greetings to ced collectors out there. why should I collect this format? which titles I should seek? why?

There are some music titles that are available on CED but not laserdisc:



The copy of Go Go's shown is still sealed.

In addition who wouldn't want to collect the classic Beatles film - Let it Be on the world's most obscure format - CED:

Is rca skt 400 the best player? Whats the difference between sjt and skt units?

from what i remember when i was doing research on players.
the difference is stereo or just mono, and some have more buttons on the front for more options?
i think that there were some more automatic players that were made in Japan? but that's all i can remember.

also there are issues like LDs if they are stacked too high flat then it will mess up the disc inside or press the grooves of the films.
and just like LD people are crazy to buy these later films for stupid money.
why bother buying zombie for 40-80 bucks when you can get the widescreen roan LD for 10

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the rein-o official signature:

As someone who owns 100s of CEDs I cannot recommend this format.

Hows the picture like? Like vhs?

So why did you gather them then?

some will say better, almost like beta, but i don't think it's worth the risk to get the few pan and scan titles
that were relased on that format only, or a few music discs.

if you do, buy a player cheap with a stylus, if its broken you can fix them pretty easily.
i picked up one on ebay for around 35 with shipping and spent another 15 on belts to fix it.
i was very happy to sell it off, selling 1 of those discs gave me my first and only negitive on ebay since 1998

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the rein-o official signature:

I recently bought my first CED, but I don't own a player and I don't think I'll get one either. It feels like an incredibly outdated and obsolete format, nowhere near as attractive as Laserdisc. Although I'll buy Blade Runner on CED if I find it.

I started CED collecting back in 1983. In that year I bought a Sears 934...150 player and bought Time Bandits as my first CED movie.

One reason for buying CED was the low cost of the movies. Back in the 80's, the cost of most prerecorded VHS tapes were usually ~$80 whereas most CED's were $19.95; a considerable cost difference. I currently have 147 CED's in my movie collection and plan on letting it continue to grow.

For me, CED's are nostalgic and remind of a past time when I was much younger.

I still have the player that I bought in '83 and the Time Bandits movie. Both still work as they did when new.

CEDs are not for you if you don't have an interest in obsolete formats and cannot take P&S, and picture quality that is comparable to Betamax. They are also not for you if you have little or no experience with electronics maintenance and/or repairs. You should have at least an inate ability to understand mechanical systems, because that's what it will take to keep your players operating.

If you've had bad experience with CEDs due to getting a broken player you cannot repair, not being able to fix something, or another issue, then stay away from the format. If you got a neg on ebay, that's more a result of the idiot buyer than the format.

I used to tell LD collectors that CED was a good format in which to have an interest, but no longer. LD collecting doesn't take quite the same expertise as what's needed with CED collecting, and there's more titles and more players available, and more ways to get them repaired, and so on.

If you can handle the format and are an LD collector, I would suggest getting it only for the large number of titles not available on LD, including many popular motion pictures. CEDs were considered a format for lower income buyers as both the players and discs could be produced and purchased for much less than VHS, Beta or LD formats.

I have both extensive LD Collections (5,000 plus) and CED collections (over 1,000), and have no issues with CEDs as I am both aware of their limitations and maintenance needs. I have my CED players in top condition, and connected to our modern HD sets in such a way that the picture quality is exceptional for the format. That's what it takes to collect and watch CEDs in order to enjoy the format.

The SJT and SKT 400 players are probably the best CED players manufactured, and will give one the best picture and sound, but are really not significantly better than either the 200 or 300 series of that same SJT/SKT model. The Toshiba/Wards models are the sturdiest in my opinion, and the most attractive.

well it was really a scammer buyer on ebay, but i agree with everything you posted about the format.
it was fun to get the player broken and fix it myself, and i didn't even know how it was supposed to work


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the rein-o official signature:

I don't have a CED player yet but from the comments it sounds like it would still produce better quality than a lot of poorly produced laserdiscs that suffer from rot.

Well, when compared to early LD players and discs, the image quality was not significantly better on LDs, but very similar to CEDs. An early comparison from 1981 in Popular Science gave the CED a favorable review when compared to the early generation LD players that had about 300 lines of resolution. Of course it also correctly stated that LD had a realm of possibilities for the future, as we all know came true.

For that matter, so did CEDs except for the fact that they were a bust commercially. If RCA had not hesitated so many times, and had been able to keep with the original timeline and debut the CED on 1975, it would have been a different story. Of course they'd still have become obsolete, but would have had a measure of success not realized with the 1981 debut. But then, what if pigs could fly?

Another reason for collecting is the fact that it was the last major TV electronics device wholly developed and produced in the USA, and the Japanese players that came later were "subservient" units, though I personally think the Toshiba models were better made than the RCA models.

And yet another reason would be that CED is pretty much the pinnacle of the Edison phonograph process that uses a stylus riding upon a disc to ultimately produce 5.1 sound and a picture as well, all without the collector touching the disc. You can argue that VHD is the pinnacle, but then VHD is really an improvement upon the existing CED format using the same general ideas and processes, so it's basically a very similar system that piggybacked onto the RCA technology.

Japan - Observe current technology, and make improvements to it using highly skilled engineers and technicians.

China - "Borrow" technology and duplicate it with low-paid labor, sell it cheaply, pollute the environment and help create trade imbalance so that the income can be used to buy up America.

America - A few skilled engineers and technicians create great technological advancements, while everyone else gets a job, so they can become a consumer of As Seen On TV Chinese goods, buy a tract home, watch TV and sports, eat too much at the buffet, while the big banks and government march us towards Orwell's 1984, albeit 30 years past his prediction.

Yes, it's a simplistic viewpoint, but not incorrect.

If you wanted to try the format for cheap. I have pretty much gotten out of it so these discs would for a very*inexpensive amount* https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... _web#gid=1