CED Digest Vol. 8 No. 34

CED Digest Vol. 8 No. 34 • 8/23/2003
20 Years Ago In CED History:

August 24, 1983:
* Switzerland announces that it will buy 420 West German Leopard II 
tanks rather than M-1 Abrams tanks manufactured in the United States. 
The Swiss reportedly view the Leopard II as a superior weapon and 
will be allowed to produce about 70 percent of the parts in their own 
factories.
* The roof of a high school in Fengyuan, Taiwan collapses during an 
assembly; at least 26 students die.

* RCA PRESS RELEASE:
RCA to Expand Videodisc Marketing Activities in Consumer, Educational 
and Institutional Markets

Arnold T. Valencia to Have Responsibility for Player and Disc Program 
as Division Vice President and General Manager of New RCA VideoDisc 
Division

An expansion of marketing activities involving all aspects of RCA's 
"CED" VideoDisc system was announced today by Roy H. Pollack, RCA 
Executive Vice President.

The move follows the introduction of the company's first random 
access player that has applications in the educational, institutional 
and consumer markets.

Arnold T. Valencia has been promoted to the position of Division Vice 
President and General Manager of the new RCA VideoDisc Division. Mr. 
Valencia, previously was President of the RCA Sales Corp., and the 
RCA Distributing Corp. He will report to Jack K. Sauter, RCA Group 
Vice President.

"The expansion of RCA's marketing efforts is a direct result of the 
broad movement of the video disc business into new areas of 
application and sales opportunities, both here and abroad," Mr. 
Pollack said. "What started out as primarily a consumer business is 
now evolving sooner than expected into a multi-market opportunity for 
RCA as the developer of the 'CED' system."

The new interactive discs give the user an opportunity to exercise 
command and control over information flowing to and from the player. 
The two-way flow differs from that in conventional-video discs which 
send information only from the disc to the viewer. With interactive 
discs and a random access player, for example, the user can make 
choices that alter the outcome of a story contained on the disc.

"In the new organizational structure, various VideoDisc functions 
throughout RCA have been combined under Mr. Valencia into one 
cohesive group that will focus on the growth of RCA's existing 
VideoDisc business while developing new markets and applications for 
the system," Mr. Pollack said.

"Total coordination of software and hardware is essential to optimize 
consumer acceptance, because software drives the system," Mr. Pollack 
stated. "Through this coordination, RCA's combined distribution 
efforts will strengthen sell-through results of both the disc and 
player. We are most gratified that major suppliers of entertainment 
product recognize the viability of the 'CED' video disc business and 
are now actively pursuing custom pressing."

Mr. Valencia will be headquartered in New York and will be supported 
by a staff consisting of:

David M. Arganbright - Division Vice President, Business Planning

Bruce G. Babcock - Division Vice President, Special Marketing

Dr. Jay J. Brandinger - Division Vice President and General Manager 
"SelectaVision" VideoDisc Operations

Thomas G. Kuhn - Division Vice President, "SelectaVision" VideoDiscs

Mr. Arganbright will be specifically responsible for business 
planning and international sales activities involving RCA's "CED" 
system. The system will be launched in the United Kingdom this fall 
in a joint effort with Hitachi.

Mr. Babcock will direct RCA's efforts in the growing area of custom 
pressing of video discs for other "CED" brands being sold in the 
consumer market.

Dr. Brandinger, in addition to his responsibility for "CED" system 
development and manufacturing of video discs at the company's 
Indianapolis facility, will also be directing RCA's development and 
marketing efforts in the area of interactive video discs.

Mr. Kuhn will continue to be responsible for the acquisition and 
development of programming for the RCA VideoDisc system. He also will 
be responsible for the marketing and merchandising of both players 
and discs.

Stephen S. Stepnes, previously Manager, Consumer Markets in the 
Consumer/Professional and Finishing Markets section of the Eastman 
Kodak Company, will join RCA as Division Vice President, Marketing 
for the RCA Consumer Electronics Division in Indianapolis. In this 
position he will be responsible for all marketing activities 
involving the division's color and black-and-white television and 
video cassette recorder products.

Mr. Stepnes will also serve as President of the RCA Sales Corp. and 
President of the RCA Distributing Corp., positions previously held by 
Mr. Valencia.

A 19-year veteran of Kodak, Mr. Stepnes has been directing that 
company's extensive marketing efforts for consumer products in the 
United States. With considerable marketing experience in sales, 
advertising, planning and market research, Mr. Stepnes previously 
held the positions of Director, Marketing-Europe and Director, 
Business Planning - U.S.

The new random access player, formally introduced by RCA two weeks 
ago, represents the first video disc player in the United States 
market that offers programmable capability for "applications beyond 
simple home entertainment."

With an optional retail price of $499.95, the new SJT400 player can 
also provide a variety of interactive applications for the user. RCA 
also introduced two interactive discs, with a third scheduled for 
November. In addition to RCA, several other major program sources, 
including CBS Publishing, Walt Disney Home Video, and Paramount Home 
Video, are developing interactive programs for the "CED" video disc 
system.

August 25, 1983:
* The United States and the Soviet Union sign a new five-year grain sales pact.

August 26, 1983:
* Chile's President Augusto Pinochet Ugarte declares that the state 
of emergency in effect since 1978 will be lifted the next day. The 
move comes after a newly formed opposition alliance called for his 
resignation on August 6 and a fourth national day of antigovernment 
protest August 11.
* Future CED title in widespread theatrical release: Krull.

August 27, 1983:
* A crowd of at least 250,000 gathers in Washington D.C. to 
commemorate the 20th anniversary of the march on the nation's capital 
that was highlighted by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s memorable 
"I have a dream" speech. The theme of the 1983 event is "Jobs,
Peace, 
and Freedom."
* Historians note the centenary of the explosion of the Indonesian 
volcano Krakatoa, believed to be the most violent explosion in 
recorded history - a blast heard 3,000 miles away in Australia.

August 28, 1983:
* Menachem Begin, who had become increasingly withdrawn from public 
life in recent weeks, informs the Israeli Cabinet that he will 
formally resign within a few days as prime minister and as leader of 
the Herut Party.

August 29, 1983:
* Two U.S. Marines are killed in heavy fighting in Beirut, the first 
American combat fatalities in Lebanon.
* The anchor of the Monitor, one of the earliest ironclad warships, 
is recovered from the ocean floor off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. 
The ship had been built in 1862 for the Union Army, and on March 9, 
1862, it battled the Virginia, the Confederate ironclad also known as 
the Merrimack. Neither side was victorious, but the battle marked the 
end of the era of wooden warships. The Monitor sank during a storm in 
December, 1862, and its remains were not discovered until 1974. The 
1,300 pound anchor is the first major part of the ship to be salvaged.

August 30, 1983:
* Lieutenant Colonel Guion S. Bluford, Jr., aboard flight STS-8 of 
the space shuttle Challenger becomes the first African American in 
space.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: SonyFan13
Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2003 08:45:01 EDT
Subject: Re: CED Digest Vol. 8 No. 33
To: digest@cedmagic.com

>I have a Sears model 934.54800250 video disc player, to which its OEM
>equivalent is the Hitachi VIP-2000.

Speaking of an Hitachi VIP-2000, in addition of trying to repair this 
Sears player, I had just successfully repaired my own VIP-2000.  The 
resonator module in the pickup circuitry had a number of cold solder 
joints which prevented proper operation.  (Inability of unit to track 
the disc) Now the unit works properly, although there are some rather 
minor signs that the stylus may have to be replaced.  (Minor picture 
artifacting only near the end of side at or after 45-50 minutes). 
This will be my backup in case any of my primary use machines (RCA) 
croaks.  - Reinhart

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2003 19:26:23 -0800
To: digest@cedmagic.com
From: Tom Howe <tom@cedmagic.com>
Subject: Goonies Road Trips

Hello All:

"The Goonies" was the Featured CED a few months ago, and since that 
time I've been wanting to visit Astoria on the Oregon Coast to see 
how the specific sites in the movie have changed in the intervening 
years, a trip that seems to be popular among fans of this movie. I 
got my chance yesterday by riding the Explorer Train, which 
commemorates the bicentennial of the Lewis & Clark Expedition by 
following their route along the Columbia River from Portland to 
Astoria and back. A layover of several hours in Astoria allowed all 
the in-town sites to be walked to, and I've added a current picture 
of the Goonies house to the web page:

http://www.cedmagic.com/featured/goonies/goonies.html

Patrick and Ron, the operators of TheGoonies.org web site, also 
recently made a trip up from Santa Cruz to visit Astoria. They made a 
short movie of their trip that is simultaneously hilarious and 
reverential, so much so that it has made the "Top 20" list in SPIN 
Magazine. This movie mixes current video with scenes from the movie 
(plus another CED title: Vacation), and will refresh your memory if 
you haven't seen "The Goonies" in a long time. It can be downloaded 
here:

http://www.thegoonies.org/watch.htm

After "The Goonies" was made, the small town of Astoria served as the 
backdrop for a number of other movies (but sadly no other CED 
titles). These include:

Short Circuit
Benji, The Hunted
Come See the Paradise
Kindergarten Cop
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
Free Willy
Eban and Charley
The Ring
The Goonies II (if they ever get around to making it)
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