
- Braveworld Video
- Virgin Video
- Channel 5 Video
- Pickwick Video Distributors
- Entertainment in Video
- Magical Video Movies (MVM)
- Vestron Video International
- First Choice Home Video
- Odyssey Home Video
- Palace Video (unrelated to the Australian company of the same name, this handled children's videos)
- DD Video
- Replay Video
- Hokushin Video Movies
- Medusa Video
- Intervision
- Alpha Video
- Videomedia
- Skyline Video
- Video Program Distribution
- Derann Video
- CineHollywood
Pre-Certs
After the passage of the Video Recordings (Labelling) Act of 1985 in the United Kingdom, videotapes and other video recordings without a certification symbol from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) on their covers - or on the tapes themselves - were no longer allowed to be sold or displayed by rental shops. These tapes are called "Pre-Certs" (e.g, Pre-certification tapes). Recently these tapes have generated a cult following, due to their collectability.
See also
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