CED Digest Vol. 8 No. 18

CED Digest Vol. 8 No. 18 • 5/3/2003
20 Years Ago In CED History:

May 4, 1983:
* President Reagan states that the insurgent groups in Nicaragua receiving 
covert aid from the Central Intelligence Agency are "freedom
fighters" who 
oppose a government that has betrayed its revolutionary principles.
* Chairman Lee Iacocca of the Chrysler Corporation announces that the company 
will pay off $400 million in federally guaranteed loans by the end of June. The 
total $1.2 billion in federal money, which saved Chrysler from bankruptcy in 
1980, was not scheduled for repayment until 1990.
* El Salvador's Constituent Assembly unanimously passes a law offering amnesty 
to an estimated 250 political prisoners and to leftist guerrillas who surrender 
to authorities within 60 days.
* The Iranian government outlaws Tudeh, the Iranian Communist Party 
organization, and orders 18 Soviet diplomats to leave the country within 48 
hours. Nureddin Kianuri, the head of the Tudeh, had confessed on television 
that the party had engaged in espionage and treason by sending political and 
military reports to the Soviet Union.

* RCA PRESS RELEASE:
Random Access Player Highlights RCA's New VideoDisc Line

Five Models Feature Electronic Function Controls, New Cabinet Designs

LAS VEGAS, May 4 -- RCA today introduced a new generation of video disc 
players, each model featuring electronic function controls and fully automatic 
operation. Optional retail prices of the new line begin below $300.

RCA also previewed at a national distributor meeting here the first random 
access player designed for the company's capacitance electronic disc (CED) 
system. The RCA player, which will be available this fall, employs a digital 
microcomputer to provide a variety of interactive applications for the user. 
The model also has stereo capability.

The Random Access Player, model SJT 400, can be programmed to play any segment 
of a disc by either time or band selection, using the model's 30-function 
digital remote control. A "page" feature allows the display of still
pictures 
or other information from specially prepared "CED" video discs.

A new feature introduced in selected RCA VideoDisc models is forward and 
reverse scanning, with picture, at 120 times normal speed in addition to the 
normal 16X. David E. Daly, Vice President, Product Planning and Industrial 
Design, RCA Consumer Electronics Division, said the new high speed search 
feature allows the consumer to visually search through a 60-minute disc in just 
30 seconds. "The 120X search capability is clearly a superior feature in
any 
video playback product," he added.

The five new models in the RCA VideoDisc line include two monaural units, and 
three stereo players. Optional retail prices range from below $300 to $449.95 
for a remote control stereo model. The deluxe random access player will be 
priced in mid-summer.

The random access player is also compatible with RCA's new Digital Command 
Center, an infrared remote control unit included with all new RCA Color Trak 
2000 receivers that can also operate selected RCA VCR models as well as the 
forthcoming SJT 400 VideoDisc player.

Each RCA VideoDisc model features a new low-profile vertical-front design that 
allows more practical usage as a component in a home video system, Mr. Daly 
said. The previous mechanical function lever has been replaced by a single 
control that turns the player on and off and readies the player for acceptance 
of a disc.

Mr. Daly said another significant improvement in the VideoDisc player line is a 
completely automatic disc loading system. An internal player mechanism
"pulls" 
the disc sleeve into the player, removes the disc, and returns the empty sleeve 
to the user. Playback begins automatically in seconds with the new power 
loading system.

The primary monaural model in the new line is the SJT 100 which features visual 
search at 16 times normal speed, rapid access and pause. Optional retail price 
is $349.95. A more basic model, the SJT 090, carries an open list price but is 
expected to sell below $300.

RCA's lead stereo model in the new line is the SJT 200 featuring visual search, 
rapid access and pause control. With stereo or bi-lingual capability, the model 
contains video and audio output jacks on the rear panel. Optional retail price 
is $399.95.

A stereo model with infrared remote control is the SJT 300, which offers two 
speeds for picture search, 16X or 120 times normal. With electronic controls 
and power loading, the SJT 300 has an optional retail price of $449.95.

* RCA PRESS RELEASE:
Sales of Video Disc Albums to Set New Unit and Dollar Highs in 1983

LAS VEGAS, May 4 -- Sales of "CED" video disc albums have been
running at peak 
levels in both units and dollars through the first four months of this year, 
and all signs point to another record year, Herbert J. Mendelsohn, Division 
Vice President, Marketing, RCA VideoDiscs, predicted today.

"This year we're expecting total 'CED' sales -- both hardware and software
-- 
of more than $300 million," he told a meeting of RCA distributors.
"Next year, 
those dollars are likely to double, and, as player sales continue to climb, it 
won't be too many years before annual software sales alone reach a billion 
dollars."

Noting that changes are occurring in the video disc marketplace, Mr. Mendelsohn 
said, "They are all positive indicators of the great potential forecast
for 
this new industry."

Mr. Mendelsohn said RCA and other "CED" software suppliers expect to
have more 
than 1,000 titles available by the end of this year, catering to a wide variety 
of tastes and interests.

In an effort to further stimulate consumer purchases, Mr. Mendelsohn said RCA 
has developed a video catalog called a "Home Preview Disc." This disc
contains 
segments of more than 100 programs in the catalog and permits the consumer to 
"browse" through the catalog in the comfort of his own home and
decide which 
discs to buy.

The 100 excerpts are arranged by categories such as comedy, drama, music, 
science fiction, and special interest. The Home Preview Disc will be available 
for loan to consumers in RCA's 2,500 Showcase Dealer outlets starting in June.

Mr. Mendelsohn said RCA plans to release a new Home Preview Disc every four 
months to supplement the printed catalog and the new release flyers.

He told the distributors that a wide variety of new releases are scheduled for 
the next few months, including "Reds," and "48 Hrs."

At the same time, he said, RCA is inaugurating a stock balancing program to 
help distributors streamline their business operations and to encourage them to 
aggressively purchase, merchandise, and sell "CED" video discs.

A key element in this program is a national computer-generated program under 
which overstocked and understocked distributors will be able to balance their 
inventories.

May 5, 1983:
* Six Chinese hijackers asking for political asylum force a Chinese jet to land 
in Seoul, South Korea, and are quickly arrested.
* Representatives of the 88 nations that had signed the General Agreement on 
Tariffs and Trade (GATT) issue a report on six of the world's most debt-ridden 
countries. The study shows that the six ran combined deficits of $22 billion in 
1982, a substantial improvement compared with the $36 billion deficit they had 
posted the previous year. The six nations mentioned in the report are Brazil, 
Mexico, South Korea, Argentina, Poland, and Yugoslavia.

May 6, 1983:
* The West German government announces that the Adolf Hitler diaries announced 
by the magazine _Stern_ on April 22 are false on the basis of chemical tests, 
proving that some of the documents were written on paper that didn't become 
available until 1955.
* The Israeli government approves a U.S. sponsored plan for the simultaneous 
withdrawal of Israeli and Syrian troops from Lebanon. With this approval, the 
U.S. government lifts a yearlong embargo on the shipment of F-16 warplanes to 
Israel.
* Future CED title in widespread theatrical release: Losin' It.

May 7, 1983:
* In the first official contact between the two countries since 1949, a 
delegation from China arrives in Seoul, South Korea, to negotiate the return of 
a plane hijacked there two days before.
* An explosion in a first-floor coffee shop of an Istanbul, Turkey hotel starts 
a fire, leaving at least 40 people dead.
* U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz visits Syria to seek Syrian assent in 
the Israeli-Lebanese troop withdrawal agreement.
* Sunny's Halo, ridden by Eddie Delahoussaye, wins the 109th Kentucky Derby by 
a two length margin.

May 8, 1983:
* Spain's ruling Socialist Party sweeps municipal elections.

May 9, 1983:
* Representatives of the 24-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and 
Development (OECD) open two days of talks in Paris on common trade and 
political problems.
* The Reagan administration informs the Nicaraguan government that its sugar 
exports to the U.S. during the next fiscal year will be limited to about 10 
percent of its present quota. Central American nations friendly to the U.S. 
will have their quota correspondingly increased.

May 10, 1983:
* South Africa's ruling National Party suffers setbacks in special 
parliamentary elections.
* Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone ends a trip that included visits to 
the five nations that comprise the Association of Southeast Asian Nations 
(ASEAN).

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 07:15:55 EDT
From: Mrtmalcolm
To: digest@cedmagic.com
Subject: replacement stylus

hi to all

iv not long bought a hitachi vp201p ced wich is working fine .but at some 
point i am going to need a new stylus & or a cartidge .iv been searching 
everywhere that i can think of (with cedmagic) help to find one .does anybody 
know where i can get one from .are they still available ?anyone got one in 
their box of bits ? etc etc .
as its in good working order i would like to keep it that way.im in the uk .
you can reply to             mrtmalcolm@aol.com

cheers to you all
                                    malcolm

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Date: Sat, 03 May 2003 22:46:14 -0700
From: tom@cedmagic.com
To: digest@cedmagic.com
Subject: RE: GEN10301 belt slipped off

>It seems that the belt is not only under the turntable around the 
>spindle that holds (and turns, I think) the turntable, but also
>between the spindle and two plastic "things" on the left side of
>the turntable (if one were facing the front of the player looking
>down) -- one just on the outside of the platter and one just inside
>the platter.

The turntable may be stuck at the bottom-most position if the loading belt is 
worn out, which would cause it to trap the turntable drive belt under the 
turntable. It can be freed by replacing the loading belt. There is enough 
clearance on the inside of the top-left disc support and on the outside of the 
lower-left disc support for the belt to move freely. Take a look at picture 
(11) on this page to see the tight clearance on the lower-left disc support:

http://www.cedmagic.com/tech-info/toshiba-pulley/toshiba-pulley.html

You'll probably discover the original turntable belt is too loose to drive the 
mechanism, even when properly re-installed. With the neoprene being over 20 
years old, a lot of its elasticity will be gone.

--Tom
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