Beta vs. VHS - why did 'worse' technology win the battle?

[Darren Dirt]

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We now turn to the actual history of this case



http://www.utdallas.edu/~liebowit/paths.html

The real difference between them lay in how the two companies had chosen to exploit that advantage: Sony to make the cassette paperback size, and JVC to achieve a two-hour recording capacit ... The only real technical difference between Beta and VHS was the manner in which the tape was threaded and, more importantly, the size of the cassette ... Because of its larger size cassette, VHS could always have an advantageous combination of picture quality and playing time. Otherwise, the differences between Beta and VHS were fairly trivial...



Although many held the perception that the Beta VCR produced a better picture than VHS, technical experts such as Weinstein (1984) and Prentis (1981) have concluded that this was, in fact, not the case; periodic reviews in Consumers Reports found VHS picture quality superior twice, found Beta superior once, and found no difference in a fourth review...

So in a nutshell, it's like some women: they chose longer duration over more aesthetically-pleasing/comfortable size.  :-k

[Lazybones]

Interesting, so it was a mith that BETA had better sound or video quality? :-s

[Tom]

Hmm. I could swear BETA was SVHS quality from the start.

[Mr. Analog]

Hmm. I could swear BETA was SVHS quality from the start.

That is correct, when Betamax first hit the shevles it was fairly high end for the time, after SVHS came out the differences between the qualities of audio / video were negligable at best, invisible if you had a standard TV / audio setup. They are two similar yet different video formsats and are completly incompatible with each other (mostly doe to the read/write heads and frequencies used).



VHS "won" becuase it had a longer record time and VHS VCRs could price themselves competitivly (since there were multiple manufacturers). On a side note, Sony also limited Beta's marketability by forbidding the adult film industry from using Betamax equipment.

[Darren Dirt]

VHS "won" becuase it had a longer record time and VHS VCRs could price themselves competitivly (since there were multiple manufacturers). On a side note, Sony also limited Beta's marketability by forbidding the adult film industry from using Betamax equipment.

Yes, sorta. It was a brinkmanship game. VHS was twice the length, though a bigger cassette size. Easier to market since some of the corporations that wanted to license the tech were already promoting movie-length recordings. So after VHS picks up, Beta suddenly becomes 2 hour length, but soon after VHS is 4 hours. And so on...



Basically Beta was the same technology originally, in a smaller package. Some even accused one of stealing the design from the other. And so it went, back and forth, on increase necessitating the other. Reminds me of the USA/Russia cold war secret-trading that likely went on (Like that referred to at the end of the Has-Affleck-Yet-Still-Bearable film "The Fun of All Sears")

[Mr. Analog]

Not the same, similar. Remember that video tape had been used in a 1/4" format since the late 50s for television, both these subsequent technologies are based on that technology but are not the same, they are different branches of the same tree.

[Shayne]

...and here we go again HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray...each has its own great features set, both are not compatible with eachother.



Blu-Ray: Walt Disney, Sony Pictures Entertainment (its Sony's format)

HD-DVD: Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros Studios

[Shayne]

Along the same lines, but 2 heavy weights just jumped behind HD-DVD.

In the latest chapter of the Blu-Ray/HD-DVD saga, Microsoft and Intel have announced their backing of Toshiba's HD-DVD standard. Stephen Balogh, Intel's director of optical media standards and technologies, stated "We (Intel) wanted to choose the format that has the highest probability of this market taking off." Toshiba plans on releasing HD-DVD players in Japan and the United States later this year.



http://today.reuters.com/business/newsArticle.aspx?type=technology&storyID=nN26144287

I find this sorta odd though.  Originally it was expected that movie industry would jump behind HD-DVD due to its cheapness in converting to it from DVD9, and Blu-Ray would be the format of choice in the computer world due to its enhanced security and size.  Time will tell.