My CTC5 + vintage videodisc

[frenchy]

Here's a pic of my '56 CTC5 playing an episode of Star Trek from the late 60's on a very old (for laserdisc players anyway!) 1981 Pioneer VP-1000 laserdisc player. How's that a for a mix of vintages? I totally recapped this set about 4 years ago. When I finally got it to work well I couldn't believe it. Amazing this set survived, found it in a junk store for 70 bucks, and it's obvious that at one time it fell completely over on the channel knobs side cuz the cabinet has a big indented crack around the giant channel knob. This monster refused to die! Can't wait to watch a little bit of the Rose Parade on it again in two weeks.

I'll post some pics of a couple of Zenith porthole B/W's I've fixed up too, and an old Hoffman and a Packard Bell, all with the round picture tubes. I also fix up pinball machines (LOTS of them) and dabble in old radios a little and now busy goofing with a couple of Victrolas and old records. Thanks for looking. If it's old and smelly, there's probably one in my house (besides me...and my dogs)...Mark French

[roundscreen]

Hi mark welcome to ak. That is a great set. I did not know that there were lasar disk players in 81. The picture is awesome. Can not wait to see your other sets.
ED

[bgadow]

Looking good! I knew there was someone missing from the TV forums-good 'ole Frenchy! Welcome!

I've got a newer disc player, early 90s, an RCA that was a leftover demonstrator when the local tv shop closed. I don't have any discs so I've never tried it out.

[Sandy G]

Wow ! And again, Wow! These '50s color sets never cease to amaze me w/the quality of their pictures. Would about give my eyeteeth for a good one someday...Welcome to the monkeyhouse, Frenchy ! -Sandy G.

[asynchronousman]

Been wondering when you would make it over here! Did you have to adjust or modify the set in any manner to aid the LV playback?

It would help if they wouldn't try to jam MSN and AOL when I send my reply, or I would have welcomed you earlier

Steven

There's a Truetone color roundie in Estano's basement I will take off his hands if I have the room soon.

[Tony V]

Hi Mark,
Glad you finally made it over to AK. Welcome aboard and as you probably already know we have a big vintage tv following here. These are a great group of people and for the first time i feel like i'm home. Glad to see you on here with us bud!
-Tony

[wa2ise]

Originally Posted by roundscreen

Hi mark welcome to ak. That is a great set. I did not know that there were lasar disk players in 81.

That was the year RCA came out with their videodisc system. The "CED" disc, "capacitence electronic disc". It bombed. They canned it in 1984.

[Chad Hauris]

If I remember correctly Laser Discs (optical, not CED) were demonstrated at a trade show (Consumer Electronics Show) in 1974 or 75 possibly by Philips in collaboration with MCA? I know the trade name at that time was Discovision.

[frenchy]

With the videodisc it's just as stable as a dvd (no tearing) but I still get those goofy 'data' lines like I get on a few tv channels. (Those retrace lines that newer sets muffle out but the old sets weren't designed to since those data lines weren't in the signal back then.) No way I've heard of to get rid of them but not that obtrusive anyway unless you sit right in front of the set. Pretty sure it's the original pic tube, I think I saw a date on it. All I have is a few ST discs and a disc of that NBC Peter Pan special of the color show they did in 1960 or thereabouts. I love the look of those real old videotaped shows using those early TK41 (?) color cameras.
I found the picture comes in much better if I run the antenna signal thru a vcr as a tuner and watch everything on channel 3, the vcr boosts the signal plus I don't have to mess with fine tuning the beast, and can use the remote to change channels, but I'm sure lots of people probably do that here. I believe this laser player was one of the first mass-produced laser machines back then, weighs a ton. Didn't have to fix anything on it, worked great after hauling it out of the Salvation Army for $25. Has that cool window where you can actually see the disk spinning....Frenchy

[Telecolor 3007]

That vintage "Pioneer" laser disc sounds intresting!

[Eric H]

I had that same LD player for awhile in the early 90's.

there is a thread in the Home Theater section about Laser Discs:
http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=27649

[Sandy G]

I had one of them RCA CED players back in the '80s. Had a decent picture & adequate sound, but God help you if one of the discs got dust, a hair, or otherwise "contaminated". They'd skip, blip, blerp, whatever, & new ones fresh outta the celophane were about as bad as old ones. They were in this "protective" sleeve, & there was no way to remove one to try to blow it off & get all the crapola off it. A good idea that basically tweren't worth a damn, IMHO. I think they were all done by '86 or so. -Sandy G.

[Steve D.]

I also owned the RCA CED machine. Mine was about the last model they produced. It had all the bells and whistles. The CED was RCA's last electronc innovation and pretty much nailed the coffin shut as RCA went deeper in the red. RCA spent millions developing, promoting and advertising this doomed stylus in the groove technology and even opened company owned stores that only sold CED discs and players. GE finally jumped in and bought the ailing company. CED discs were produced for several years after the last players were manufactured. Check out this site for the complete CED story: http://www.cedmagic.com

[Chad Hauris]

You can access the CED disc to clean it if needed by putting in a player that has the top off (at least the models I have worked with).

[andy]

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