CED Digest Vol. 2 No. 50

CED Digest Vol. 2 No. 50 • 12/13/1997
Date: Sun, 07 Dec 1997 15:38:30 +0200
From: sobel 
To: Tom Howe <ceds@teleport.com>
Subject: items for sale

 For sale--three SJT 400 RCA Selectavision players with remotes/owners
manuals plus
650 TITLES (approx 250 still in shrink wrap) including doubles,
interactive discs, and
holocaust (4 disc set).  Want to sell as package deal to the highest
bidder.  All bids considered.  write to:  drilnfil@mailexcite.com or
call +972 50 391121   Thanks, Hal

------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Zach D." 
To: Tom Howe <ceds@teleport.com>
Date: Sun, 7 Dec 1997 11:04:43 -0500
Subject: Digest Entry

For auction:

Hope this goes out with the digest soon! The auction will run 7 days 
starting now!  Thanks Tom!

I've been holding out on this item for some time, but I hope to move
in January and am raising all the funds I can for the move.  The item
is original RCA part nm. 153331 'TOOL'.  You use it to see if the
wheel of your player is spinning right at 450 rpm like it should. I
have put this item at EBAY auction web just to save time since they
take care of bidding on things (it's an auction).  If you aren't
familiar with EBAY, let me know.  If you are, or you're not.. it's
very simple at the URL to visit where you can read the description
below, see the pictures, and put in a bid is:

http://komodo.ebay2.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2873830

More description as listed on EBAY:

This is a neat little tool for those who are proud owners of an RCA or
compatible CED movie disk player.  It was used by technicians to make
sure the platter was revolving at the correct speed.  There are
complete instructions for it's use included. Basically, you remove the
cover from player, put in a disk, put the spindle wheel on top of the
disk and start it playing.  If the wedges on the disk don't move, the
disk is spinning at 450 RPM (really fast compared to 33 1/3 ehh?).  If
they appear to be turning clockwise or counter clockwise then the
platter is spinning either too slow or fast.  That's basically what it
does. A very useful tool for someone still tinkering with an RCA
player, or better yet, something neat to go along with your collection
even if you aren't a guru of repairing forgotten technology.

   Condition:  The wheel and instructions are in excellent condition.
The envelope they come however has been dog eared and ruffled some as
seen in the scan.

<!--
Picture at:
<img src="http://users.hub.ofthe.net/~zachd/www/wheel.jpg">
-->

Thanks!
p.s. Would also consider trades on this but only for CEDs on my top 5
most wanted list!  I really need the money more!

TTYL,
ZD
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 The Net's Best Virtual Flea Market: 
   Vinyl-8 Tracks-Computers-Board Games-CEDs-Video Games-Books - Collectibles
                http://users.hub.ofthe.net/~zachd/

------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: THX70MMDTS 
Date: Sun, 7 Dec 1997 18:42:49 EST
To: ceds@teleport.com
Subject: Re: CED Digest Vol. 2 No. 49

In a message dated 97-12-07 07:51:11 EST, you write:

<< Can somebody talk about something other than reviving the CED??? This
 is getting ridiculous. We all know why the CED failed and why they will
 never start making CED's again..... Geeez.... Whatever happened to the
 good old days when people had discs to sell???? C'mon people this is
 turning into something similiar to the DAT group I subscribed to.... After a
 while all people wanted to do was create and sell bootleg tapes and not
 talk about the technology anymore...... >>

AMEN!!!!!  If I read one more posting asking for "MIB" on CED I'll quit
subscribing to the CED Digest.  I love RCA's terrible format for what it was
and still is today...THE VIDEO EDSEL.  Ford won't make you anymore Edsels and
you're not getting any new CED movies either.  What's the point?  The fun of
CED is that it is DEAD.  Same reason I like LPs and 8-tracks, hell I NEVER buy
new stuff on LPs.  

Tony
-and don't bombard me with hate mail, it'll only further cement my position on
this subject.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: LLP33 
Date: Sun, 7 Dec 1997 22:27:43 EST
To: ceds@teleport.com
Subject: Re: CED Digest Vol. 2 No. 49

Now show the patents to the NSF!!!!

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 1997 04:20:33 -0800
From: Tom Howe 
To: ceds@teleport.com
Subject: SelectaVision Holotape

Hello All:

I've been asked the question, "How is it possible to record video on Saran
Wrap?", which in thicker form was the material used in RCA's early Holotape
format. RCA dumped the Holotape format in the development stage in favor of CED
for unerasible storage, and MagTape for erasible storage, with MagTape
eventually being dumped in favor of VHS. The following article published 28
years ago in _Spectrum_  was recently posted to the Dead Media list, and
provides a good explanation of how HoloTape worked:

Source:  "Color TV tape player employs lasers and 
holography" 
IEEE Spectrum 6 (Dec 1969):  page 28

    "A laboratory model of a low-cost television color 
tape player built around lasers and holography and 
destined for home use in the early 1970s was exhibited 
recently by RCA. In commercial form, the SelectaVision 
player, which will be designed to attach to any standard 
color television set, will play full-color programs 
recorded on tapes made of the same clear, inexpensive 
plastic materials used in super-markets to wrap meats.

    "These tapes will be scratch proof, rustproof, and   
virtually indestructible under normal use. The conversion 
process is described as follows: a color program 
originating from a color television camera or color 
videotape player is recorded on conventional film by means 
of an electron beam recorder. This film, known as the 
color encoded master, is then developed and convened by a 
laser to a series of holograms recorded on a plastic tape 
recorded with photoresist, a material that hardens to 
varying degrees depending upon the intensity of the light
striking it.

    "Next, the tape is developed in a chemical solution 
that eats away the portions of the photoresist not 
hardened by the laser beam. The result is a relief map of 
photoresist whose hills and valleys, and the spacing 
between, represent the original color television program 
in coded form. This is called the hologram master. 

     "The hologram master is plated with a thick coating 
of nickel and stripped away, leaving a nickel tape with 
the holograms impressed on it like a series of engravings. 
This is the nickel master.

     "Finally, by feeding the nickel master through a set 
of pressure rollers along with a transparent vinyl tape of 
similar dimensions, the holographic engravings on the 
master are impressed on the smooth surface of the vinyl as 
holographic reliefs.  The result is a SelectaVision 
program tape ready for home use.

    "Playback of such a tape requires only that the beam 
from a very-low-power laser pass through it into a simple, 
low-cost television camera that sees the images 
reconstructed by the laser directly, and their colors as 
coded variations in those images.  The playback mechanism, 
the laser, and the television camera are all housed in the 
SelectaVision player, which is attached to the antenna 
terminals of a standard color television set for actual 
viewing."

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 1997 11:44:27 -0600
From: fuselier 
To: ceds@teleport.com
Subject: sell player and discs 

I have approx 70  RCA CEDs and a Radio Shack  player with complete
service manual. I need the room and will sell all for $100
 
                http://www.detnet.com/fuselier

------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: LAWPATS 
Date: Tue, 9 Dec 1997 13:04:31 EST
To: ceds@teleport.com
Subject: subscribe

I'ld like information on purchasing a rebuilt disc player -- does anyone sell
such a thing.  I have several non-working players

thanks for any help

------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Daniel P. Cayea" 
To: "Tom Howe" <ceds@teleport.com>
Subject: Telecom's CED Library
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 1997 19:49:09 -0500

     Telecom Technologies' National Capacitance Disc  Library as many have
pointed out will have a difficult task managing the whole  collection of CED
Materials, this can be done and it shall. To obtain  information on the
library write to cayead@westelcom.com or to subscribe to  the newsletter write
to the same address and place the words SUBSCRIBE NCDL in  the subject line. 
Sincerely Dan Cayea
Previous Digest | Next Digest | Volume 2 Index | CED Magic Home