[Nepeta]

“Quite a few years ago, I bought the cartoon version of “The Hobbit” on what was called a CD back then. It was actually a really big record which was totally enclosed by it’s plastic container until you inserted it into the player.”

LOL. Our ages are showing. I remember the short-lived video discs well.

???
Played using a needle? I am not familiar with such a CD.

Video Compact Disc format is still around, and remains a very common format in the far east. I have gazillions of Asian movies and tv series on VCDs, which play in nearly all standalone DVD players and computers, no needle required.

[yarddog]

[Erasmus]

Ferocious meant CED, an early 12-inch disc developed by RCA roughly contemporary with the laserdisc, but lower in price and quality.

CEDs were played with a pickup that tracked grooves like a phonograph needle, but the grooves were much smaller and more closely spaced, and the disc turned more than ten times faster than an LP. The pickup of the signal itself was not through any vibration of the needle; it was electronic (capacitive, to be specific).

This was before VHS or Beta, which soon killed the CED format.