What is a decent Capacitance Electronic Disc player?

Soundbox · 27-07-2011, 21:41

A local store that sells tapes and records also is a seller of CED films and shows. Now, as someone who is familiar with tape and laserdisc only, these are a bit unknown to me.

However the film selection is excellent and I feel that I can make space for the right player - but what is a good one to go for? Really, I am in the dark here so your experience would be appreciated.

Also, how long do the styli last for?

Thanks for any help.

Chris Frost · 27-07-2011, 22:26

Well, seeing as the format has been pretty much dead for the last quarter century I suspect your choice of players will be limited to a) those brands originally supporting the formats, and b) still working.

If you are hell bent on buying a player why not get the store keeper's recommendation. After all, he has the most to gain from netting and keeping you as a customer.

I can't help feeling though that this would be an enormous waste of money. DVD and Laser Disc would be a safer bet surely?

PowerJC · 27-07-2011, 22:41

Surprised if these were cheap as they must be extremely rare. Player's will be even rarer.

Soundbox · 27-07-2011, 23:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Frost

Well, seeing as the format has been pretty much dead for the last quarter century I suspect your choice of players will be limited to a) those brands originally supporting the formats, and b) still working.

If you are hell bent on buying a player why not get the store keeper's recommendation. After all, he has the most to gain from netting and keeping you as a customer.

I can't help feeling though that this would be an enormous waste of money. DVD and Laser Disc would be a safer bet surely?

It was my first question to him actually - but he does not have a player at all and even his record player is a terrible portable with moulded plastic turntable.

I will not be scouring the paper looking for CED machines but if one were to crop up I think it would be an interesting purchace, but if it is too awkward due to spares an the like then I will not persue the format.

spiney2 · 28-07-2011, 01:21

the discs are very easiy damaged.

Nigel Goodwin · 28-07-2011, 10:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soundbox

I will not be scouring the paper looking for CED machines but if one were to crop up I think it would be an interesting purchace, but if it is too awkward due to spares an the like then I will not persue the format.

I would imagine spares have been totally unavailable for decades, the format died an early death - although I've still got two or three test films in the workshop.

Probably the Hitachi ones were the best and most popular, they were sold off for £49 including a dozen films with them.

It would seem pretty pointless buying one these days?.

Soundbox · 28-07-2011, 10:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

I would imagine spares have been totally unavailable for decades, the format died an early death - although I've still got two or three test films in the workshop.

Probably the Hitachi ones were the best and most popular, they were sold off for £49 including a dozen films with them.

It would seem pretty pointless buying one these days?.

Thanks Nigel. What store was selling those off - sounds a bargain!

I have just asked my (ex Hitachi service tech) friend and said he threw away such a machine and disks. He said it was as good as DVD quality. I would have liked that machine

.

Nigel Goodwin · 28-07-2011, 11:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soundbox

Thanks Nigel. What store was selling those off - sounds a bargain!

All stores who sold them were, the machines (and discs) were discontinued, and stocks sold off as I mentioned above.

Quote:

I have just asked my (ex Hitachi service tech) friend and said he threw away such a machine and disks. He said it was as good as DVD quality. I would have liked that machine

.

I wouldn't say it was as good as DVD, and it was certainly a LOT less convenient - but it was certainly much better than VCR.

Incidently, I was the first person to repair one in the UK - the Hitachi rep was taking the only one in the UK round dealers demonstrating it, and it wouldn't work. Luckily I was able to repair it for him.

EDIT:

I've just checked, I've actually got four films here, and a stylus for a player.

nvingo · 28-07-2011, 14:28

A quick Ebay search ("CED player") reveals none currently for sale UK, a handful currently active (USA, which may not play UK discs/work with UK TV) and one recent UK sale for a GEC model from 1983 for £88.
At that rate, I doubt there will be any turn up in the local paper in "your lifetime"

Nigel Goodwin · 28-07-2011, 15:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by nvingo

A quick Ebay search ("CED player") reveals none currently for sale UK, a handful currently active (USA, which may not play UK discs/work with UK TV) and one recent UK sale for a GEC model from 1983 for £88.
At that rate, I doubt there will be any turn up in the local paper in "your lifetime"

I would agree - presumably the GEC was an Hitachi, a number of GEC units back then were badged Hitachi's.

Fred Smith · 28-07-2011, 16:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

I would agree - presumably the GEC was an Hitachi, a number of GEC units back then were badged Hitachi's.

Yes it was. This tread is a blast from the past. Personally OP I would not bother, it would be a lot of hassle for little return but it's your choice.

witham1 · 29-07-2011, 20:41

I bought a CED film of “Forbidden Planet” off eBay. It was advertised as a Laserdisc.
When I told the seller he said he did not know the difference. He refunded the money and told me to keep the disc. I have kept it for the artwork, discs of this size can have great pictures on the covers.

witham1 · 29-07-2011, 21:02

This one is still for sale:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VIDEODISC-...item2a1296ac87

mooghead · 29-07-2011, 22:53

"However the film selection is excellent"

What CED films did you see that are not available on DVD?

captainkremmen · 29-07-2011, 23:18

CED?, now there's a blast from the past. I remember seeing a CED player at John Lewis in Edinburgh way back in the early 80s, it was side by side with what was then a new, stereo Laserdisc player. I don't remember being able to tell the video quality apart back then, but Laserdisc just seemed more up to date being read by a laser instead of a stylus. Didn't the CED discs also come in a caddy?. I do remember a huge price difference, if I remember the Laserdisc player was something like four or five times the price of the CED player. Mind you, it wasn't until the early 90s that I actually bought a Laserdisc player when it was relaunched by Pioneer here in the UK and ended up with over 300 films on the format, mainly American as there was no region coding back then.

Today I wouldn't bother buying a CED player, unless it was in good condition with a lot of discs also in decent condition and had a spare stylus, as they are probably hard to find today. For the sheer novelty I suppose it would be fun.

Soundbox · 29-07-2011, 23:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by mooghead

"However the film selection is excellent"

What CED films did you see that are not available on DVD?

The original Jane Fonda Workout was one - but I feel slightly embarassed to write that.

Nigel Goodwin · 30-07-2011, 09:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by captainkremmen

I don't remember being able to tell the video quality apart back then, but Laserdisc just seemed more up to date being read by a laser instead of a stylus.

Quite the opposite, Laserdisc was far older, it had already flopped once prevous to then.

Laserdisc was also just an analogue system, which is why picture quality wasn't any better than CED.

The best thing about laserdisc was that CD was derived from it.

Incidently, the stylus in a CED player didn't 'read' the disc, it just tracked it - the disc was read capacitively - hence 'Capacitive Electronic Disc'.

captainkremmen · 30-07-2011, 14:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

Quite the opposite, Laserdisc was far older, it had already flopped once prevous to then.

Laserdisc was also just an analogue system, which is why picture quality wasn't any better than CED.

The best thing about laserdisc was that CD was derived from it.

Incidently, the stylus in a CED player didn't 'read' the disc, it just tracked it - the disc was read capacitively - hence 'Capacitive Electronic Disc'.

Indeed, but I was young back then and Tomorrow's World always made lasers sound more advanced. Oh, and Star Wars and Star Trek probably had something to do with that too. Plus Laserdiscs were SHINY!!!

Nigel Goodwin · 30-07-2011, 14:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by captainkremmen

Indeed, but I was young back then and Tomorrow's World always made lasers sound more advanced. Oh, and Star Wars and Star Trek probably had something to do with that too. Plus Laserdiscs were SHINY!!!

It's like the optical audio connections used - it's nothing but a gimmick - it's just coaxial digital feeding an LED, and a photo-transistor at the other end to convert it back to coaxial.

But because a CD player uses a laser, people think it's the direct optical feed from the laser, and it's nothing like that

Soundbox · 02-08-2011, 12:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by witham1

This one is still for sale:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VIDEODISC-...item2a1296ac87

I'm picking it up next week and I'll post here what I think of it.

witham1 · 02-08-2011, 20:13

I will be interested to hear how you get on,
The auction states that it has been restored to full working order.
Some years ago my Son was interested in getting a disk player and we saw a CED player demonstrated in someone’s flat.
I eventually bought him a Laserdisk player because we thought the picture and sound quality was better.
It may have been that the CED player needed servicing.

27-07-2011, 21:41	#1
Soundbox Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: The garden of earthly delights Posts: 4,509	What is a decent Capacitance Electronic Disc player? A local store that sells tapes and records also is a seller of CED films and shows. Now, as someone who is familiar with tape and laserdisc only, these are a bit unknown to me. However the film selection is excellent and I feel that I can make space for the right player - but what is a good one to go for? Really, I am in the dark here so your experience would be appreciated. Also, how long do the styli last for? Thanks for any help.

28-07-2011, 10:44	#7
Soundbox Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: The garden of earthly delights Posts: 4,509	Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin I would imagine spares have been totally unavailable for decades, the format died an early death - although I've still got two or three test films in the workshop. Probably the Hitachi ones were the best and most popular, they were sold off for £49 including a dozen films with them. It would seem pretty pointless buying one these days?. Thanks Nigel. What store was selling those off - sounds a bargain! I have just asked my (ex Hitachi service tech) friend and said he threw away such a machine and disks. He said it was as good as DVD quality. I would have liked that machine.

28-07-2011, 11:50	#8
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by Soundbox Thanks Nigel. What store was selling those off - sounds a bargain! All stores who sold them were, the machines (and discs) were discontinued, and stocks sold off as I mentioned above. Quote: I have just asked my (ex Hitachi service tech) friend and said he threw away such a machine and disks. He said it was as good as DVD quality. I would have liked that machine. I wouldn't say it was as good as DVD, and it was certainly a LOT less convenient - but it was certainly much better than VCR. Incidently, I was the first person to repair one in the UK - the Hitachi rep was taking the only one in the UK round dealers demonstrating it, and it wouldn't work. Luckily I was able to repair it for him. EDIT: I've just checked, I've actually got four films here, and a stylus for a player.

27-07-2011, 22:26	#2
Chris Frost Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Cheshire Posts: 6,462	Well, seeing as the format has been pretty much dead for the last quarter century I suspect your choice of players will be limited to a) those brands originally supporting the formats, and b) still working. If you are hell bent on buying a player why not get the store keeper's recommendation. After all, he has the most to gain from netting and keeping you as a customer. I can't help feeling though that this would be an enormous waste of money. DVD and Laser Disc would be a safer bet surely?

27-07-2011, 22:41	#3
PowerJC Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 1,025	Surprised if these were cheap as they must be extremely rare. Player's will be even rarer.

27-07-2011, 23:46	#4
Soundbox Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: The garden of earthly delights Posts: 4,509	Quote: Originally Posted by Chris Frost Well, seeing as the format has been pretty much dead for the last quarter century I suspect your choice of players will be limited to a) those brands originally supporting the formats, and b) still working. If you are hell bent on buying a player why not get the store keeper's recommendation. After all, he has the most to gain from netting and keeping you as a customer. I can't help feeling though that this would be an enormous waste of money. DVD and Laser Disc would be a safer bet surely? It was my first question to him actually - but he does not have a player at all and even his record player is a terrible portable with moulded plastic turntable. I will not be scouring the paper looking for CED machines but if one were to crop up I think it would be an interesting purchace, but if it is too awkward due to spares an the like then I will not persue the format.

28-07-2011, 01:21	#5
spiney2 Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 24,123	the discs are very easiy damaged.

28-07-2011, 10:07	#6
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by Soundbox I will not be scouring the paper looking for CED machines but if one were to crop up I think it would be an interesting purchace, but if it is too awkward due to spares an the like then I will not persue the format. I would imagine spares have been totally unavailable for decades, the format died an early death - although I've still got two or three test films in the workshop. Probably the Hitachi ones were the best and most popular, they were sold off for £49 including a dozen films with them. It would seem pretty pointless buying one these days?.

28-07-2011, 14:28	#9
nvingo Forum Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: wisbech, cambs / norfolk Posts: 3,834	A quick Ebay search ("CED player") reveals none currently for sale UK, a handful currently active (USA, which may not play UK discs/work with UK TV) and one recent UK sale for a GEC model from 1983 for £88. At that rate, I doubt there will be any turn up in the local paper in "your lifetime"

28-07-2011, 15:50	#10
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by nvingo A quick Ebay search ("CED player") reveals none currently for sale UK, a handful currently active (USA, which may not play UK discs/work with UK TV) and one recent UK sale for a GEC model from 1983 for £88. At that rate, I doubt there will be any turn up in the local paper in "your lifetime" I would agree - presumably the GEC was an Hitachi, a number of GEC units back then were badged Hitachi's.

28-07-2011, 16:23	#11
Fred Smith Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Reading Posts: 2,758	Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin I would agree - presumably the GEC was an Hitachi, a number of GEC units back then were badged Hitachi's. Yes it was. This tread is a blast from the past. Personally OP I would not bother, it would be a lot of hassle for little return but it's your choice.

29-07-2011, 20:41	#12
witham1 Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Witham, Essex. Posts: 266	I bought a CED film of “Forbidden Planet” off eBay. It was advertised as a Laserdisc. When I told the seller he said he did not know the difference. He refunded the money and told me to keep the disc. I have kept it for the artwork, discs of this size can have great pictures on the covers.

29-07-2011, 21:02	#13
witham1 Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Witham, Essex. Posts: 266	This one is still for sale: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VIDEODISC-...item2a1296ac87

29-07-2011, 22:53	#14
mooghead Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 572	"However the film selection is excellent" What CED films did you see that are not available on DVD?

29-07-2011, 23:18	#15
captainkremmen Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: DAVEVILLE, Daveshire DA1 1VE Posts: 33,621	CED?, now there's a blast from the past. I remember seeing a CED player at John Lewis in Edinburgh way back in the early 80s, it was side by side with what was then a new, stereo Laserdisc player. I don't remember being able to tell the video quality apart back then, but Laserdisc just seemed more up to date being read by a laser instead of a stylus. Didn't the CED discs also come in a caddy?. I do remember a huge price difference, if I remember the Laserdisc player was something like four or five times the price of the CED player. Mind you, it wasn't until the early 90s that I actually bought a Laserdisc player when it was relaunched by Pioneer here in the UK and ended up with over 300 films on the format, mainly American as there was no region coding back then. Today I wouldn't bother buying a CED player, unless it was in good condition with a lot of discs also in decent condition and had a spare stylus, as they are probably hard to find today. For the sheer novelty I suppose it would be fun.

29-07-2011, 23:40	#16
Soundbox Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: The garden of earthly delights Posts: 4,509	Quote: Originally Posted by mooghead "However the film selection is excellent" What CED films did you see that are not available on DVD? The original Jane Fonda Workout was one - but I feel slightly embarassed to write that.

30-07-2011, 09:00	#17
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by captainkremmen I don't remember being able to tell the video quality apart back then, but Laserdisc just seemed more up to date being read by a laser instead of a stylus. Quite the opposite, Laserdisc was far older, it had already flopped once prevous to then. Laserdisc was also just an analogue system, which is why picture quality wasn't any better than CED. The best thing about laserdisc was that CD was derived from it. Incidently, the stylus in a CED player didn't 'read' the disc, it just tracked it - the disc was read capacitively - hence 'Capacitive Electronic Disc'.

30-07-2011, 14:53	#18
captainkremmen Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: DAVEVILLE, Daveshire DA1 1VE Posts: 33,621	Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin Quite the opposite, Laserdisc was far older, it had already flopped once prevous to then. Laserdisc was also just an analogue system, which is why picture quality wasn't any better than CED. The best thing about laserdisc was that CD was derived from it. Incidently, the stylus in a CED player didn't 'read' the disc, it just tracked it - the disc was read capacitively - hence 'Capacitive Electronic Disc'. Indeed, but I was young back then and Tomorrow's World always made lasers sound more advanced. Oh, and Star Wars and Star Trek probably had something to do with that too. Plus Laserdiscs were SHINY!!!

30-07-2011, 14:58	#19
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by captainkremmen Indeed, but I was young back then and Tomorrow's World always made lasers sound more advanced. Oh, and Star Wars and Star Trek probably had something to do with that too. Plus Laserdiscs were SHINY!!! It's like the optical audio connections used - it's nothing but a gimmick - it's just coaxial digital feeding an LED, and a photo-transistor at the other end to convert it back to coaxial. But because a CD player uses a laser, people think it's the direct optical feed from the laser, and it's nothing like that

02-08-2011, 12:23	#20
Soundbox Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: The garden of earthly delights Posts: 4,509	Quote: Originally Posted by witham1 This one is still for sale: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VIDEODISC-...item2a1296ac87 I'm picking it up next week and I'll post here what I think of it.

02-08-2011, 20:13	#21
witham1 Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Witham, Essex. Posts: 266	I will be interested to hear how you get on, The auction states that it has been restored to full working order. Some years ago my Son was interested in getting a disk player and we saw a CED player demonstrated in someone’s flat. I eventually bought him a Laserdisk player because we thought the picture and sound quality was better. It may have been that the CED player needed servicing.

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What is a decent Capacitance Electronic Disc player?