CED VideoDisc and Player Discussion

[Beetlescott]

I have only owned one SJT400, and I love it, but is it me, am I missing something? My SGT250 has better quality picture, and the sound is better. I just don't understand why the 250 seems to be better in every way, than the SJT400. Has anyone else ever noticed it? Or have I always had a weaker 400? I really have no way of testing it. It has always played well, but just not as well as the SGT250.?
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1000 titles
SGT-250
SJT-400
Montgomery Ward
SGT-100

[Rixrex]

Seems odd to me, I recently got a 400 series and it's the best picture of all I've had including SGT 250, which is no slouch in itself. You probably got the best 250 ever made, and the best stylus to match.

[Beetlescott]

Well, this is my second SGT250. My first was in 1982, when I didn't have anythng to compare it to. I have an SJT300, SJT400, SGT250, VP2000 Zenith, SFT100. So far, the SGT250 is, by far the front runner. The thing is my SJT400 plays great, sometimes. The thing that gets me is, I have tried at least 3 different stylus's in it. I suppose it's my player. It is great sometimes, like today, I put in a new movie, The Villiage of the Damned, and it was grainy, and fuzzy and after a few minutes, it cleared up. tnen blurry again. So, to make sure it wasn't the disc, I took it out and popped it in my 250 (I have them both hooked into my home theater system) and it was crystal clear. The 400 was completley refurbished by the guy I bought it from, and he is a whiz at CED players. It just seems that the picture quality is not as good. You are not the first person to tell me they thought the 400 was clearer, I guess someone will have to show me sometime:). Let me add this, as far as everything else, the 400 is the "GRANDADDY" of them all. With the page feature, you can clean up nearly any slight skip or jump. It is amazing what it can do!
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1000 titles
SGT-250
SJT-400
Montgomery Ward
SGT-100

[Rixrex]

I once had a SGT 200 that seemed better than enything else. I think they are comparable to the 250 in general.

If your picture goes grainy, that usually happens when a stylus gets old. Since you've changed the stylus a few times, I'd think it has something to do with the signal delivery within the stylus arm itself, maybe something about the magnetic coils that control the stylus motion. I would bet it's peculiar to just that machine, and probably something that cannot be resolved with any type of servicing.

Even the smallest sort of discrepancy can cause an intermittent problem almost impossible to track down. Remember The Andromeda Strain where a combination of a torn tiny piece of paper in a teletype machine and a scientist with epilepsy and the coincidence of a flashing red warnig light caused the whole detection and containment system to fail.

What I mean is that, since all CED players are made of natural materials that occassionally are less than perfect, any miniscule defect in a material, like thin copper wiring in a coil, could cause a slightly noticable and intermittent fault.

[Beetlescott]

Thanks for the input! I popped a disc in earlier, and it was playing like as well as it ever has! Maybe all I needed to do was complain about it! . It's like taking your car in for a squeak, only it won't squeak when you do!
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1000 titles
SGT-250
SJT-400
Montgomery Ward
SGT-100

[Jesse Skeen]

Just got my 400 in today (bought it mainly because it came with an RCA Video Communications disc, but that's being shipped separately) and already what I DON'T like about it is how it displays the time counter onscreen when the disc starts! I don't have the remote (but can probably get one) so I don't know if that lets you turn that 'feature' off, but I absolutely HATE any sort of undefeatable onscreen displays! Ironically it also has a black generator which none of the other players have- on my Vizio TV, and what seems like most new TVs, when you have any other CED player hooked up it will display the resolution onscreen when the signal from that kicks in. I have a button on the remote so I can turn that off immediately, but it's still annoying.

The mechanism on the 400 isn't perfect either- the disc has to be pushed in to get it to load properly. That's a common problem on this series of machines and another big reason I don't like them as much. I'll clean the rollers later when I have time.
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Videodisc and stereo sound- there's no better value around!

[Rixrex]

Is that a J or K series? Did you get a remote that has a dispay option? Maybe hit that and the display goes off?

I find when I put on a good belt and clean the rollers, the disc is accepted on it's own, as you mentioned.

[Beetlescott]

My discs are accepted into my j400, but some of them won't "click", and they come right back out. Most of the time if I work with it, It will finally take it.
_________________
1000 titles
SGT-250
SJT-400
Montgomery Ward
SGT-100

[Rixrex]

I find that happens when the belt has stretched a bit and slipping. And the rollers need cleaning.

The rollers can get "glazed" a bit and slip there as well. There is a special liquid called rubber drive cleaner made by Rawn Co of Spooner, Wisconsin that is specifically for cleaning and revitalizing those kinds of parts. It doesn't leave residue or oiliness and provides better grip.

Sometimes you also need a belt with a tiny bit more grip or tension, like the o-rings I mentioned here:

http://cedmagic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1673

[Beetlescott]

When the disc was loaed, it idn't "click", but when I flipped it, loaded side B, ii clicked just fine. Thes st ]
_________________
1000 titles
SGT-250
SJT-400
Montgomery Ward
SGT-100

[Jesse Skeen]

Yeah, it depends on the caddy sometimes- some load easier than others. Another problem these players sometimes have is the disc will drop off-center, so the turntable spindle will be under the disc and the pickup arm will get stuck trying to go forward. When this happens the only way to unload the disc is to take the cover off- when my only player was an SJT-300, I eventually just kept the screws out of it since inevitably I would have to go inside for SOMETHING (another loading problem is the caddy will get stuck inside and not come out.) This just wasn't a good design.
_________________
Videodisc and stereo sound- there's no better value around!

[Beetlescott]

[Rixrex]

Am I missing something?

I always thought the 400 series had the same loading system as all the SJT/SKT models. At least it looks the same to me when I have the cover off of those models and compare.

Anyway, I find the loading system not a problem as long as you've got a snug belt and clean rollers and gears. and lubed where needed. I find often that the right side gearing that lifts and drops the disc needs cleaning and relube on players that sat a long time. When I get a machine rebelted, cleaned and lubed properly, the loading system works perfectly.

It is bad when the system fails and caddy gets stuck in the player, though. You have to yank the plug and get the cover off to assist the caddy out. But most of the time there's some warning that a belt failure is coming, like sluggish caddy draw. Or that problem where it won't click in.

[Beetlescott]

No, you aren't missing anything, it is exactly the same. I just think I could of lived with it the was the SGT250 was. There was no more levers to pull, it was all automatic. Both of my players play perfectly, I just think If it had of been up to me, I would lf kept it more simple. The fact that you could slid a plastic caddy into a player pull it back out, and drop the disc precisley where it's suppose to go, is awesome in it's own right.
_________________
1000 titles
SGT-250
SJT-400
Montgomery Ward
SGT-100