©1979 Universal City Studios, Inc. Columbia Pictures Industries. All rights reserved.
| Mono |
| Pressing Location |
DiscoVision Carson |
| Label Color |
Blue |
| Retail Price |
$24.95 |
| Year Issued |
1980 |
|
| Side |
Frames |
Running Time |
|
| 1 |
34,822 |
24min 11sec |
| 2 |
36,303 |
25min 12sec |
| 3 |
32,095 |
22min 17sec |
| 4 |
36,366 |
25min 15sec |
| 5 |
34,923 |
24min 15sec |
|
|
174,509 |
121min 11sec |
|
| Dead Side |
Various |
|
| Ratings |
|
| Video Transfer |
 |
| Audio Transfer |
 |
| Replication |
 |
|
| Packaging |
|
| Large Open-Top |
| Open-Top |
| Side-Open Sticker |
| Printed |
 |
|
Pressing Notes
The Electric Horseman was released near the end of the DiscoVision era. Available in only a printed jacket,
the transfer was done from an anamorphic theatrical print which is shown in the incorrect aspect ratio for most of
the film. It might look fine on a current 16x9 TV set configured for widescreen, but in 1980, this was just poorly
transferred. The video transfer is further hampered by washed out colors and a contrast setting which is too high.
This edition was mastered during DiscoVision's "brown" period and the color for the entire program are off as a
result. There are several scenes, especially on side 5, where the white balance problem runs amuck, and the image
pulses annoyingly for most of the side.
The audio transfer has been done with the typical DiscoVision care and is only average. The dialog is clear and
intelligent, but sounds muffled most of the time. It was also typical for discs made during this period. And true
to form, the IBM controlled disc replication has made it impossible for any copies of this title to be located which
don't have higher than average speckling problems. It's not that the discs are unwatchable, but they are of lower
quality that the discs coming off the replication line in 1979.
| Mono |
| Mastering Location |
DiscoVision Carson |
| Pressing Location |
Universal Pioneer Japan |
| Label Color |
Red |
| Retail Price |
$29.95 |
| Year Issued |
1981 |
|
| Side |
Chapters |
Running Time |
|
| 1 |
2 |
38½ min |
| 2 |
1 |
38½ min |
| 3 |
1 |
43 min |
|
|
4 |
120 min |
|
| Dead Side |
Disco-Vision Blue |
|
| Ratings |
|
| Video Transfer |
 |
| Audio Transfer |
|
| Replication |
|
|
| Packaging |
|
| Large Open-Top |
| Open-Top |
| Side-Open Sticker |
| Printed |
|
|
Pressing Notes
The CLV edition of The Electric Horseman replaced the CAV version the following year. The film was
re-transferred, spanning 3 sides. As with 3 other titles released during this period, the masters for this Jane Fonda
& Robert Redford film were prepared in the US and then shipped to Kofu for replication. The jacket featured new
artwork and did not mention "Extended Play" anywhere.
The difference between this edition and the CAV edition, from the obvious number of side breaks is almost as dramatic.
This version has been given a completely new transfer, and while it suffers terribly from the Pan & Scan process, it
is properly unsqueezed most of the time. Of biggest improvement is the color and white balance. The image is sharp
and colorful, with wonderful greens and reds. The image is never washed out or has the pulsing problems inherent in
the original transfer. The audio transfer has been given a "face life" too, but it is recorded slightly loud for my
tastes (and will overdrive most Pro-Logic decoders).
Disc replication is spotty. All copies inspected have minor speckling and dropouts, slightly higher than average for
Japanese discs pressed at this time. However, all have been watchable.
MCA Videodisc re-released The Electric Horseman in a time-compressed 2 sided CLV release in 1983. With the
removal of it from the MCA catalog, the title was out of print until April 1994. At that time, MCA/Universal Home
Video released a 3 sided CLV/CAV widescreen (2.35:1) edition (Catalog #: 41516) which restored the film to its
correct running time. Image Entertainment issued the title on DVD with relatively the same widescreen transfer in
May 1998. Universal reissued the DVD under their label in 2003 (Catalog #: 22748).
Return to MCA DiscoVision Catalog
MCA DiscoVision Home Page
Updated: March 4, 2007
Copyright ©2004 Blam Entertainment Group
Greek Tycoon - Side 3