Macrovision (Warning Screens)

North American Warning Screens

1st Warning (1990)

Warning: On a dark gray background, we see the Macrovision logo, a tall gold triangle with the thin text "MACROVISION" (with triangles in the "A" and the "V"'s place) next to it. Above it reads:

In order to ensure that the program you are viewing is an original and of the highest quality, this videocassette has been protected by the Macrovision anticopy process.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare. It exclusively appeared on the 1990 VHS of Total Recall.

Legacy: None.

2nd Warning (1991-1999)

Warning: Same as the previous warning, but the background is navy blue, the Macrovision logo is white and bigger than in the previous warning, "MACROVISION" is in a thicker font, the warning text is in a different font, and "has been protected" is modified into "is protected".

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare. It was seen on HBO Video releases from 1991-1999 like Turbulence and Zeus and Roxanne, some Barney & the Backyard Gang/Barney & Friends tapes, and the 1991 VHS of TMNT II: The Secret of the Ooze.

Legacy: None.

3rd Warning (1992-1994)

Warning: On a white background, we see the Macrovision logo at the top of the screen, with all the triangles in blue and all the regular text in gray. It is in the original text style from the 1st warning. The following text is below:

To ensure that the programme that you are watching is an original recording, this videocassette has been duplicated using the Macrovision®Copy Protection Process.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare. This mostly pops up on First Independent UK rental VHS releases from 1992-1993, including Deadbolt, Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead, Naked Lunch and Mr. Saturday Night.

Legacy: None.

4th Warning (December 27, 1995–June 15, 1997)

Warning: On a purple liquid background, a spinning triangle pops up from the top-left, and goes to the right to reveal squares that become the text "MACROVISION". The triangle stops spinning and an M fades in on the triangle. The triangle is in a circle that says "CERTIFIED ORIGINAL". The video label has a white border fade in, and so does a rectangle that surrounds the logo and circle. The text "In order to ensure that the program you are about to watch is an original, and of the highest quality, this videocassette incorporates the exclusive Macrovision encoding process." fades into the rectangle.

FX/SFX: The background, the triangle, the revealing, the fade-ins.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare. Can be found at the beginning of The Beatles Anthology and some New Line Home Video releases from 1996 such as The Adventures of Pinocchio, Seven, and Rumble in the Bronx.

Legacy: None.

European Warning Screens

France

1996–2003

'Warning: On the same background as the CIC Video warning, this text is shown in Optima font:

CETTE CASSETTE EST PROTEGEE
PAR LE SYSTEME ANTI-COPIE

MACROVISION(THIS CASSETTE IS PROTECTED BY THE COPY PROTECTION SYSTEM, MACROVISION.)

FX/SFX: The bumper fading in and out.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare. This appears on European French releases from CIC Video from 1996-2003.

Bulgaria

1996–2000

Warning: On a blue background, we see white Bulgarian text about Macrovision's copy protection in Helvetica font scrolls up:

Този филм е записан
с помощта на анти-
пиратската защитна система
за кодиране MACROVISION.
Ако купите или наемете
видеокасета с влошено
качество на образа и звука,
вие сте попаднали на
пиратски презапис.
В такъв случай сигнали-
зирайте на българската
асоциация за борба с
незаконното използване
на защитени аудио-
визуални произведения
(БУЛАКТ) телефон 52-34-27
както и в най-близкото
управление на полицията Translation: 'This film was recorded using the MACROVISION anti-piracy security encryption system. If you buy or rent a videocassette with poor image and sound quality, you have come across a pirated rewrite. In this case, report to the Bulgarian Association for combating the illegal use of protected audiovisual works (BULACT), telephone 52-34-27 as well as in the nearest police department.'

FX/SFX: The text scrolling.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: This was found on Bulgarian VHS releases of Underground, Rescuers: Stories of Courage: Two Couples, and Fairy Tales: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which were distributed by Alexandra Video.