CED VideoDisc and Player Discussion

[Ron Rendfeld]

How many of the prototype SKT425 players were made?

Ron in Indy

[cedmagic]

I'd guess there were very few SKT425 players made because they were cosmetic models rather than engineering models. RCA usually made at least a few dozen of their engineering models, so they could be extensively tested by a number of people. With the SKT425 essentially being an SKT400 "under the hood," there was little need for testing, they just had to have enough to demo to various groups within RCA.

The SKT425 in the CED Magic collection came very close to being thrown in the dumpster. The previous owner was a GE employee who was instructed to trash all the RCA stuff in an Indianapolis storage closet after RCA "merged" with GE. He talked management into letting him take the player home, as he was a user of VideoDiscs at the time.

--Tom Howe

[krbsforty]

I have been reading some of the older postings on the CED forum archives, and I thought Tom had a very interesting story about his RCA model SKT425. I am curious as the whether another RCA SKT425 has been discovered. I think it would be interesting to know. If not, then Tom's player may be the only one which exists.
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[Beetlescott]

Wouldn't it be something to find one? I have bought and sold some rare items before, and I regret parting with them. But if I was to ever get my paws on a 425, I would never part with it.
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1000 titles
SGT-250
SJT-400
Montgomery Ward
SGT-100

[blindfury420]

If its only cosmetic like he says, some one can make the face plate for sure! I able to put any kind of switch behind the button so if any one has some custom plastic skills I could rewire it to function correctly with any size switch the button would need! Tom has some good pics of it and would likely be willing to take more so some one could make it! If its all black you could use the top from any j/k 300 player too!
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I dont own

McMicheal 5001h
Hitachi VIP202P
JCP 686-5705
RCA SKT265, SKT300
RCA SJT400X, SJT425

[ketonic_dude]

With today's technology those machines that cut plastic parts from scratch based on computer drawings are getting cheaper and cheaper and more and more companies are getting them. I even heard the Smithsonian is using them to duplicate delicate artifacts to use for displays and stuff. But there has got to be companies out there where you can email them a 3-d scan of something and they can send you back the finished product. I would think we could have Tom take 360 degree pictures of the SKT425 with measurements, and have a shop somewhere cut the exact same case and then we could just fit it onto a SKT400 chassis, make the buttons all functional, and it would be an exact clone. I've always thought it would be cool to go one step further than that though and design our own more modern cool looking case that we could fit over a 400. With how fast technology is advancing in that area it wouldn’t be long before that would be a very cost effective thing to do for fun.

[CEDvince]

I am glad this thread got bumped, I hadno idea what the story was behind Tom's player.
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2 - RCA SFT-100
Zenith VP-2000
Realistic CED-1
2 - RCA SGT-200
2-RCA SJT-400

[Mayor West]