K.T.C. (Warning Screen)
Screen (Late 1990s-Early 2000s)
Visuals: On a black background, the following text fades in, with all but the final 2 sentences being aligned to the left:
| WARNING: IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ The program portion of this tape has been coated with a new substance called K.T.C. to prevent illegal copying. K.T.C. only reacts when subjected to the magnetic head fluctuation caused by the record mode. If you have already started to record this tape, we are required by law to inform you that the K.T.C. process may damage your VCR. K.T.C. will not affect your VCR in the play mode. The tape coated with K.T.C. does not begin for another 15 seconds. STOP RECORDING NOW. Enjoy the show! |
After several seconds, it cuts to a second screen, consisting of the red word "WARNING" and a countdown starting at 15. When it gets to 1, it cuts to black.
Trivia: The K.T.C. substance on the tape does not exist, as proven in the Oddity Archive episode "Copy Protection Vol. 2".
Technique: Computer effects.
Audio: A male announcer reads the text, but his voice is sped up. He says "Stop recording now" with a pause between each word.
Audio Variant: On Ms. Finicky's Cat Adventure Video Vol. 1, the warning is silent.
Availability: Seen on a few VHS tapes released by Publisher's Choice Video and D.I.N "Do It Now" Inc., such as Cat Sitter, Dog Sitter, and Ms. Finicky's Cat Adventure Video Vol. 1. It may or may not be on some other tapes. According to this 2004 forum post, it also appears on a DVD version of Cat Sitter.
Legacy: One of the finest examples of fearmongering. Although it says that "K.T.C." is "activated" when one begins recording on a VCR, if one were to actually copy the tape onto another with two VCRs, the record mode would only be activated on the VCR dubbing the tape to a blank one, not on the one that is playing the tape. Furthermore, not only would it be very costly to manufacture tapes with this "substance" coated on a single part of the program, it'd also probably result in lawsuits over the distributor knowingly releasing a videotape that purposely destroys a VCR.
