CED Digest Vol. 6 No. 48

CED Digest Vol. 6 No. 48 • 12/1/2001
20 Years Ago In CED History:

December 2, 1981:
* Polish police break up a sit-in by about 300 cadets at a fire
fighters' academy in Warsaw, Poland.

December 3, 1981:
* Terrorists trained in Libya have entered the United States in a plot
to assassinate President Reagan or other members of the Administration,
federal officials say.

December 4, 1981:
* The U.S. Department of Labor announces that the U.S. unemployment rate
reached 8.4% of the work force in November.
* Future CED titles in widespread theatrical release: Reds, Ticket to
Heaven.

December 5, 1981:
* The 1981 RCA SelectaVision Christmas party in held at the Indiana
Convention Center in Indianapolis. A series of pictures from this event
can be seen starting at this URL:



http://www.cedmagic.com/mem/weve-had-fun/mem343.html

December 6, 1981:
* The 4th Annual Kennedy Center Honors are held featuring the honorees
Count Basie, Cary Grant, Helen Hayes, Jerome Robbins, and Rudolf Serkin.

December 7, 1981:
* Reagan administration officials confirm a budget deficit projection of
a record $109 billion for fiscal 1982, with slow economic growth, rising
interest rates, and high unemployment.

December 8, 1981:
* A methane gas explosion in a coal mine near Whitwell, Tennessee kills
13 miners. It is the third fatal mine accident in six days.
* Dissident Russian physicist Andrei Sakharov ends a 17-day hunger
strike after Soviet officials say that his daughter-in-law may leave
Russia.

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Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 13:57:18 +0000
From: synthi
To: digest@cedmagic.com
Subject: RCA SJT 400 Problem

I recently bought an RCA SJT 400 Player and it seems to be working fine
except when playing anywhere after the 30-40 minute mark on any disc.
That's when the needle can no longer track at which point all the front
panel buttons with the exception of Reject and power stop working. The
video also gets a bit grainy when more then 10-15 minutes has played.
I'm not sure if this is an over heating issue becauce if I start the
disc again from the start then the picture is clear again. It seems to
do this with every disc. Any help with what the problem might be would
be great. Thanks.

Eric

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Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2001 18:02:46 -0500
To: digest@cedmagic.com
From: Michael Dunn <mdunn>
Subject: Success!

   I just wanted to share my success today at getting a couple of
players working!  An RCA SJT100, after a new belt and ejection bumper (5
gratis from a well-timed dishwasher repair person!), is working great,
as is an old Zenith VP2000 (aka SFT100) - no work required. Also just
got my first 6 discs.  Unfortunately, the VP and discs were from a very
smoky apartment, and they stink.  Does anyone know how this might affect
the discs.  Most seem ok at first checkout, though one was pretty rough.
 As mentioned somewhere on Tom's site, playing several times often
helps!

   I know the later, more feature-laden players are more valuable and
desirable, but would the Zenith be of special value, being basically the
first unit, and the only Zenith?

   Are there any Canadian listers out there interested in selling or
trading discs?  Shipping from the US (or beyond) is so expensive.

   The web site notes that the SFT/VP has an undocumented page mode. On
mine, this does work, although the location gradually creeps forward. 
Is this common?

   Thanks for reading.  What a fascinating bit of technology.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Dunn     | Surround Sound Decoder & Stereo Enhancer
Cantares         | Self-Amplified Speakers, Test Equipment
74 George St.    | Ambisonic Surround Sound CDs and Recording
Waterloo, Ont.   | (519) 744-9395 (fax: 744-7129)
N2J 1K7          | mdunn@cantares.on.ca
Canada           | http://www.cantares.on.ca/
-----------------------------------------------------------------

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Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2001 01:25:11 -0500
To: digest@cedmagic.com
From: Michael Dunn <mdunn>
Subject: SFT100/VP2000 problem

   To those with a VP2000 (not sure if the SFT100 would have the same
problem):  If you ever notice your player getting stuck around the 45min
mark, pop open the cartridge access cover.  You'll probably notice that
the cover latch is hitting the case!  A poor design - susceptible to the
slightest downward bowing of the case top...

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Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2001 19:11:31 -0800
To: digest@cedmagic.com
From: Tom Howe <tom@cedmagic.com>
Subject: RCA-brand X10 Modules

Hello All:

If you're looking for an RCA-brand holiday gift, www.x10.com has a great
price on RCA X10 home automation items as a result of Thomson getting
out of the X10 business. They have a 12-pack kit of modules and remote
controls for $49.99 at this URL:

http://www.x10.com/products/rca_modules_ba2.htm

I got into X10 in the mid-1990's and paid a lot more for these same
modules at that time. If you are not familiar with X10, it's a remote
system that uses the AC wiring to control all the electrical outlets in
your home. This is especially useful with a home theater setup, as an
X10 compatible universal remote not only allows control of the
entertainment console but also can selectively turn on/off or dim lamps
in the vicinity. X10 can also be used for a lot more than this,
including complete home security and custom programming via a computer
interface.

The above kit does not include the required wireless transceiver or a
universal remote control, which can be purchased separately from
x10.com.

--Tom
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