1979 in home video:
Industry milestones[]
February[]
- The DiscoVision format is introduced in Seattle, Washington, United States.[1]
October[]
- Judge Warren J. Ferguson of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California rules that home videotaping of free television for personal use is legal under U.S. copyright laws denying a claim brought by Universal Studios and The Walt Disney Company against Sony to halt the manufacture and sale of Betamax videocassette recorders.[2] The ruling was overturned in part by the Ninth Circuit Court but later upheld in 1984 by the Supreme Court of the United States in Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc..
November[]
- Columbia Pictures forms its home entertainment division. It is known as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment.
Date unknown[]
- 20th Century Fox purchases Magnetic Video, which in 1977 had become the first company to release pre-recorded films on videotape for consumer use.
- Distribution of Video 2000 products begins.
Film releases[]
The following films were released on video on the following dates:
| U.S./Canada Release Date |
Title | Notes / Format | Studio | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January–February | |||||
| J A N U A R Y |
15 | Shenandoah | Laserdisc release | MCA DiscoVision (Universal) | [3] |
| 29 | Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein | Laserdisc release | MCA DiscoVision (Universal) | [4] | |
| F E B R U A R Y |
12 | Duel | Laserdisc release | MCA DiscoVision (Universal) | N/A |
| Jaws 2 | Laserdisc release | Laserdisc release | [5] | ||
| April | |||||
| A P R I L |
16 | American Graffiti | Laserdisc release | MCA DiscoVision (Universal) | [6] |
| July | |||||
| J U L Y |
2 | The Last Remake of Beau Geste | Laserdisc release | MCA DiscoVision (Universal) | N/A |
| Unknown | |||||
| U N K N O W N |
Unknown | Samson and Delilah | VHS release | Paramount | N/A |
| Midnight Express | VHS release | Columbia | N/A | ||
| Superman: The Movie | VHS release | Warner Bros. | N/A | ||
| Charlotte's Web | VHS release | Paramount | N/A | ||
| Saturday Night Fever | VHS release | Paramount | N/A | ||
| The Anderson Tapes | VHS release | Columbia | N/A | ||
| Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown | VHS release | Paramount | N/A | ||
| Shamus | VHS release | Columbia | N/A | ||
| 100 Rifles | VHS release | Magnetic Video (20th Century Fox) | N/A | ||
| Halloween | VHS release | Media | N/A | ||
References[]
- ↑ History of Media Technology (accessed 8 April 2011)
- ↑ Harwood, Jim (October 3, 1979). "Betamax(?) Court Victory". Daily Variety: p. 1.
- ↑ "Shenandoah". LaserDisc Database. https://www.lddb.com/search.php?search=shenandoah&sort=title&format=ld. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- ↑ "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein". Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Laserdisc-COSTELLO-FRANKENSTEIN-Costello-Bradstreet/dp/B0017ONQJU/ref=sr_1_3?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1534737273&sr=8-3&keywords=Abbott+and+Costello+Meet+Frankenstein+laser+disc. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- ↑ "Jaws 2". Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Laserdisc-Letterboxed-Scheider-Lorraine-Hamilton/dp/B00147OVEO/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1534737617&sr=8-1&keywords=Jaws+2+laser+disc. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- ↑ "American Graffiti". Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/American-Graffiti-George-Steven-Spielberg/dp/B074NB64JB/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1534737948&sr=1-1&keywords=american+graffiti+laser+disc. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
External links[]
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