3-G Home Video

Background
3-G Home Video, legally registered and sometimes promoted as 3-G Productions, was a distributor of various public domain media on VHS originally founded in the early 1980s in Montebello, California, likely by Greg Winters. Little is known about the company due to scarce promotion in media. On July 31, 1991, the company was sued by Titan Sports, the former owner of what is now WWE, due to misleading promotion of a videotape of Hulk Hogan matches; the case was soon settled. In the mid-1990s, 3-G moved their offices to Canoga Park, California. It is presumed that the company shut down around 1999, as by that time, no new releases were promoted by the company.

(1981?-198?)
Logo: On a black background, we see a blue "3" in a stylized font on the left of the screen, next to it is a blue line and 3 blue "Serif" stack one by one. Below is the text "Serif" in purple. Then the "3" turns red while the line and the "Serif"s turn purple. Then the "3" also turns to purple then, and then a purple thick rectangular outline appears surrounding the "Serif" text. Then the rectangle gets filled in with blue with the "Serif" text casting a shadow over it.

FX/SFX: The text changing colors and box appearing and filling in.

Music/Sounds: None. Some music from the program following might play, which is due to attempted plastering.

Availability: So far, it has only been spotted on an '80s Bugs Bunny VHS tape.

Editor's Note: None.

1st Logo (1981?-1989?)
Nicknames: "3-G Segmented Triangle", "3-G Triangle's Bright Side", "The Still Triangle"

Logo: On a blue background, there is the white text "3-G" in a basic font, which is lined like the CBS/Fox Video logos and at the top, has two diagonal pointing ends. Below it is "HOME VIDEO" in the same font as the above text and below that is a triangle-like object, making the logo look like a triangle.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The opening theme of the release.

Availability: Near extinction. This appears the company's Learn To Video series, one example is Learn To Spell.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (1988-1989)
Logo: On a black background, we see the dark bold text "Times New Roman". Below is the text "Times New Roman". A bright white line is seen below the text and also below the line is "Times New Roman".

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: Cheering crowds can be heard while hearing lines from a wrestling commentator. This may vary in each of their wrestling series tapes. On the Family Christmas Favorites tapes, it is silent.

Availability: Seen on World's Greatest Wrestling series tapes which can all be found on YouTube. It was also seen on both volumes 1 and 2 of Family Christmas Favorites.

Editor's Note: It is the only logo for the company (under the 3-G Home Video name) without the usual triangle logo.

3rd Logo (1989?-1993?)
Nicknames: "3-G Segmented Triangle II", "The Zooming Triangle", "3-G Triangle's Dark Side"

Logo: On a black background, a triangular shape flashes down from the upper right portion of the screen, leaving a blue trail behind. When it settles in the center of the screen, the trail fades away, leaving the same logo as the 1st one but in black with blue outlines and a straighter font. This is then followed by a screen with the text "PRESENTS" on it.

Trivia: This was used as a print logo since the company started, but this was its first known on-screen appearance.

Variant: On a repackaged VHS release of Popeye cartoons from 1992 and a Bugs Bunny VHS from the same year, the logo is on a purple gradient background, the presents notice is removed and the triangle shape is brighter.

FX/SFX: The zooming of the logo from the top right which is done in a trailing effect, and the revelation of "PRESENTS".

Music/Sounds: A whooshing sound, which is a white noise swooping up and down with the overdrive/distortion effect.

Music/Sounds Variant: On the blue background version of the logo, it's silent.

Availability: Extremely rare. Many of their releases are out-of-print and hard to find. Only appeared on some VHS releases of Popeye, Looney Tunes (Porky Pig and Tweety Bird cartoons), Woody Woodpecker, and (possibly) Gulliver's Travels. It also appeared on a VHS release of Little Lulu.

Editor's Note:
 * Quality Control: Due to a very poor quality YouTube upload (which elevated the "woosh" sound effect to a deafening volume), this logo gained a notorious reputation as one of the loudest logos ever. This upload also rendered the text to be nearly illegible. A better quality print revealed that the logo is much quieter (and legible) than the initial upload suggested, thus rehabilitating the logo's dubious legacy.


 * Still, the logo's "trail" effect is rather cheap, and the color scheme/pixelated logo design is pretty ugly.

4th Logo (1993?-1995)
Nicknames: "Golden 3-G", "Revolving 3-G", "3-G Triangle from Space", "3-G Segmented Triangle III", "The Zooming Triangle II"

Logo: On a black starry space background, 3-D pieces of the 3-G logo fly in from the screen (with the sides (side faces) metallic blue and caps (front and back faces) a speckled gold color) and form together with the cut triangle coming in from the bottom. After this, "HOME VIDEO" rises from the triangle. The logo revolves once and slowly eases towards the screen after which "PRESENTS" flashes itself in as the space background zooms back revealing it to be inside a blue bordered square.

FX/SFX: The logo forming and revolving, the "PRESENTS" flashing in and screen easing out. Standard early '90s computer animation.

Music/Sounds: A synth new-age space theme, with occasional gong sounds. At the end, there are four ascending tubular sounds, finally leading into a two-note finish.

Availability: Extremely rare. Appears on volume 3 of Babysitter Cartoon Bonanza on VHS and on other tapes.

Editor's Note: For a low-budget independent video company like 3-G, the animation looks really good for its time, and it's calmer and more colorful compared the previous logo.