Short answers, pulled from the story.
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment was founded in 1980 under the name MCA Videocassette, Inc., with Gene Giaquinto as president. The division released its first 24 films in May 1980, including Jaws, Animal House, and The Deer Hunter.
The first releases in May 1980 included Jaws, Animal House, The Deer Hunter, Dracula, Animal Crackers, and Scarface. They were available on both Betamax and VHS.
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment released its first Blu-ray Discs on the 22nd of July 2008, making it the last major Hollywood movie studio to adopt the format. The first three titles released in the United States were The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, and The Scorpion King.
Universal 1440 Entertainment is the direct-to-video label of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, created in 2005. It is the successor to MCA Family Entertainment and operates Universal Animation Studios as a subsidiary.
Studio Distribution Services is a joint venture formed in 2021 between Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment. It handles physical media distribution in North America for both studios.
International distribution varies by region. Before 1999, a joint venture called CIC Video with Paramount Pictures handled most international territories. Universal now operates Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment as a joint venture with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in Australia, New Zealand, and Scandinavia, and works with regional partners such as Plaion Pictures in Italy and Germany and Spirit Entertainment in the UK.