phillip holmes wrote:
Um, if they can make it 2 track at 15IPS and fit it in a cartridge, I'll buy it. I lucked out
and went with the inferior format, VHS.
It is not a matter of "better". In most respects, beta offered higher quality, but much less
durability. Until very late in the game, a beta tape was threaded before any operation. That
increased wear and risk of damage on fast-forward and rewind. It also has a disturbing tendency
to pick up debris (however stored) and to foul the heads with it.
In many respects, Sony and its few followers were chasing VHS with too little and too late. One
could get four-hour playback on VHS before Sony delivered two-hour. The first wireless remote for
VHS was concurrent with the first wired one for Betamax.
And so on.
I have hundreds of Betamax tapes and thousands of VHS. When the beta is not scratched or fouled,
its performance is superior and I dub from that to DVD preferentially. About 80% of the time, I'm
forced to VHS.
Mike
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