CED Digest Vol. 8 No. 14

CED Digest Vol. 8 No. 14 • 4/5/2003
20 Years Ago In CED History:

April 6, 1983:
* Oil escaping from oil rigs off the shores of Iran, damaged by the Iran-Iraq
war, is reported to have spread the full length of the Persian Gulf.
* The U.S. Veteran's Administration announces it will give free medical care
for conditions traceable to radiation exposure to more than 220,000 veterans
who took part in nuclear tests from 1945 to 1962.

* RCA PRESS RELEASE:
'King Kong' Revisits Empire State Building to Show Classic Movie on RCA Video
Disc

A King Kong look-alike will show highlights of the original "King
Kong" movie on RCA video disc in the Empire State Building April 7-15 as
part of the 50th Anniversary celebration of the release of the 1933 RKO film.

RCA has installed a video disc player as part of a King Kong memorabilia
display in the Fifth Avenue lobby of the Empire State Building. Visitors will
be able to view scenes of King Kong's historic encounter with the then tallest
building in the world.

The Empire State Building plans a press conference at l0:00 a.m. on April 7th
to kick off the King Kong 50th Anniversary celebration. As part of the
celebration, a giant inflatable ape will be installed atop the Empire State
Building.

April 7, 1983:
* The Chinese government cancels all remaining sports and cultural exchanges
with the United States during 1983, three days after the U.S. government
granted asylum to China's top female tennis player, Hu Na.
* The Socialist government of France wins a vote of confidence on a sweeping
austerity program to reverse the country's trade deficit and strengthen the
franc.
* Two astronauts, Donald H. Peterson and Dr. Story Musgrave, go on a space walk
(CED) in the cargo bay of the space shuttle Challenger, the first space walk by
Americans in nine years.

* RCA PRESS RELEASE:
RCA Signs Entertainer Gene Kelly as Spokesman for VideoDisc System

Company Reports VideoDisc Player Sales Are Double The Level Of A Year Ago

With sales of its video disc players running more than double the level of a
year ago, RCA announced today the signing of entertainer Gene Kelly as the
company's spokesman for the RCA VideoDisc system.

Mr. Kelly, whose entertainment career has ranged from acting to producing for
the stage, movies and television, will appear in RCA magazine advertising that
begins April 25 in 19 national consumer publications. RCA last used a celebrity
spokesman in the early 1960's.

A strong first quarter sales performance by the major video product categories
also included a surge in video disc player sales to dealers, noted D. Joseph
Donahue, Vice President and General Manager, RCA Consumer Electronics Division.
"Additionally, RCA is encouraged by a healthier outlook for the economy
which will benefit new consumer products such as the video disc system,"
he said.

Dr. Donahue said the RCA-developed Capacitance Electronic Disc (CED) system has
been firmly established as the preferred consumer video disc system, citing a
recent national study which shows that "CED" products had achieved an
89 percent share of all video disc players bought by the public.
"CED" players begin at an optional retail price below $300.

RCA's signing of the popular Mr. Kelly marks the beginning of a new national
advertising and promotion campaign that emphasizes "a broad selection of
family entertainment on video disc," said James K. DeVoe, Vice President,
Consumer Communications, RCA Sales Corporation. "Our advertising has been
designed to show how Mr. Kelly uses RCA VideoDisc as an important new
entertainment medium."

"The stronger pace of video disc player sales in the first quarter and an
increasing level of retailer support for the product are both encouraging signs
for the development of this new industry," Dr. Donahue said.

Noting that RCA is presently the primary marketing force behind the product
category, he predicted that favorable dealer experiences in both hardware and
software "will lead to other brands taking a more active role in
developing this new industry. That was the case in color TV, and more recently,
VCR."

In reviewing the progress of video disc player sales, Dr. Donahue pointed to
new information from market research studies that indicate the product is being
bought by consumers who are also significant VCR and cable TV users.

A recent study indicates that 23 percent of video disc player owners also have
a VCR at home. That figure compares with a national VCR penetration level of
only 6 percent for all color TV homes.

In a related area, the same study determined that 38 percent of the video disc
player owners also subscribe to cable television, a higher level than the
national cable usage figure of approximately 30 percent.

Dr. Donahue said the research findings suggest that a much broader economic
segment of the consumer market is inclined to purchase a variety of video
products that have in common the expansion of video entertainment in the home.
"Rather than either/or, more consumers are saying: I want both."

He stressed that this wider market for multiple video products "is a
source of new and continued growth for the video industry." Industry sales
to date of the major video product categories are running well ahead of all
forecasts, he noted, with industry sales to dealers of color TV receivers up 15
percent over 1982's record sales year while VCR sales are running 88 percent
ahead of last year.

The specific theme of the new RCA VideoDisc advertising campaign is "Gene
Kelly Presents the 'Entertainer of the Year'.... RCA VideoDisc."

Six different print ads will be used to highlight specific occasions when Mr.
Kelly uses a video disc player at home, Mr. DeVoe noted. Headlines in the ads
include: "How Does Gene Kelly Always Have the Best Seat in the
House?" and "How Does Gene Kelly Entertain Kids When He's Doing
Something Else?"

RCA will also use radio advertising and Mr. Kelly's familiar voice to launch
the new campaign in mid-April, Mr. DeVoe said. A series of 30 to 60-second
network spots will be aired up to 125 times a week through June 30.

Mr. Kelly will also visit VideoDisc dealers' stores in the person of a
comprehensive point-of-sale kit that includes a life-size cut-out of the
entertainer holding a selection of video discs. Wall posters, window banner and
easel card are also included in the kit. An outdoor billboard poster highlights
the theme of the campaign.

April 8, 1983:
* The Wall Street Journal publishes an article on President Reagan's proposed
Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), comparing it to the British invention of
radar in the 1930's, and noting how radar technology was used as a defensive
tactic to neutralize Nazi bombers.
* Future CED title in widespread theatrical release: The Outsiders.

April 9, 1983:
* The space shuttle Challenger concludes its first flight, the sixth space
shuttle mission, with a smooth landing (CED) at Edwards Air Force Base,
California.

April 10, 1983:
* Jordan announces that it would no longer participate in peace talks on the
basis of President Reagan's Middle East peace plan, despite U.S. assurances
that it would try to stop Israel from establishing more settlements in the West
Bank.
* For the second time in four years, Severiano (Steve) Ballesteros of Spain
wins the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.

April 11, 1983:
* The President's Commission on Strategic Forces submits its formal report,
calling for the MX missile to be based in existing silos, recommending
development of a single-warhead intercontinental ballistic missile and
disputing the "window of vulnerability" theory advanced by President
Reagan.
* The annual "Days of Remembrance of Victims of the Holocaust" opens
in Washington, DC, with more than 15,000 holocaust survivors and their
relatives in attendance.
* Mexican movie actress Dolores del Rio dies at the age of 77. She appears in
archive footage in the CED title Zelig.

* 55th Annual Academy Awards (Winners in all caps):

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
BEN KINGSLEY, GANDHI (CED)
Jack Lemmon, Missing (CED)
Peter O'Toole, My Favorite Year (CED)
Dustin Hoffman, Tootsie (CED)
Paul Newman, The Verdict (CED)

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Charles Durning, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (CED)
LOUIS GOSSETT, JR., AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN (CED)
James Mason, The Verdict (CED)
Robert Preston, Victor/Victoria (CED)
John Lithgow, The World According to Garp (CED)

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Jessica Lange, Frances (CED)
Sissy Spacek, Missing (CED)
Debra Winger, An Officer and a Gentleman (CED)
MERYL STREEP, SOPHIE'S CHOICE (CED)
Julie Andrews, Victor/Victoria (CED)

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Kim Stanley, Frances (CED)
Teri Garr, Tootsie (CED)
JESSICA LANGE, TOOTSIE (CED)
Lesley Ann Warren, Victor/Victoria (CED)
Glenn Close, The World According to Garp (CED)

ART DIRECTION
Annie, Dale Hennesy (CED)
Blade Runner, Lawrence G. Paull, David L. Snyder (CED)
GANDHI, STUART CRAIG, BOB LAING (CED)
La Traviata, Franco Zeffirelli (CED)
Victor/Victoria, Rodger Maus, Tim Hutchinson, William Craig Smith (CED)

BEST PICTURE
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy
GANDHI, RICHARD ATTENBOROUGH (CED)
Missing, Edward Lewis, Mildred Lewis (CED)
Tootsie, Sydney Pollack, Dick Richards (CED)
The Verdict, Richard D. Zanuck, David Brown (CED)

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Das Boot, Jost Vacano (CED)
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Allen Daviau
GANDHI, BILLY WILLIAMS, RONNIE TAYLOR (CED)
Sophie's Choice, Nestor Almendros (CED)
Tootsie, Owen Roizman (CED)

COSTUME DESIGN
GANDHI, JOHN MOLLO, BHANU ATHAIYA (CED)
Sophie's Choice, Albert Wolsky (CED)
La Traviata, Piero Tosi (CED)
Tron, Elois Jenssen, Rosanna Norton (CED)
Victor/Victoria, Patricia Norris (CED)

DIRECTING
Das Boot, Wolfgang Petersen (CED)
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Steven Spielberg
GANDHI, RICHARD ATTENBOROUGH (CED)
Tootsie, Sydney Pollack (CED)
The Verdict, Sidney Lumet (CED)

DOCUMENTARY (Feature)
After the Axe, Sturla Gunnarsson, Steve Lucas
Ben's Mill, John Karol, Michel Chalufour
In Our Water, Meg Switzgable
JUST ANOTHER MISSING KID, JOHN ZARITSKY
A Portrait of Giselle, Joseph Wishy

DOCUMENTARY (Short Subject)
Gods of Metal, Robert Richter
IF YOU LOVE THIS PLANET, EDWARD LE LORRAIN, TERRI NASH
The Klan: A Legacy of Hate in America, Charles Guggenheim, Werner Schumann
To Live or Let Die, Freida Lee Mock
Traveling Hopefully, John G. Avildsen

FILM EDITING
Das Boot, Hannes Nikel (CED)
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Carol Littleton
GANDHI, JOHN BLOOM (CED)
An Officer and a Gentleman, Peter Zinner (CED)
Tootsie, Fredric Steinkamp, William Steinkamp (CED)

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Alsino and the Condor, Nicaragua
Coup de Torchon (Clean Slate), France
The Flight of the Eagle, Sweden
Private Life, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
VOLVER A EMPEZAR (TO BEGIN AGAIN), SPAIN

GORDON E. SAWYER AWARD (Scientific and Technical Award)
Nominee/Recipient, JOHN O. AALBERG

HONORARY AWARD (Acting)
Nominee/Recipient, Mickey Rooney

JEAN HERSHOLT HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Nominee/Recipient, Walter Mirisch

MAKEUP
Gandhi, Tom Smith (CED)
QUEST FOR FIRE, SARAH MONZANI, MICHÈLE BURKE (CED)

MUSIC (Original Score)
E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, JOHN WILLIAMS
Gandhi, Ravi Shankar, George Fenton (CED)
An Officer and a Gentleman, Jack Nitzsche (CED)
Poltergeist, Jerry Goldsmith (CED)
Sophie's Choice, Marvin Hamlisch (CED)

MUSIC (Original Song)
Best Friends, Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman [Song: How Do You
Keep the Music Playing?] (CED)
AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN, JACK NITZSCHE, BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE, WILL JENNINGS
[SONG: UP WHERE WE BELONG] (CED)
Rocky III, Jim Peterik, Frankie Sullivan III [Song: Eye of the Tiger] (CED)
Tootsie, Dave Grusin, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman [Song: It Might Be You]
(CED)
Yes, Giorgio, John Williams, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman [Song: If We Were In
Love] (CED)

MUSIC (Original Song Score and Its Adaptation -or- Adaptation Score)
Annie, Ralph Burns (CED)
One from the Heart, Tom Waits (CED)
VICTOR/VICTORIA, HENRY MANCINI, LESLIE BRICUSSE (CED)

SCIENTIFIC OR TECHNICAL AWARD (Academy Award of Merit)
Camera, Arnold & Richter, GmbH , AUGUST ARNOLD, ERICH KAESTNER

SCIENTIFIC OR TECHNICAL AWARD (Scientific and Engineering Award)
Camera Cranes, LEONARD CHAPMAN , Elemack Italia S.r.l., Rome, Italy , SALVATORE
ZELLI, SANTE ZELLI
Laboratory, COLIN F. MOSSMAN, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company , THE
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT GROUP OF RANK FILM LABORATORIES, LONDON , DR. MOHAMMAD
S. NOZARI 
Sound, JACOBUS L. DIMMERS 
Stage Operations, Mitchell Insert Systems, Incorporated , BRIANNE MURPHY,
DONALD SCHISLER

SCIENTIFIC OR TECHNICAL AWARD (Technical Achievement Award)
Camera Cranes, RICHARD W. DEATS , Equipment, ED PHILLIPS, CARLOS DEMATTOS ,
Matthews Studio Equipment, Incorporated , ADRIAAN DE ROOY, CONSTANT TRESFON
Projection, CHRISTIE ELECTRIC CORPORATION, LAVEZZI MACHINE WORKS, INCORPORATED 
Stage Operations, Associates and Ferren , BRAN FERREN 

SHORT FILM (Animated)
The Great Cognito, Will Vinton
The Snowman, John Coates
TANGO (1982), ZBIGNIEW RYBCZYNSKI

SHORT FILM (Live Action)
Ballet Robotique, Bob Rogers
A SHOCKING ACCIDENT, CHRISTINE OESTREICHER
The Silence, Michael Toshiyuki Uno, Joseph Benson
Split Cherry Tree, Jan Saunders
Sredni Vashtar, Andrew Birkin

SOUND
Das Boot, Milan Bor, Trevor Pyke, Mike Le-Mare (CED)
E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, ROBERT KNUDSON, ROBERT GLASS, DON DIGIROLAMO, GENE
CANTAMESSA
Gandhi, Gerry Humphreys, Robin O'Donoghue, Jonathan Bates, Simon Kaye (CED)
Tootsie, Arthur Piantadosi, Les Fresholtz, Dick Alexander, Les Lazarowitz (CED)
Tron, Michael Minkler, Bob Minkler, Lee Minkler, Jim La Rue (CED)

SOUND EFFECTS EDITING
Das Boot, Mike Le-Mare (CED)
E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, CHARLES L. CAMPBELL, BEN BURTT
Poltergeist, Stephen Hunter Flick, Richard L. Anderson (CED)

VISUAL EFFECTS
Blade Runner, Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich, David Dryer (CED)
E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, CARLO RAMBALDI, DENNIS MUREN, KENNETH F. SMITH
(CED)
Poltergeist, Richard Edlund, Michael Wood, Bruce Nicholson (CED)

WRITING (Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium)
Das Boot, Wolfgang Petersen (CED)
MISSING, COSTA-GAVRAS, DONALD STEWART (CED)
Sophie's Choice, Alan J. Pakula (CED)
The Verdict, David Mamet (CED)
Victor/Victoria, Blake Edwards (CED)

WRITING (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen)
Diner, Barry Levinson (CED)
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Melissa Mathison
GANDHI, JOHN BRILEY (CED)
An Officer and a Gentleman, Douglas Day Stewart (CED)
Tootsie, Larry Gelbart, Murray Schisgal, Don McGuire (CED)

* 3rd Golden Raspberry Awards ("Winners" in all caps):

WORST PICTURE:
Annie (CED)
Butterfly (CED)
INCHON!
Megaforce (CED)
The Pirate Movie (CED)

WORST ACTOR:
Willie Ames - Paradise / Zapped (CED)
Christopher Atkins - The Pirate Movie (CED)
LAURENCE OLIVIER - INCHON!
Luciano Pavaroti - Yes, Giorgio! (CED)
Arnold Schwarzenegger - Conan the Barbarian (CED)

WORST ACTRESS:
Morgan Fairchild - The Seduction (CED)
Mia Farrow - A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy
Kristy McNichol - The Pirate Movie (CED)
Mary Tyler Moore - Six Weeks (CED)
PIA ZADORA - BUTTERFLY (CED)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Michael Beck - Megaforce (CED)
Ben Gazzara - Inchon!
Ted Hamilton - The Pirate Movie (CED)
ED MCMAHON - BUTTERFLY (CED)
Orson Welles - Butterfly (CED)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Rutanya Alda - Amityville II: The Possession (CED)
Colleen Camp - The Seduction (CED)
Dyan Cannon - Deathtrap
Lois Nettleton - Butterfly (CED)
AILEEN QUINN - ANNIE (CED)

WORST DIRECTOR (tie):
KEN ANNAKIN - THE PIRATE MOVIE (CED)
Matt Cimber - Butterfly (CED)
John Huston - Annie (CED)
Hal Needham - Megaforce (CED)
TERENCE YOUNG - INCHON!

WORST SCREENPLAY:
Annie (CED)
Butterfly (CED)
INCHON!
The Pirate Movie (CED)
Yes, Giorgio! (CED)

WORST NEW STAR:
Morgan Fairchild - The Seduction (CED)
Luciano Pavarotti - Yes, Giorgio! (CED)
Aileen Quinn - Annie (CED)
Mr. T - Rocky III (CED)
PIA ZADORA - BUTTERFLY (CED)

WORST SONG:
"Comin' Home to You" - Author! Author! (CED)
"Happy Endings" - The Pirate Movie (CED)
"It's Wrong for Me to Love You" - Butterfly (CED)
"No Sweeter Cheater Than You" - Honky Tonk Man
"PUMPIN' AND BLOWIN'" - THE PIRATE MOVIE (CED)

WORST SCORE:
Butterfly - Ennio Morricone (CED)
Death Wish II - Jimmy Page (CED)
Monsignor - John Williams (CED)
THE PIRATE MOVIE - KIT HAIN (CED)
The Thing - Ennio Morricone (CED)

April 12, 1983:
* Vietnam claims its two-week offensive against various rebel factions in
Kampuchea has ended in victory. The fighting occurred along the Thai border
and, according to the Thai government and Kampuchean witnesses, involved
hundreds of civilian fatalities at the hands of the Vietnamese.
* U.S. Representative Harold Washington (D) defeats Bernard Epton to become the
first black mayor of the city of Chicago.
* Following a week of heavy rains and flooding in Louisiana, Mississippi,
Tennessee, and Alabama, at least 15 persons are reported dead and 50,000 left
homeless, with damage estimated at $600 million.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "j horn" <horn>
To: <digest@cedmagic.com>
Subject: purchase a player
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2003 05:57:59 -0800

I have about 80 some movies that I would like to get on either a vcr format or
dvd disk. My player want on the fritz a number of yrs ago and I would like to
find a working machine. jim in central point oregon

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2003 17:02:22 -0800
To: digest@cedmagic.com
From: Tom Howe <tom@cedmagic.com>
Subject: RE: RE: Can separate A/V connectors be added to my CED player

>I had assumed that it was somthing like connecting the leads to ground and 
>since there was a post convienently labeled ground I connected them to 
>ground but when i connected them to the ground and closed every thing up 
>and attempted a test of the system when turned on the display led's went 
>wacky and gave a blinking E affraid i turned it off and unpluged it i
>disconnected it and removed the leads now there isn't any video output just 
>a black screen the player still seems to work ok besides that the machine 
>powers up and  stylus begins play and soon the sound from the disc  begins 
>but no video I did take the  RF modulator box cover off at one point could 
>that be the problem?

The above description where you have audio coming from the disc, but no video
is consistent with having both the newly installed A/V leads and the RF lead
simultaneously attached to a TV, and the TV tuned to Channel 3 or 4. In this
instance the TV video will be extremely dim because the video connection is
attenuating the video portion of the RF signal. The fix when you want to use
channel 3/4 is to simply unplug the A/V leads from the back of the TV. Since it
sounds like you completely removed the new leads, this probably isn't your
specific problem, but there may be something shorting the TP3409 video test
point to ground which would have a similar effect, except in that case the
video would be totally attenuated down to nothing. Try carefully inspecting
where the soldering was done to make sure TP3409 isn't somehow shorted to
ground. If you have a Multimeter, another test for this is to measure the
resistance between TP3409 and ground, with the player unplugged from the wall.
It should measure around 2700 Ohms. If the resistance measurement is zero Ohms,
then something is definitely shorted.

The antenna switch lever on the RF modulator box should not be an issue, as the
player will produce video even if that switch is stuck in the on position. When
it's stuck on, the Antenna IN RF connector on the back of the player functions
as a miniature antenna and degrades the signal sent to the TV. If there's an
antenna plugged into the connector the signal is degraded even more.

--Tom

------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Larry Debord" <larry>
To: <digest@cedmagic.com>
Subject: inquiry
Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2003 09:57:24 -0800

Hello! I have probably 50 - 60 old RCA C.E.D. video discs. My last machine
finally died, so I am simply getting rid of them- cheap! Anyone interested?
 
Please contact me at:
 
Larry Debord
larry@medillum.com
 
Thank you,
 
Larry Debord
Burbank, CA
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