The Epic Failure of the $580 Million Vinyl Movie that Led to the Fall of an Empire

In 1954, RCA made history by introducing the first consumer color television, changing home entertainment forever. Despite taking some time for color TV to become widespread, RCA’s release solidified the company as a leader in media technology advancements.

However, by 1985, RCA’s highly regarded status came to an end when General Electric purchased the company. The downfall was largely attributed to a risky $580 million investment in a technology known as Selectavision.

In a recent video on the Popular Science YouTube channel, host Kevin Lieber explores the doomed launch of the Selectavision 400. To truly understand how this technology led to the decline of an electronics empire, Kevin needed to personally test a Selectavision player. This is where the problems began.

Watch as Kevin tries to troubleshoot the issues with his eBay-purchased player, and uncovers how RCA’s optimistic revenue projections were severely miscalculated. Along the way, discover how actress Lea Thompson was involved in an interactive murder mystery tied to the Selectavision technology.

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