CBS Home Entertainment

Background

CBS, Inc. established its own home entertainment division, CBS Video Enterprises, Inc. in January 1980 to distribute CBS releases on video. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and CBS Video Enterprises formed MGM/CBS Home Video later that year. In 1982, CBS and 20th Century Fox formed CBS/Fox Video after MGM ended its partnership with CBS due to MGM's purchase of United Artists the previous year. Under this new label, two sub labels were created: Key Video (later reactivated as "Key DVD" by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment), and Playhouse Video. Both became inactive by 1991, and CBS/Fox Video was reincorporated as Fox Video the same year, alternating with the CBS/Fox name until 1998 when Fox Entertainment Group acquired CBS's interest in CBS/Fox, and CBS merged with Viacom.

After the CBS/Viacom merger was completed in 2000, Fox stopped distributing standalone CBS releases on video, and CBS Video created "CBS DVD" for DVD releases of CBS shows in tandem with Viacom subsidiary Paramount Home Entertainment. In 2005, CBS and Viacom were split again, with the "old" Viacom, Inc. reincorporated as "CBS Corporation", and the other retaining the "Viacom" name. On September 26, 2006, CBS Corporation merged this label with King World Productions, CBS Paramount International Television (later CBS Studios International), and CBS Paramount Domestic Television to form CBS Television Distribution, relaunching this label under its current name as CBS Home Entertainment one year later. However, Paramount Home Entertainment continues to distribute CBS DVDs to this day. Paramount also distributes its pre-2006 television library under CBS Home Entertainment as well. Since 2015, Lionsgate Home Entertainment handles the distribution of CBS Films theatrical releases on DVD.

CBS Video

Contents

1st Logo (October 1980-April 6, 1981)	2nd Logo (June 1981-July 1982; November 1981-August 1982 (UK))	3rd Logo (1985?-1993?)	4th Logo (1991-2000)	5th Logo (1995-2009)

CBS Home Entertainment

Contents

Logo (2009-)

CBS Video

1st Logo (October 1980-April 6, 1981)

Visuals: On a black background, an abstract conjoined "CV" (shaped kind of like this: </), made of five strikes, zooms in from the upper right while color bars can be seen scrolling in it. "CBS" slides in from the right, and "VIDEO" slides up from the bottom, and the "CV" turns white on the last note of the music.

Variant: On Piaf, an in-credit version is used, adding "ENTERPRISES" below the logo.

Technique: Chyron animation.

Audio: Same as the 1st MGM/CBS Home Video logo.

Availability: This was used as an endcap for MGM/CBS Home Video, so they share the same availability pool.

Seen on the initial batch of twenty-four VHS and Betamax releases, including The Wizard of Oz, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Ben-Hur, An American in Paris, Network, Jailhouse Rock, Coma, The Street Fighter, and the Bolshoi Ballet productions of The Nutcracker and Giselle.
It is also preserved on the very first CED releases from CBS, as well as a few other VHS releases.

2nd Logo (June 1981-July 1982; November 1981-August 1982 (UK))

Visuals: On the top-right corner of a black screen, five lines are drawn in rays of light to form the "CV" shape from before. When that is fully formed, a bar of light forms "CBS" to the left of the logo, then "VIDEO" is formed below the "CBS" and the "CV" in a similar fashion.

Technique: Backlit cel animation.

Audio: A longer, slower variation of the 2nd MGM/CBS logo's fanfare, without the last three notes that sound like Bernard Hoffer's theme for The MacNeil/Lehrer Report. This version would also later be used for the 1st MGM/UA Home Video logo.

Availability: Like the last logo, it is seen at the end of MGM/CBS releases from the period, as well as early CBS/Fox releases with the CBS/Fox music.

The 1984 CBS/FOX release of S.O.B. also has this logo at the beginning, but with the MGM/UA music (MGM/CBS had released the film in 1982 as one of their last releases of CBS Video material).
The 1985 Playhouse Video release of Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure also retains this logo at the end of the film (as it was sourced from the 1981 MGM/CBS release).
It is also seen at the start of later MGM/CBS releases of CBS material, such as Early Days and The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby.
It is also preserved at the end of the 1981 UK pre-cert VHS release of Tom and Jerry: Cartoon Festival.
However, this logo also does not appear at the end of MGM/CBS's First Run Home Video Theatre tapes.

3rd Logo (1985?-1993?) (France only)

Visuals: On a blue background, an abstract filmstrip containing the white text "CBS" in its corporate font (called CBS Didot) and "VIDEO" beneath it flips into the center of the screen.

Technique: Chyron animation.

Audio: A techno theme.

Availability:

Seen on VHS and Laserdisc releases from the era such as The Forbidden Dance (is Lambada).
It is also preserved on French releases such as Il était une fois... l'homme.

4th Logo (1991-2000)

1992 Winter Olympics Highlights Video variant

Visuals: On a black background, a box, with the CBS Eye inside the box, outlined with white, and a white rectangle with "CBS VIDEO" in the Compacta font, at the bottom of the box, flips diagonally. Then a "shine" reflects on the sides of the box as it stops flipping.

Variant: On the 1992 Winter Olympics Highlights Video VHS, the CBS Video logo slides in from the bottom off-center to the right. A yellow line parallel to the logo on the left also appears from the bottom with a grey backdrop with patterns sliding in from the top to the left of the logo. As the logo animates, various pink and grey streaks fly in the background.

Technique: Computer graphics.

Audio: None.

Audio Variant: The variant has a piano and horn jingle.

Availability: Generally seen on CBS titles distributed by Fox during this period.

Seen on VHS releases of On the Road with Charles Kuralt, as well as Fox Kids Video VHS releases of 1970s Dr. Seuss TV specials, such as the 1971 The Cat in the Hat TV special, and releases of aired episodes of The Honeymooners.
Although 60 Minutes archive tapes have this logo on the tape label and box, they do not have this actual logo.
The variant is seen on the U.S. VHS release of 1992 Winter Olympics Highlights Video.
This logo is also preserved on the first DVD releases (1998-2000) of The Twilight Zone (the 1960s TV series) by Image Entertainment.

5th Logo (1995-2009)

Fullscreen variant
Fullscreen "®" variant
Fullscreen "™" variant
Fullscreen "™" variant, the 16:9 version is cropped to 4:3
Widescreen variant
Widescreen "®" variant
Widescreen "™" variant
Widescreen "™" variant with menu

Visuals: On a gray/silver wall background which waves are many colorful streaks (these are the same colors as the lights in CBS's 1992 ident). As the streaks fly by, the background fades into a watery blue globe with silver continents rotating around it. The streaks turn grey and morph into two copies of the CBS Eye, while the background rotates into a box with the now-completed eye in a black section and with a lower white section. The globe wipes into a completely silver color and "CBS VIDEO" (or "CBS DVD" on DVD releases), in the same font as the last logo, fades in underneath. As all that happens, the background turns into a cool gray/black gradient. The finished product resembles the last two logos.

Trivia: The animation and theme in this logo would later be adapted for use in the logos of other CBS companies during the time, including CBS Broadcast International, Eyemark Entertainment and CBS Enterprises.

Variants:

Fullscreen and widescreen versions of this logo exist.
Starting in 2006 on the "DVD" variant, the registered trademark "®" symbol, or the trademark "™" symbol would sometimes appear on the bottom-right corner of the logo (the latter is first seen on the 2006 DVD release of Star Trek: The Animated Series).
On some DVD releases, at the end of the logo, two selections would appear in the middle with "PREVIEWS" and "MAIN MENU" on them (a la the Paramount DVD logo).
The "Video" variant is intact on the 2002 DVD release of Better Off Dead (1985) in 4:3, despite the Paramount logo preceding it and the rest of the film being shown in 16:9.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A synthesized jingle with "air" that eventually leads to a choir tune and then an ascending piano glissando, ending with three orchestral hits (similar to the 1991 CBS Entertainment Productions logo). Sometimes, it's silent.

Availability: Seen on CBS VHS and DVD releases from 1995 to 2009 like all I Love Lucy DVD box sets, all three volumes of The Wild Wild West on VHS, the first six seasons of Hawaii Five-O (the original 1968-1980 series) on DVD, most DVD releases of Survivor, various other Paramount Television series and a good amount of CBS-produced TV movies.

However, CBS DVD releases co-distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment from 2003 to 2006 do not feature this logo.
Also, some 2006 releases feature both this logo and the Paramount DVD logo, such as a few DVD release of Wings and NCIS.
The UK DVD release of Snoopy, Come Home! and the French DVD release of One Kill (the latter in high pitch) also feature the "Video" variant of this logo.
This logo is also seen on the company's final Fox VHS releases from 1995 to Viacom's purchase of CBS in 2000. One Paramount VHS with the "Video" variant is the 2001 VHS of Better Off Dead (it's only seen at the end of the film).
This logo stopped being used in 2009 (in favor of the next logo below), but it is still intact on the 2015 prints of the first two Peanuts films (A Boy Named Charlie Brown and Snoopy, Come Home) due to using the 2006 DVD master.
This logo was also seen at the end of Hulu's print of The Lorax (1972).
This and the prototype version of the Viacom variant of the 1987 Paramount Home Entertainment logo also made appearances at the start of a Freevee print of the Touched by an Angel season 6 episode "The Christmas Gift".
This and the 1995 Viacom variant of the 1987 Paramount Home Entertainment logo also made appearances at the start of a Freevee print of the Touched by an Angel season 5 episode "Beautiful Dreamer".

CBS Home Entertainment

Logo (2009-)

Fullscreen variant
Fullscreen menu variant
Widescreen open-matte variant
Widescreen variant
Widescreen variant, with the ™ symbol next to "CBS"
Widescreen menu variant
Scope variant

Visuals: On a background full of blue and silver spirals are five crescent-like shapes moving from the center to the right of us, unveiling a circle, and at the same time, two remaining crescent-like shapes flying in different directions. The two crescent-like shapes and the circle form the CBS Eye, which loops and zooms out to its position while "CBS" (in the same font used for the logos for Eyemark and CBS Enterprises) zooms-out to the right of the CBS Eye and the words "Home Entertainment" appear below "CBS". The spirals fade out as "CBS" shines.

Variants:

Fullscreen, widescreen and scope versions of this logo exist.
On some releases, after the logo finishes, the menu selections "Previews" and "Main Menu" zoom in. Once a selection is pressed, the buttons zoom out and the logo fades out.
On some releases, the trademark "™" symbol appears next to the S in "CBS" instead of next to "Home Entertainment".
A prototype version exists, which lacks the trademark symbol. Also, different whooshes are heard. This variant can be seen here.

Technique: CGI by Scott Williams of New Wave Entertainment and Studio Cassis.

Audio: Same as the last logo, with the whoosh-like sounds, and the three orchestral notes at the end.

Audio Variant: A low pitched version exists.

Availability:

It's currently seen on CBS DVD and Blu-ray releases from 2009 onwards, like The Lucy Show season 1 DVD releases, the DVD release of the first season of Hotel (also known as Arthur Hailey's Hotel), seasons 7-9 DVD releases of Hawaii Five-O, and the Star Trek: The Next Generation Blu-ray releases.
It is also preserved on early CBS Films theatrical releases, such as Extraordinary Measures and The Back-Up Plan.
It is also preserved on The Game, starting on season 2.