Is it true that RCA VideoDiscs will be unplayable once the coating on the disc surface evaporates?
The coating applied to CED’s was intended to reduce stylus wear, but its presence is not necessary for the disc to play. Actually, RCA found that this coating doubled the life of the stylus tip, and only to a lesser degree increased the life of the disc. And the coating is a silicone compound, so it is not evaporative, and probably has better long-term stability than the organic PVC of which the disc itself is made.
