LaserVision

Background: This logo is the American certificate mark arm of Laserdisc, and it appears on a majority of Laserdiscs that were released from approximately 1981 after the end of MCA DiscoVision to the late 90s. American Laserdisc production ended in 2000, while disc production in Japan continued until approximately 2001. Stand-alone players ceased production around that time as well, but combination LD/DVD players were produced until late 2009, when Pioneer discontinued the final combo player models.

This logo was used mostly on U.S. titles pressed by Pioneer and, in some cases, DiscoVision Associates (a spinoff of MCA DiscoVision).

(1981-1999) Logo: Up against a black background, we see strange purple lines (which is an extremely vertically-stretched "LaserVision" in purple) at the bottom of the screen that slide a bit. Then the LaserDisc certificate logo appears from a distance, and it turns a little bit left towards the center with a trail. Then "LaserVision" appears with a similar trail and moves under the LaserDisc certification mark. Then in the top corner, a set of strange purple lights with "lens flares" appears.

Variants:

When starting the end of other sides, the words "Side 2", "Side 3", etc. appears after the animation. End of side bumpers on most discs simply consisted of a still image of the logo.

A still blue and white version exists on the earliest discs. On some discs, like Charlotte's Web or Alien, there is an animated version. The outermost part of the logo fades in along with the word "Laser". The innermost part of the logo fades in along with the word "Vision". Again, on a side that's not Side 1, the side number fades in.

On the end of a promotionalvideo (Made by Phillips), The LaserVision logo (colored all blue) zooms in with a woosh sound effect, on a black BG. It then says on the bottom "Now Ask For A DemonstrationHere." In TBA font. Seen Here.

FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: The purple lines moving, the LaserVision logo and text appearing, and the lights. Very cheesy effects all around, especially the "lights" in the corner and the trails. Also, the blue and white version is just plain simple.

Music/Sounds: While a low warbling synth plays, we hear a couple of whooshes, followed by a ding when the lights appear. The blue and white version sometimes has the opening music from "LaserDisc: What It Is", the first half of a demonstration disc with Patrick O'Neal.

Availability: Uncommon. Used on a majority of LaserDiscs from Warner, Paramount, Disney, and Fox/CBS-Fox/Magnetic Video. Not every studio used the logo. MCA, Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment (RCA/Columbia releases did use the logo), Vestron, and MGM/UA were among the studios that did not use the logo. The logo decreased in usage through the late 1980s, but was still in use in the mid 1990s, as seen on LaserDiscs such as the 1993 widescreen edition of Demolition Man and the 1997 widescreen edition of My Fellow Americans, which only had the logo at the start of side 1. Some early Paramount titles such as Star Trek: The Motion Picture (original theatrical cut only), Saturday Night Fever, Starting Over, and Cheech & Chong's Up in Smoke feature this logo after the 1979 Paramount "Acid Trip" warning screen.

Scare Factor: Medium to high. The in-your-face animation, dark color scheme, cheesy effects and somewhat ominous music can get to some. None to low for the blue and white version.