Quote:
Originally Posted by Penforhire
My dad bet on Betamax. The thing is, it wasn't "the best" in every way. VHS tapes ran longer, allowing more movies to be recorded on a single tape. They also allowed smaller read heads (meaning VHS camcorders that played back way before a Beta got there, no separate playback deck required). Oh, and don't forget it was a Sony format, the kiss of death since... Betamax lol.
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Correct, the two hours per tape at best quality was probably one of the main factors.
This was not case of a obviously inferior technology succeeding because of marketing muscle. Beta had nominally better color and image quality, but VHS looked just fine for watching a movies on the couch, and more than good enough for recording an over the air TV show.
If a movie buff wanted better image quality, Laser disc came along only a few years after the introduction of Betamax.