MovieVision pay channel piracy warning and movie intro 1982

MovieVision was a subscription TV movie channel (with an edge over HBO, as they ran porno movies nightly at 11:00) you could get by renting a microwave antenna and receiver. It was easy to build your own equipment to get the channel without paying, which prompted them to air this onscreen warning about doing such things. (This specifically mentions the Sacramento, CA area- I don't know if the movie feed was national and they cut this into it, or what.) A movie intro follows- the colored reels are 35mm reels a movie would actually come on, but then they show a 16mm projector running.

This was recorded around 1982; by 1983 the service had changed to "ON TV" (which was already in other areas) and became SelecTV in 1985 before going out of business a couple years later.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• MovieVision
• PayTV
• subscriptionTV
• moviechannel
• intro
• 1980s

[CarlosJulio20]

I bet the guy that recorded this wasn´t subscribed to MovieVision.

[skiggley]

I remember "Last Chance Fred" the tech holding an HP oscilloscope threatening to catch me stealing scrambled TV...ya right!! Like I was going to go right down and turn in my home-brew decoder. I really got a kick out of their scare tactics then. I had access to the exact model scope and I posed for a spoof pic of that ad I used to see - BTW that scope couldn't find anyone bootlegging scrambled TV to save their life...but I guess some people were gullible!!

[eyeh8nbc]

@icedgreentea02 In fact this clip came on after a porno movie called "Dirty Lilly", sadly the beginning of the movie is missing. I forget what movie was after it, something from Lorimar and the tape ran out about 15 minutes after that started.

[allen1jeremy]

That popcorn is making my mouth water but this is a unique clip.

[JeterSwisherFan88]

Perhaps this intro may have been restricted to specific areas in the USA like Sacramento, as mentioned in the video. I'd have to do some research on it to find out more.

[radioclash5150]

And if we catch you, we'll break your thumbs.

[JMaxwell85]

Anyone have anymore info at all on this mysterious MovieVision? This video is the only thing on the net about it.

[AllisonTheSNLGuru]

It's always nice to know we're not alone out there!

[visaman]

They would roam the streets in unmarked vans, just like the FBI, with electronic devices, of course if you saw the van, you could shut the tv off I guess.

[AllisonTheSNLGuru]

Shit, glad I didn't see this back then - I would have been terrified. I already hated closing logos and ratings bumps when I was young - something like this would have put me over the edge.

This is is as old as I am - I was born in 1982.