How long can I expect my CED VideoDiscs to last?
This depends upon whether you’re thinking of the number of times a disc can be played, or the life of the disc sitting on the shelf. RCA estimated the acceptable life of a disc at 500 plays. The discs don’t fail suddenly, but gradually exhibit increased noise in the audio and video signals and more frequent skipping. When RCA was demonstrating the CED system prior to introduction, they would lock the stylus to a single groove for 20 minutes, and then play back over that section to show the disc was undamaged. But that doesn’t mean the discs can be played 9,000 times (450 RPM x 20 min.), since the demonstration didn’t take into account the wear and tear of loading the disc into the player 9,000 times. The shelf life of a CED is basically unknown, but I’d make a guess that it’s around a hundred years. Of course, that begs the question of whether there will be any functional CED stylus cartridges still in existence to play the discs. Some people might think a hundred year estimate is awfu
