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 A CED of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), exposed from its protective caddy | |
| Media type | video playback media |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 60 minutes NTSC video per side, 27,000 still frames per side[1] |
| Read mechanism | stylus |
| Usage | Home video |
| Released | March 22, 1981 |
| Discontinued | 1986 (RCA)[2] |
The Capacitance Electronic Disc (CED) is an analog video disc playback system developed by Radio Corporation of America (RCA), in which video and audio could be played back on a TV set using a special stylus and high-density groove system similar to phonograph records.
First conceived in 1964, the CED system was widely seen as a technological success which was able to increase the density of a long-playing record by two orders of magnitude.[3] Despite this achievement, the CED system fell victim to poor planning, various conflicts with RCA management, and several technical difficulties that slowed development and stalled production of the system for 17 years—until 1981, by which time it had already been made obsolete by laser videodisc (DiscoVision, later called LaserVision and LaserDisc) as well as Betamax and VHS video cassette formats. Sales for the system were nowhere near projected estimates. In the spring of 1984, RCA announced it was discontinuing player production, but continued the production of videodiscs until 1986, losing an estimated $650 million in the process. RCA had initially intended to release the SKT425 CED player with their high end Dimensia system in late 1984, but cancelled CED player production prior to the Dimensia system's release.[4]
The format was commonly known as "videodisc", leading to much confusion with the contemporaneous LaserDisc format. LaserDiscs are read optically with a laser beam, whereas CED discs are read physically with a stylus (similar to a conventional phonograph record). The two systems are mutually incompatible.
RCA used the brand name "SelectaVision" for the CED system, a name also used for some early RCA brand VCRs,[5] and other experimental projects at RCA.[6][7] The Video High Density system is similar to that of CED.
- ^ "RCA SelectaVision VideoDisc FAQ - What are the technical specifications of the RCA VideoDisc system?". CEDMagic.com. Retrieved March 7, 2007.
- ^ "Memories of VideoDisc - CED Retailing at G&M Video in Indiana". CEDMagic.com. Retrieved March 11, 2007.
- ^ "RCA SelectaVision VideoDisc FAQ - Why did the CED system fail to even come close to RCA's expected market penetration?". CEDMagic.com. Retrieved March 11, 2007.
- ^ Howe, Tom. "RCA Dimensia SKT425 CED Video Disc Player". www.cedmagic.com.
- ^ "VBT200 - The First RCA SelectaVision VHS Video Cassette Recorder (VCR)". CEDMagic.com. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
- ^ "HoloTape". CEDMagic.com. Retrieved March 6, 2007.
- ^ "MagTape". CEDMagic.com. Retrieved March 6, 2007.