CED Digest Vol. 8 No. 4

CED Digest Vol. 8 No. 4 • 1/25/2003
20 Years Ago In CED History:

January 26, 1983:
* After less than a month of retirement from college football, with the most
victories in history, Coach Bear Bryant dies of a heart attack at age 69.
During his career he posted 323 victories, 85 defeats, and 17 ties.
* Provincial employees in Quebec begin an illegal strike to protest wage cuts.
* Scientists working at CERN, the European nuclear research center near Geneva,
Switzerland, announce that experiments have proved the existence of the W
particle. This is a subatomic particle that lives for less than a billionth of
a billionth of a second, believed to carry one of the four basic forces of
nature - the "weak" force which binds subatomic particles together.
The other three basic forces are gravity, electromagnetism, and the
"strong" force, which binds atoms together.

January 27, 1983:
* After a two-month recess, the U.S. and Russia resume negotiations on the
reduction of intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe. The U.S. offers to
cancel the deployment of its missiles if the Soviets dismantle the missiles
they have in Europe.
* Japanese engineers break through the last rock in a 33.5 mile tunnel, the
longest in the world.

January 28, 1983:
* In a government shake-up in India, all 60 members of Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi's cabinet resign.
* Future CED title in widespread theatrical release: The House on Sorority Row.

January 29, 1983:
* Indira Gandhi names a new cabinet to replace the one that resigned the
previous day.
* Greece gives wives an equal voice in the home.

* 40th Annual Golden Globe Awards:

Best Director - Motion Picture
Richard Attenborough, Gandhi (CED)

Best Foreign Language Film
Gandhi, Great Britain/India (CED)

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture made for Television
Brideshead Revisited, PBS

Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
Tootsie, Columbia Pictures (CED)

Best Motion Picture - Drama
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Universal

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
John Williams, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
Up Where We Belong, An Officer and a Gentleman (CED)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture made for
Television
Anthony Andrews, Brideshead Revisited

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical
Dustin Hoffman, Tootsie (CED)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Ben Kingsley, Gandhi (CED)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Motion Pictutre
Louis Gossett, Jr., An Officer and a Gentleman (CED)

Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Comedy/Musical
Alan Alda, M*A*S*H (CED)

Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Drama
John Forsythe, Dynasty

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture made for
Television
Ingrid Bergman, A Woman Called Golda

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical
Julie Andrews, Victor/Victoria (CED)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Meryl Streep, Sophie's Choice (CED)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Motion Picture
Jessica Lange, Tootsie (CED)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television-Series - Comedy/Musical
Debbie Allen, Fame (CED)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television-Series - Drama
Joan Collins, Dynasty

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
John Briley, Gandhi (CED)

Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture made for
Television
Lionel Stander, Hart to Hart

Best Supporting Actress in Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture made for
Television
Shelley Long, Cheers

Best Television -Series - Drama
Hill Street Blues, NBC

Best Television-Series - Comedy/Musical
Fame, NBC (CED)

Cecil B. DeMille Award
Laurence Olivier

Historic Award: New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture - Female
Sandahl Bergman, Conan the Barbarian (CED)

Historic Award: New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture - Male
Ben Kingsley, Gandhi (CED)

January 30, 1983:
* The Washington Redskins defeat the Miami Dolphins 27-17 in NFL Football's
Super Bowl XVII played at the Orange Bowl in Pasadena, CA. The Redskin's John
Riggins sets Super Bowl records with 38 rushes and 166 yards gained rushing.
* Eight newsmen are slain in an ambush in Peru after being mistaken for rebels.

January 31, 1983:
* The Independent Truckers Association begins a nationwide strike in the United
States to protest higher truck and fuel taxes.
* President Ronald Reagan formally presents Congress his budget for fiscal
1984; a deficit of $188.8 billion is projected.

February 1, 1983:
* A month of violent clashes begin in the northeastern Indian state of Assam,
resulting in over 1,500 deaths. The clashes take place between native Hindus
and immigrant Muslims.

* RCA VideoDisc Releases for February 1983:

Aerobicise: The Beautiful Workout*
Alice in Wonderland
Annie (2)**
Barbarosa
Bonnie and Clyde
Bridge On The River Kwai, The (2)
Chariots of Fire**
Cincinnati Kid, The*
Comancheros, The
Diva
Emily
Enter the Ninja
Godzilla
Great Dictator, The
Great Space Coaster, The
Greatest Adventure, The
Inn of the Sixth Happiness (2)*
Lady Chatterley's Lover
Lolita (2)
Mahogany
Man For All Seasons, A
Misfits, The [RCA]
Monsignor
Moonraker (2)**
Officer and a Gentleman, An (2)
On the Town [UA]
Peter Allen and the Rockettes*
Pink Panther Strikes Again, The
Singin' in the Rain [UA]
Swiss Family Robinson [1960]
Taming of the Shrew
Treasure Island [1950]
Wild in the Country*
Young Doctors In Love

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2003 08:45:09 -0800 (PST)
From: Terry Helopoulos <medmatch2>
Subject: Lightening My Load
To: digest@cedmagic.com

Many thanks to Tom for such a a great site over the
years.  I have decided to lighten my load.  I have a
great collection of more than 325 titles for sale.  I
will throw in a FREE working CED player.  Buyer must
take the whole lot & come & pick them up.  I am in the
Miami, Florida area.  Somebody out there must be in my
area and interested in the whole shebang for the
package price of only $300.  Take it all.  Titles are
attached.  Let me know if you are interested & can
arrange for pickup.  I am not interested in packaging
up one's and two's and selling on eBay.  Thanks.

Chris Helopoulos
medmatch2@yahoo.com

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
2001: A Space Odyssey
39 Steps, The
42nd Street
9 to 5
Absence of Malice
Absent-minded Professor, The
Adam's Rib
African Queen, The
Agnes of God
Airplane
Airplane II, The Sequel
Alamo, The
Alien
All the Marbles
American Graffiti
American In Paris, An
American Werewolf in London, An
Amityville Horror, The
And Justice For All
Angels With Dirty Faces
Animal Crackers
Animal House
Annie
Apocalypse Now
Apple Dumpling Gang, The
Arsenic and Old Lace
Bananas
Barbarella
Battlestar Galactica
Beast Within, The
Being There
Bells Are Ringing
Benji
Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,The
Betsy, The
Big Jake
Big Sleep, The
Black Hole, The
Black Stallion
Black Stallion Returns
Blade Runner
Bloody Mama
Blow Out
Bogey Man, The
Bonnie and Clyde
Boys From Brazil, The
Brainstorm
Breakheart Pass
Breakout
Brian's Song
Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid
Butterflies Are Free
Carbon Copy
Carnal Knowledge
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Cat People
Chariots Of Fire
Chinatown
Christine
Clash of the Titans
Class Reunion
Clockwork Orange, A
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Cocoon
Coma
Comancheros, The
Count of Monte Christo, The
Crimes of Passion
Cruising
Damien: Omen II
Dark Crystal, The
Dark Victory
Death Wish
Death Wish 2
Deep, The
Deliverance
Diamonds Are Forever
Diner
Dirty Dozen, The
Dirty Harry
Dr. No
Dressed to Kill
Dresser, The
Dumbo
Easter Parade
Educating Rita
Electric Horseman, The
Empire Strikes Back, The
Escape From Alcatraz
Escape From New York
Escape to Witch Mountain
Evilspeak
Falling In Love Again
Fantastic Voyage
Farewell My Lovely
Fiddler On The Roof
Final Assignment
Final Conflict, (Omen 3)
First Blood
Fistful of Dollars, A
Flashdance
Fog, The
For Your Eyes Only
Forbidden Planet
Formula, The
Four Musketeers, The
French Connection, The
French Lieutenant's Woman, The
From Russia With Love
Fun in Acapulco
Funny Thing Happened On the Way.
G. I. Blues
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Gidget
Gigi
Gilda
Godzilla
Goldfinger
Great Train Robbery, The
Halloween III:  Season of the Witch
Hang 'Em high
Hawaii
He Knows You're Alone
Heaven Can Wait
Hello Dolly 
He-Man&Masters of Universe, Vol.2
High noon
High Road To China
History of the World, Part 1
Hound of the Baskervilles, The
How To Marry a Millionaire
Howling, The
Hud
Iceman
If You Could See What I Hear
Incubus, The
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Jaws
Jazz Singer, The
Jazz Singer, The
Jewel of the Nile, The
Joan of Arc
Karate Kid, The
Key Largo
Kidnapped
King Kong
Kiss Me Goodbye
Kramer vs. Kramer
Lady Sings the Blues
Laura
Lawrence of Arabia
Liar's Moon
Lion In Winter, The
Little Big Man
Live and Let Die
Logan's Run
Lord of the Rings, The
Love At First Bite
Love Bug, The
Love Is a Many Splendored Thing
Love Me Tender
Love Story
M.A.S.H.
Mad Max
Magic
Maltese Falcon, The
Man With the Golden Gun, The
Marathon Man
Marie
Marty
Mary Poppins
Meet Me In St. Louis
Mickey's Christmas Carol
Midnight Cowboy
Midnight Express
Mirror Crack'd, The
Missionary, The
Mister Roberts
Moonraker
Muppet Movie, The
Murder On The Orient Express
My Little Chickadee
Natural, The
Network
Never Cry Wolf
Ninotchka
Norma Rae
North by Northwest
Notorious
Octopussy
Odd Couple, The
Officer & a Gentleman, An
Oklahoma!
Omen, The
On Golden Pond
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
On the Waterfront
Once Upon a Time In America
Our Town
Parent Trap
Paternity
Patton
Peter Allen & the Rockettes
Petrified Forest, The
Pink Panther, The
Pirates of Penzance, The
Playboy Video Collector's Ed. 3
Playboy Video Collector's Ed.4
Playboy Video, Playmate Review
Playboy Video, Vol. 1
Playboy Video, Vol. 2
Pollyanna
Poltergeist
Postman Always Rings Twice, The
Pride & the Passion, The
Private Benjamin
Private Eyes, The
Psycho 2
Public Enemy
Raging Bull
Raven, The
Rear Window
Rebel Without a Cause
Red Dawn
Reds
Return of A Man Called Horse, The
Return of the Pink Panther, The
Revenge of the Pink Panther
Rich and Famous
Rio Bravo
Risky Business
Robe, The
Rocky
Rocky II
Rocky III
Rocky IV
Rodan
Rolling Thunder
Romancing the Stone
Rose, The
Rosemary's Baby
Royal Wedding
Rumble Fish
Run Silent, Run Deep
Sailor Who Fell Fr.Grace w.Sea,The
Sands of Iwo Jima
Saturday Night Fever
Search and Destroy
Seems Like Old Times
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Shogun
Shout, The
Show Boat
Silent Partner, The
Silver Streak
Silverado
Simple Story, A
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger
Singin' In The Rain
Sixteen Candles
Smokey & the Bandit
Smokey & the Bandit II
Sophie's Choice
Sound of Music, The
South Pacific
Splash
Spy Who Loved Me, The
Stalag 17
Star Chamber, The
Star Is Born, A
Stardust Memories
Starman
Sting, The
Stir Crazy
Strange Invaders
Straw Dogs
Streetcar Named Desire, A
Stripes
Sunset Boulevard
Supergirl
Superman II
Superman III
Superman, the Movie
Survivors, The
Swing Shift
Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three
Tales From Muppetland
Tarzan the Ape Man
Taxi Driver
Ten Commandments, The
Tender Mercies
Tentacles
Terms of Endearmant
They Call Me Bruce?
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Thing, The
Thing, The, From Another World
Thomas Crown Affair, The
Thunderball
Time Bandits
Tom Jones
Tootsie
Top Secret
Topkapi
Trading Places
Tron
True Confessions
True Grit
Twelve O'Clock High
Urban Cowboy
Verdict, The
Visiting Hours
War Games
War of the Worlds, The
Warlords of the 21st Century
Way We Were, The
What's Up, Doc?
Where's Poppa?
Without a Trace
Witness
Woman In Red, The
Wrong Is Right
Xtro
You Only Live Twice
Young Frankenstein

------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Allen wolf" <wolfallen>
To: digest@cedmagic.com
Subject: Updating the VHD Discworld page!!
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2003 12:37:12 -0600

Hello All,
over the last month,I'v bin scimming thru the great VHD DiscWorld page! it's
Fantastic. but it has not bin updated sence may of 2001.i think you good people
at VHD world should think about adding some new things. like photo's of other
VHD Players that where made while this Great format was on the market. HOW
ABOUT IT????!!!!!
                                              Allen Wolf.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: SPACERTR
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2003 15:06:33 EST
Subject: Sears Video Disc Player
To: digest@cedmagic.com

I am in search for a stylus cartridge for a Sears Video Disc Player. The model
# is 934,54780150. I believe the stylus cartridge is #G55B26B. Any help out
there? I have had luck on here, on getting my RCA Disc Player back in operation
again, but seem to run in dead ends in getting the Sears model rolling again.
Thanks to everyone on here for the help.

TRACY RUCH
SPACERTR@CS.COM  
BETHLEHEM, PA

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 22:16:43 -0800
To: digest@cedmagic.com
From: Tom Howe <tom@cedmagic.com>
Subject: RE: CX Noise Reduction on RCA VideoDiscs

>If I recall correctly, LD had stereo sound from the beginning but didn't
>introduce CX until 1982 or so. Even then not all new stereo releases were
>CX-encoded. How did the use of CX with CED play out? Were all stereo discs
CX >encoded from the start? Also, my player doesn't have a CX logo or any
controls >to switch CX on and off. Is this controlled by a VBI signal, like
LD? Did all >stereo CED players have CX decoders built-in? What about the
players that were >mono with stereo adapters sold separately -- did the
stereo adapter incorporate >a CX decoder?

CX noise reduction was available on CED's from the start of the stereo
implementation in 1982. The CX circuitry was turned on and off by one bit in
the 77-bit DAXI (Digital AuXiliary Information) stream embedded in the vertical
blanking interval. This is a good opportunity to review DAXI, which breaks down
as follows:

Bits 01 - 13: Start Code
Bits 14 - 26: Error Detect Code
Bits 27 - 53: Unassigned ( reserved for future use)
Bits 54 - 71: Field Number
Bits 72 - 77: Band Number (even fields), System Flags (odd fields)

So the first 26 bits basically allow the system control microcomputer to
recognize the start of a new DAXI send, and read it correctly. The real
information is in bits 54 through 77. The Field Number constantly increments
during disc play (there are eight fields per groove), and is used for the time
display and to prevent a locked-groove condition, i.e. if the microcomputer
fails to detect an increasing field number, it kicks the stylus two grooves
forward.

Even fields contain the Band Number in bits 72 - 77, while these contain the
System Flags (audio format) in odd fields. If you've ever wondered why CED's
have the rather odd maximum number of seekable bands equal to 62, it makes
sense if you think of these 6 bits in binary terms and consider every possible
combination of 0's and 1's:

000000 Start state before playback begins
000001 Band 01
000010 Band 02
000011 Band 03
111110 Band 62
111111 Band 63 (Reject Band)

This is why an SJT400 player returns the message NOT VALID ENTRY if an attempt
is made to seek a band outside the range 01 through 62.

The System Flag Bits are assigned as follows:

Bit 72: Unassigned (reserved for future use, default value is 0)
Bit 73: Stop Bit (0 = default, 1 = repeat 400 groove play on interactive discs)
Bit 74: CX bit ( 0 = CX off, 1 = CX on)
Bit 75,76: 00 = monaural, 01 = bilingual, 10 = stereo
Bit 77: Guard Bit (0 if any one of the other flag bits is a 1)

So a stereo disc could be encoded with or without CX noise reduction depending
on the state of Bit 74. Most stereo discs do have the CX bit turned on, but the
only way to confirm this is by looking at the DAXI stream with a logic
analyzer.   All stereo CED players have noise reduction circuitry built-in, as
do the two stereo adapters made for the system.

--Tom

------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Rix" <rixrex>
To: <digest@cedmagic.com>
Subject: PART ONE AND PART TWO DISCS
Date: Sat, 25 Jan 2003 05:05:29 -0600

I have several part 1 and part 2 disks that came with purchases of group sets
of disks, and the sellers either knew it and didn't say, or just didn't realize
it was half a movie.
 
Anyway, I will be happy to trade or swap, sell or even buy the other half of
these movies, these are the ones that I have:
 
Coming Home, part 1
Close Encounters, part 1
Silverado, part 1
Red River, part 1
Deer Hunter, part 1
2001, Space Oddysey, part1
 
A Star is Born (Striesand), part 2
Ordinary People, part 2 (two copies)
Murder on the Orient Express, part 2
Silkwood, part 2
Godfather 2, part 2
Lord of the Rings, part 2
Raging Bull, part 2
Birdman of Alcatraz, part 2
King Kong (1976), part 2
 
Well, that's it.  Hope I can help someone out with their collection or visa
versa!  Thanks, Rix.
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