Your source for RCA CED Videodisc Parts and Services
Hello and welcome to CEDatum. CEDatum is your source for all things CED. We want to make your CED experience an enjoyable one so please check things out and ask us questions. Thanks.
For those not familiar with CED, CED stand for Capacitance Electronic Disc. It is a video format created by RCA and released to the public in March of 1981. The format consisted of a grooved PVC disc, like a record but laced with carbon to make it conductive. A signal was passed through the disc to a stylus that tracked in the grooves. As the stylus moved up and down the signal would change and be compared to the original signal and then translated by onboard processors to produce a video signal. It is actually quite an engineering marvel.
The CED Videodisc continued to be produced for the next 5 years with the last title being pressed in 1986. Unfortunately CED lacked the ability to record live programming like VHS and Betamax. People didn’t want to buy two different formats to be able to record their shows. So sales dropped and RCA cancelled the program. It was a huge loss for RCA and they were never able to recover from it. They finally sold out to GE who in turn sold the electronics divisions to Thomson Electronics.
Today you can still find CED Players and discs at places like, thrift stores, garage sales, market place apps, and auction sites. The purpose of this site is to help you repair and maintain those players. We offer parts, services, and even a workshop to teach you in a class room setting if you so choose. So please browse the site and feel free to contact us with any questions or inquires you may have.
Thank you,
CEDatum Team