The Tale of the RCA VideoDisc
1Digest
This podcast episode delves into the history of the RCA CED player, an obsolete video disk system that was released in 1981. The episode begins by introducing the listener to the real woman behind the tabloid headlines, Tory Spelling, and her personal podcast, "Miss Spelling." The podcast then explores the RCA CED player's technology, including its use of capacitance electronic disk (CED) technology, which encoded video information onto a grooved disk. The episode also discusses the player's development, highlighting the challenges faced by RCA, including leadership changes and competition from other video formats like VHS and Betamax. The podcast then examines the launch and eventual failure of the CED player, exploring the reasons for its demise, including its high price, the lack of a rental market, and the dominance of VHS and Betamax. Finally, the episode reflects on the legacy of the CED format, acknowledging its technological innovation but ultimately concluding that it was a failure in the market. The episode also discusses the reasons why a CED revival is unlikely.
Outlines
Introduction to the Podcast and the RCA CED Player
This podcast introduces the listener to the real woman behind the tabloid headlines, Tory Spelling, and her personal podcast, "Miss Spelling." The podcast then explores the history of the RCA CED player, an obsolete video disk system that was released in 1981. The episode delves into the technology behind the player, including its use of capacitance electronic disk (CED) technology.
RCA's Corporate History and the Video Disk Project
This segment provides a brief history of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), focusing on the company's leadership changes and how they impacted the development of the video disk project. The episode also discusses the challenges faced by RCA in developing and marketing the CED player, including competition from other video formats.
The Launch and Failure of the Video Disk Player
This segment discusses the launch of the RCA CED player in 1981 and its eventual failure in the market. The episode explores the reasons for its failure, including competition from VHS and Betamax, the high price of the player and disks, and the lack of a rental market.
The Legacy of the Video Disk
This segment reflects on the legacy of the video disk format, acknowledging its technological innovation but ultimately concluding that it was a failure in the market. The episode also discusses the reasons why a CED revival is unlikely.
Keywords
RCA CED Player
The RCA CED Player, also known as the RCA Video Disk System, was a video disk player that used capacitance electronic disk technology. It was released in 1981 but failed to gain widespread adoption due to competition from VHS and Betamax.
Capacitance Electronic Disk (CED)
CED technology uses capacitance to encode video information onto a grooved disk. The stylus in the player measures the difference in voltage between the tip of the stylus and the disk's surface, which is determined by the peaks and valleys in the groove.
VHS
VHS (Video Home System) is a video cassette format that was popular in the 1980s and 1990s. It allowed consumers to record and play back video content, including movies and TV shows.
Betamax
Betamax is a video cassette format that was developed by Sony. It was initially considered superior to VHS in terms of picture quality but ultimately lost the format war.
Laser Disk
Laser Disk is an optical disk format that was released in 1978. It used a laser to read information from the disk and could hold up to an hour of video per side.
NTSC
NTSC (National Television System Committee) is a standard for analog television broadcasting used in the United States and other countries. It has a resolution of 720 by 480 and a refresh rate of 60 hertz.
PAL
PAL (Phase Alternating Line) is a standard for analog television broadcasting used in the United Kingdom and other countries. It has a resolution of 720 by 576 and a refresh rate of 50 hertz.
Q&A
What was the RCA CED Player, and why did it fail?
The RCA CED Player was a video disk player that used capacitance electronic disk technology. It failed to gain widespread adoption due to competition from VHS and Betamax, its high price, and the lack of a rental market.
How did CED technology work?
CED technology used capacitance to encode video information onto a grooved disk. The stylus in the player measured the difference in voltage between the tip of the stylus and the disk's surface, which was determined by the peaks and valleys in the groove.
What were some of the key differences between the US and UK versions of the CED Player?
The US version of the CED Player used the NTSC standard for video, while the UK version used the PAL standard. This resulted in different disk rotation speeds and storage capacities. The UK version could store 75 minutes of video per side, while the US version could only store 60 minutes.
What were some of the challenges that RCA faced in developing and marketing the CED Player?
RCA faced several challenges in developing and marketing the CED Player, including competition from other video formats, the high cost of production, and leadership changes within the company.
What is the legacy of the RCA CED Player?
The RCA CED Player is remembered as a technological innovation that ultimately failed in the market. It is a reminder of the challenges of introducing new technologies and the importance of market conditions.
Show Notes
In 1981, RCA released a new media format on the market. It was the CED -- the Capacitance Electronic Disc, and it was meant to compete with Betamax, VHS and LaserDisc. How did it do? Not so great! But I own one, so I'm doing an episode about it!
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