RCA released the CED (aka Selectevision) in 1981 at the height of the format wars, but the "video on a record" format had been in development for decades by that point. When RCA started researching the technology it made sense to try to tap the home video market with new technology, but by the time the product was actually released the market was already pretty well tied up by better and more advanced products. CED's only redeeming quality was price, and being the cheapest wasn't enough to save it (or RCA) from crushing failure.