CED VideoDisc and Player Discussion

[lynx]

Hi again!



Today is the forty-firth anniversary of the introduction of the RCA Selectavision video disc system. It happened a total of 16,436 days ago, and just like the memorable day of the debut of the CED system, today is a Sunday. In the years since that day, 22 March has been on a Sunday in 1987, 1992, 1998 (during the CED Digest era), 2009, 2015, and 2020 (during the CED Magic forum era, and continuing today). It happened again this year, and it will be on a Sunday again in 2037.



With CED now being 45 years old, there is a relation between this anniversary & a "relative" of CED, which is the 45 r.p.m. record. Besides just the number, it has a connexion to CED for two other reasons, one being the fact that CED and 45s are variations of grooved vinyl records, and the other fact being that both audiovisual formats were originally developed by the same company, the Radio Corporation of America. The 45 was originally developed by RCA Victor right after World War II as a competitor to the then-new 33 1/3 r.p.m. long-playing vinyl record, which was simultaneously under development by their rival at the time, Columbia Records. During the heyday of CED, both companies partnered up to produce video discs. Today, Columbia Records and RCA Records are both owned by Sony.



One further physical trait that CEDs and 45s have in common is the centre holes; both formats have large holes in the middle which are roughly the same size.



Here is one more fun fact about CED, which I don't think has ever been written on here:



The day of the premiere of CED to the public was also the fiftieth birthday of a major CED star, Canadian actor William Shatner, who, more recently, is now the world's oldest astronaut. Just like CED, which debuted on a Sunday, he was born on a Sunday, and he now turns ninety-five years old today.



In conclusion, I hope all the CED collectors remember why today is a special day, and I hope this forum will continue well in to the future!



Until next year!
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Let RCA turn your television into Selectavision!