CED Digest Vol. 7 No. 41

CED Digest Vol. 7 No. 41 • 10/12/2002
20 Years Ago In CED History:

October 13, 1982:
* President Reagan signs a job training bill that replaces the Comprehensive
Employment and Training Act (CETA) but does not provide for any public works
jobs.
* Dutch Premier Andreas van Agt resigns suddenly during talks on forming a new
coalition government.

October 14, 1982:
* President Reagan announces the "War on Drugs" - federal initiatives against
drug trafficking and organized crime.

* RCA PRESS RELEASE:
Planned 1983 European Introduction of 'CED' VideoDisc System

CANNES, October 14 -- RCA plans to introduce its "CED" VideoDisc system to the
European market in 1983, it was announced today at a meeting here of the
International Tape/Disc Association.

"The hardware and software facilities are ready for mass production while
marketing and distribution matters are in current negotiations," said Dr. Jay
J. Brandinger, Vice President and General Manager, RCA "SelectaVision"
VideoDiscs Operations.

RCA is presently manufacturing and selling its "CED" VideoDisc system in the
United States, having launched it there nationally in March 1981.

The expansion of the new home entertainment product to Europe will result in
RCA supplying discs for the initial launch from its disc manufacturing plant in
Indianapolis. European "CED" players are expected to be offered by a number of
brands presently doing business in Europe, Dr. Brandinger said.

At a special "CED" display at the annual VIDCOM show here, demonstrations are
being given showing the compatibility of "CED" discs with both the PAL and
SECAM television systems. Software participation is being demonstrated at
VIDCOM by potential "CED" participants showing a variety of disc titles.

Specific firms participating in the "CED" display are: Hitachi, RCA, Toshiba,
ITT/standard Elektrik Lorenz, MGM/UA Home Video, CBS-FOX Video, and
RCA/Columbia Pictures International Video.

In his presentation to the ITA, Dr. Brandinger stressed the capabilities of the
"CED" VideoDisc system, including random access selection of programming
material by time or field number. He noted that the random access feature "is
now a high priority development item at RCA."

Dr. Brandinger noted that demonstrations of the "CED" European system were well
received at the recent Dusseldorf Fair, "particularly the picture performance
and stereo sound quality." He said that while the disc size is the same for
both the NTSC and European systems, the latter employs a slower rotational
speed of 375 rpm. and 50 hz. of frequency compared with 450 rpm. and 60 hz. in
NTSC countries.

The "CED" European system "is optimized to give the consumer superior
performance compared to most home video cassette recorders and comparable to
that obtained from off-the-air pictures," Dr. Brandinger said. The '"CED"
European players demonstrated at Dusseldorf featured visual scanning, forward
and reverse at four times, 16 times and 120 times normal speed, along with
random search and pause, stereo sound and two-channel bilingual sound.

In reviewing the progress of the "CED" VideoDisc system in the United States
market, Dr. Brandinger noted that total dollar sales of players and discs in
the introductory year exceeded the combined total of black-and-white TV, color
TV and VCR's in their first year of sales by more than $90 million.

More info on the PAL/UK CED system can be found in this Featured CED:



http://www.cedmagic.com/featured/riddle-sands/

October 15, 1982:
* Halley's Comet is sighted for the first time since 1911. The comet will make
its closest approach to the Sun in 1986.
* President Reagan announces a major U.S. offer to sell grain to the Soviet
Union, with a conditional guarantee that deliveries will not be cut off by any
possible trade embargo.
* President Suharto of Indonesia ends a five-day visit to the United States.
* Future CED title in widespread theatrical release: The Sword and the
Sorcerer.

October 16, 1982:
* U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz announces that the U.S. is
withholding an $8.5 million payment to the UN International Atomic Energy
Agency because it canceled Israel's credentials. The action was instigated by
Arab nations that wanted to exclude Israel from all UN bodies.
* A Chinese Air Force pilot lands safely in South Korea in a MIG-19 fighter
plane after successfully outrunning other Chinese jet fighters that pursued
him.
* China announces that it has successfully fired a ballistic missile from a
submarine. The event adds China's name to those of only four other countries
that have developed such technology: France, Great Britain, the U.S., and the
U.S.S.R.

October 17, 1982:
* Robin Yount of the Milwaukee Brewers becomes the first player to have two
four-hit games in a World Series. Yount's outburst includes a home run and
helps the Brewers defeat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-4, to take a
three-games-to-two lead in the Series.

* RCA PRESS RELEASE:
Video Disc Sales To Top $200 Million in The United States Despite Economy

CANNES, France, October 17 -- Video disc activity is picking up momentum in the
United States and sales of players and albums combined should exceed the $200
million-mark in 1982, an RCA executive predicted today at VIDCOM '82.

"This is a significant achievement which becomes even more dramatic when viewed
against the economic environment of the past year," according to Thomas G.
Kuhn, Division Vice President, RCA VideoDiscs.

He attributed the strong performance to a reduction in the basic video disc
player price to below $300, the addition of two stereo players to the line, a
broadly expanded catalog of programs available at retail, and the desire to
build home video libraries.

Mr. Kuhn said consumers are buying discs at a faster pace than anticipated,
with those owning their players a year or more owning an average of
approximately 30 discs.

Noting that the Electronics Industry Association (U.S.) has estimated video
disc player sales at between 250,000 and 350,000 units this year, and video
disc sales at between 5 million and 7.5 million albums, Mr. Kuhn said, "We're
looking at a business that could range from $200 million to almost $300 million
at retail value, depending on total sales for the year."

RCA and CBS/Fox Video both make the video discs that can be played on any
Capacitance Electronic Disc (CED) player. Their catalogs, together with titles
from MGM/UA, should approximate 400 by year-end. Another 300 or more titles are
expected to be released in 1983.

Mr. Kuhn said the "CED" system has become the preeminent video disc system in
the United States consumer market because of its high reliability, excellent
quality and low cost. "The CED video disc represents the best home
entertainment buy on the market," he added.

So far in 1982, he said, RCA has taken several steps to strengthen the video
disc business. These include:

-- Introduction of stereo players and discs which has broadened the appeal of
the "CED" system;

-- Expansion of the CED player line to include four models, two monaural and
two stereo, giving consumers a choice of players to fit most budgets;

-- Use of major consumer promotions to heighten interest and awareness in the
"CED" system, including a free "Star Wars" video disc with the purchase of any
RCA video disc player.

Mr. Kuhn said consumer reaction to the offering of current movies such as "On
Golden Pond" and "Superman" had a very positive impact on sales this summer,
particularly when retailers offered the discs free with the purchase of a
player.

"It is evident that software is a very profitable repeat business, especially
for those dealers who stock and display a wide variety of 'CED' titles in their
stores. As we have contended all along, the software sells the hardware," Mr.
Kuhn said.

October 18, 1982:
* Bess Truman, the widow of former U.S. President Harry S. Truman, dies at the
age of 97.

October 19, 1982:
* John De Lorean, whose company has been producing luxury sports cars in
Northern Ireland, is arrested in Los Angeles and charged with possession of 59
pounds of cocaine and conspiracy to distribute it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: unclayh (Clay Hendricks)
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2002 09:55:22 -0500 (CDT)
To: digest@cedmagic.com
Subject: SJT 100 ,and 100 movies

what should i ask.
     thaks  clay

------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Ken King" <kkingcqe>
To: digest@cedmagic.com
Subject: remote controls, etc.
Date: Sat, 12 Oct 2002 14:02:24 +0000

I've got some updates in my efforts to restore RCA CED players and discs...

Has anyone found a universal remote control that will work with the SJT300 and
SGT250?  I've been seeking a remote for these machines and have had no luck.  I
even found a remote for my long-gone 1976 RCA TV at one of the specialty remote
control Web sites but nothing for RCA disc players or the replacements that CED
Magic illustrates.

I have found a better way to remove the black ooze from J-series loader
mechanism belts. Goo Gone seems to just smear the ooze around. Lacquer thinner
(from a paint store)works great on the white nylon gears when they are removed
from the machine.  Use an old toothbrush (or your wife's) because it will ruin
the brush, but the gears come out sparkling clean. Use it sparingly on the
black chassis of the player because it appears to mar the plastic.  Lacquer
thinner WILL damage the player's finish so be very careful if you try it.

There are two gears that have thin spokes in the mechanism that moves the
player arm, presumably to absorb shock in the mechanism.  I've found several
players with the white gear broken.  I used epoxy (poured between the outer and
inner gears) to cement one back together.  I'd recommend epoxy paste because
the liquid I used wicked its way up the gear teeth and I spent quite a while
scraping it back out with a razor blade.  Player works great but I'm wondering
if eliminating the flex may cause a problem that I'm not seeing.  Seemed like a
better solution than cannibalizing another player for one gear.

Goo Gone, applied to a cloth and wiped over the surface, seems to do a pretty
good job of cleaning disc labels without damaging them.  It will only remove
certain types of contaminants but appears to leave little or no residue behind.
Goo Gone is great stuff.

I'm still looking for the circuitry that controls the braking of the turntable
on SJT-100 players.  I've got 2 players now that do not slow the platter when
the disc is done playing or "reject" is pushed. The disc then spins out of
position when it is lifted for unloading. I saw no mention of that circuitry in
the repair manual.  If you've experienced or found a cure for this problem, how
about dropping me a line?

-Ken

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 12 Oct 2002 18:56:23 -0800
To: digest@cedmagic.com
From: Tom Howe <tom@cedmagic.com>
Subject: RE: VHD Player & Discs "WANTED"!!!!!

>I'm Looking to Buy or trade CED Collection For a VHD VideoDisc Player/s
>& Discs!!!! The Two sites that tom howe gave are no longer around.

I checked the links in CED Digest Vol. 7 No. 37 and they all still work, so
this must have been a temporary server problem. Another alternative is the VHD
entry on the Related Sites page:



http://www.cedmagic.com/home/related-sites-page.html

Yahoo Auctions Japan usually has one or more VHD players listed at any moment
in time, so that is the most direct route to a player, albeit a rather
expensive one.

It's not likely you'll find anyone in the U.S. with extra VHD stuff for sale,
but I did find my Karaoke unit at a Karaoke bar that had brought it over here
from Japan. So it might be worthwhile making phone calls to every local
establishment listed under "Karaoke" in the phone book.

--Tom
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