LK-TEL Video (Argentina/Chile/Brazil)

Background : LK-TEL Video was a video label established in Argentina in 1986 in order to get help from The Coca-Cola Company to do commercialization of such films in the country, and then branched out into Chile in 1987 and Brazil in 1988, creating a regional South American video distributor. The company acted as the international distribution arm for RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (now Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) as well as Vestron Video. The Argentinian arm became an affiliate of Video La Rioja S.A. on July 2, 1987, who also go on to launch a sublabel for low-budget movies, Videomega Entertainment. The Argentinian video arm became the first in the country to offer DVDs in 1998. The Brazilian arm eventually stopped distributing movies from Columbia TriStar in 1996 as the company set up its own Brazilian operations, and eventually be sold to Paris Filmes. The company was one of the major Argentinian video labels, along with Gativideo that went defunct in 2009."

1st Logo
(Argentina/Chile [1986-1990])

Logo : On a black background, we see 3 lines (blue, green and red) in a shape of a TV screen spinning around. In a blank at the bottom of the TV screen are the words "LK-TEL VIDEO S.A." in a serif font. It continues to spin around until it stops in the middle.

FX/SFX : Computer Graphics.

Music/Sounds : None on Argentinian tapes, although on Chilean tapes, a piece of "Axel F" from Beverly Hills Cop is heard.

Availability : Seen on early LK-TEL tapes from Argentina from 1986 to 1988, and from Chile from 1988 to 1990, such as the 1986 Argentinian VHS releases of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jagged Edge and The Man Who Loved Women and the 1988 Chilean VHS release of Max Headroom.

2nd Logo
(Argentina [1988-2000])

Logo : On a light-blue background, we see the LK-TEL logo from before (albeit with lighter colors and "VIDEO LA RIOJA S.A." beneath it) flip from the top of the screen to cover the background. The logos then play, and then disappear as the white script text "Tenemos le mejor imagen" swoops from the center of the original logo.

Variants :
 * From 1988 to 1992, the RCA/Columbia Pictures International Video logo swoops from the center of the LK-TEL logo and eventually slides down as we come back to this logo.
 * From 1992 to 1993, the 1st Columbia TriStar Home Video logo flips and zooms in from the center of the LK-TEL logo and then slides down as we come back to this logo.
 * From 1993 to 2000, the 3rd Columbia TriStar Home Video logo cuts in from the LK-TEL logo, and then cuts away as we come back to the this logo.

FX/SFX : Computer Graphics.

Music/Sounds : A droning theme with some beeps thrown in.

Music/Sounds Variant : On later tapes, when the CTHV logo appears, the logo's own theme is played, cutting off the LK-TEL music in the process, and then went silent as we come back to the LK-TEL Video logo.

Availability : Seen on LK-TEL Video releases from Argentina, such as the 1988 VHS of Krull, 1989 VHS of Look Who's Talking, the 1990 VHS of Ghostbusters II, the 1992 VHS of Body Chemistry and the 1993 VHS of A League of Their Own.

Editor's Note : None.

3rd Logo
(Brazil [1989-1992])

Logo : On a black background, the TV tube from before slowly spins around as it goes to the middle of the screen. "LK-TEL" zooms in as "VIDEO" flips in the space of the TV tube. Blinking lights appear between the spaces the the tube and text.

FX/SFX : Computer Graphics.

Music/Sounds : Same as the previous logo.

Availability : Seen on LK-TEL Video releases from Brazil from 1988 to 1992, such as Anna, Ghostbusters II, The Karate Kid, D.A.R.Y.L. and Nothing in Common.

Editor's Note : None.

4th Logo
(Chile [1990-2004])

Logo : On a black background, 3 blocks in blue, green, and red zoom out and rotate with a trail effect. They start to draw the TV tube from before. When they stop, they spin around and move to the top of the TV tube as it zooms out. The same text from the 1st logo rises from the bottom of the screen and rest in their usual position.

FX/SFX : Computer Graphics.

Music/Sounds : A complicated synth theme with swoosh sounds.

Availability : Seen on LK-TEL Video's releases from Chile, such as Men in Black, The Blob, Groundhog Day, I Dreamed of Africa, Spider-Man and Daddy Day Care.

Editor's Note : None.

5th Logo
(Brazil [1992-2002])

Logo : On a gray background, the TV tube zooms out with relief effects one by one with the text "LK-TEL VIDEO" in Times New Roman following after. A flash occurs and the text becomes metallic gray and the background becomes dark gray.

FX/SFX : Simple graphics.

Music/Sounds : A synth bell tune ending with a electric bass hit.

Availability : Seen on later Columbia TriStar Brazilian releases from 1992 to 1996, including titles from the 20:20 Vision sublabel, such as Street Fighter: The Movie and Manhattan Murder Mystery, as well as Turner Pictures releases such as Rising Sun.

Editor's Note : None.

6th Logo
(Argentina [2000-2009])

Logo : On a black background, we see two moving spotlights along with the glassy-looking word "LK-TEL" with a arrow between LK and TEL. The letters eventually settle and the words become silver while the arrow turns green. A circle consisting of a multi-colored swoosh on top and a film-strip below surrounds the text and the whole logo shines. The company URL appears beneath everything in white.

FX/SFX : The spotlights, the text animation, all asthetically pleasing and good by Argentinian home video logo standards.

Music/Sounds : Some whooshing sounds along with some synthesized notes followed by a synchronized moan.

Availability : Seen on later Argentinian releases from the company, such as Spider-Man, Daddy Day Care, Men in Black II. Casino Royale (2006) and The Patriot.

Editor's Note : None.

7th Logo
(Brazil [2002-2005])

Logo : A film camera starts projecting in, and then we see the theater, which turns around, to see a white screen, then it disappears as the word "LK-TEL" fades in, and sets invisible. Three white lines, which is basically the TV tube from the previous logos drawn in, and then stop, surrounding the text. A light flashes on the text, and then we see the word "FILMES" fades in below the logo.

FX/SFX : The camera panning, the lines drawing.

Music/Sounds : An ominous synth theme with whooshes and clangs.

Availability : Seen on later Brazilian releases from the company, such as Time Out, Open Water and House of Flying Dragons.

8th Logo
(Chile [2004-2006])

Logo : On a black background, we see two colored lines from the previous logos on top and bottom. Three colored boxes (red, green and blue) slide over, and settle in the center, and then move into the correct position. Then the three colored squares zoomed out to show that it was revealed from the top. The word "LK-TEL VIDEO S.A." in a different font stretches in from the bottom, while the colored lines stretched out to form the LK-TEL TV tube from the previous logos appear.

FX/SFX : The sliding and zooming, the blurring.

Music/Sounds : A dreamy relaxing theme with some chime sounds.

Availability : Seen on the last ever LK-TEL VHS releases from Chile, such as Spider-Man 2.