Before you comment that "Beta didn't fail! It lived on for many many years in the professional world, with TV studios using Beta into the 2000s!" please note: *This is not Betamax.* Betacam is the format that was used in the professional market, and although it used the same basic cassettes and recorder design, it used component and later digital signals that were entirely unrelated to and incompatible with consumer Beta. Since Betacam is not and never was intended to be a consumer product, it's not mentioned in this discussion on the videotape format war.

@Takeshi357

6 жыл бұрын

It actually becomes tricky to figure out when exactly Betamax really "died" because commercial tapes and recorders were manufactured for years even after Sony effectively admitted defeat and manufactured their first VHS recorder. Apparently the last commercially released pre-recorded betamax cassette was Mission: Impossible, as late as 1996, and I think the machines were made as late as 2000 in Japan. But going back the other way, the _distribution_ of the commercial tapes changed, leaving the realm of retail and into mail order, but I guess the common cutoff point people like to use is 1989 when they stopped selling the devices in the States.

@warnerbrosanddisneyvhsdvdb9015

6 жыл бұрын

Tetsuron I like VHS better

@CoffeinshockDe

6 жыл бұрын

you could do a series about how history repeats itself. Betamx vs VHS is beat for beat a repetition of Edision cylinder vs Berliner Disc.

@Knightmessenger

6 жыл бұрын

What about Super Betamax? Wasn't that the equivalent of S-vhs which got some use by people who wanted to record tv in a better consumer format? I know someone who has recorded practically every University of Michigan football game on beta tapes until 2004 when he switched to a newer digital format. I assume at some point he switched to Super Beta.

@conanobrien1

6 жыл бұрын

isn't one of the myths why VHS prevailed, is because porn industry adopted it

"Okay we're gonna need to pause here." Alas, a missed chance to put a distortion effect on the still image like when you hit the ol' pause button.

@YellowToad

Жыл бұрын

I think he used a 4 head vcr (or one with a digital frame buffer)

@thetechsavvy0153

9 ай бұрын

He used a dvd player

@seanewing204

4 ай бұрын

What caused the distortion when pausing and fast forwarding?

"... made in Japan for Sony, by Sony, and sold as a Sony. Glad we got that out of the way." ...and that's when I subscribed.

@bluey_heeler

4 жыл бұрын

When you did all the work in a group project

@voornaam3191

4 жыл бұрын

You're wrong, you should have bought a Sony anything online. Don't you remember the years when Sony televisions were the best picture quality you could buy? Or was your signal so horrible nobody cared? Bandwith almost zero? America did that. Two lines a frame, flickering like hell and Never The Same Color format. For real. So stop whining about Sony.

@voornaam3191

4 жыл бұрын

@gutzy19 CKG I had a Walkman, until somebody helped me to get rid of old hobby stuff. What?! My original Walkman gone?! Why! Very nostalgic...

@RobertK1993

4 жыл бұрын

Beta became broadcast standard VHS was disregarded.

@electrictroy2010

3 жыл бұрын

Betamax died. The broadcast standard was BetaCAM (completely different & incompatible format). Super VHS and Digital VHS was also used by NBC and its associated channels. Both Betacam and VHS were replaced by tapeless standards in the early 2000s.

For those curious, Techmoan did a fantastic video all about the Video 2000: "The format that came third in a two horse race"

@nthgth

3 жыл бұрын

Heading right over there, thanks for the tip

@dandare6865

3 жыл бұрын

We had Video 2000s in our family, i still have it plus a whole bunch of other V2000 machines. They were great but got squeezed out by incompetent marketing etc. I we also had the wonderful laser disk players, i threw those away 15 years ago...darn i wish i didn't but just didn't have room for more techno junk. I still have a Cossor reel to reel tape machine from the early 1960s handed down from the family!

@danek_hren

Жыл бұрын

@@dandare6865 you made me sad, as I have no these. They're probably cool.

@dandare6865

Жыл бұрын

@@danek_hren At last count i had 10 of them, but i think only 2 work now. They would be great for spare parts tho.

That VHS machine is the very one my parents got when I was a kid. Around $900! The beast still works fine though.

@danek_hren

Жыл бұрын

Is it rare? Edit: cuz i can't find it in EU

Airplane! And Fawlty Towers! Excellent choices, sir.

@jaffaorange3809

4 жыл бұрын

He used the airport parking directions from 'Airplane!' in his video about the ring sounds of the Western Electric 500 in movies and TV shows. He must be a fan!

@charlesml3

4 жыл бұрын

Bad News. The fog is getting thicker.

@mrpiggy001

4 жыл бұрын

looks like I picked the wrong week to not make comments on youtube

@jamesd362

4 жыл бұрын

charlesml3 and Leon’s getting larger!

@thehunterator520

4 жыл бұрын

The tower? The tower? Rapunzel Rapunzel.

Not sure if it's already been said here but originally VHS was an acronym for Vertical Helical Scan (a reference to the recording system used) but was later changed to the more consumer-friendly Video Home System.

@etekweb

Жыл бұрын

That..makes sense actually, considering the acronym "Video Home System" does feel a bit clunky. "Backronyms" like this are surprisingly common. Didn't make the connection for VHS before though!

If you weren't alive back in those days you can't imagine the feeling of POWER it gave you, to be able to record TV shows that you weren't at home or awake to watch!

@fntthesmth423

Жыл бұрын

My mother was an early adopter of vhs recording. When we first got TiVo, explained that grappling with the utterly inscrutable recording controls of the vhs were so difficult that she would lie awake at night, unable to sleep because she couldn't stop worrying if the damn thing was actually recording anything or if she would check the tape only to find endless footage of late night infomercials

When I was a kid, my old man had two VCR's and he used to rent movies and record them, so I had this catalog of cartoons at my disposal. He really is the best dad I could have asked for, man. As for Sony, its pride was indeed its downfall. Cheers!

@paulyricca3881

Жыл бұрын

👱🏻‍♀️ U OLD

@FUGP72

Жыл бұрын

I kept my family's first VCR well after it pretty much was dead just because it didn't have the copy protection on it. For the last couple years, I had to keep the cover off, or at least unscrewed so I could easily take it off, and manually rotate the gears to eject the tape. A friend of mine who knew how to kinda/sorta fix things breathed a little more life into it, but that only lasted like 4-5 months before it was back to doing it by hand.

@eliotmansfield

Жыл бұрын

When I was a kid my dad borrowed the neighbour vcr and would pirate tapes - my brother turned the tv over one Saturday morning when dad was out working and left a video duplicating - yep he was pirating porno movies 😅

You should have left 12:00 flashing just to be accurate.

@chiroquacker2580

5 жыл бұрын

For true accuracy It needs a lace doily on top and a low quality cheap looking clear vinyl dust cover that is turning yellow.

@petersachs764

3 жыл бұрын

Honestly, I think anyone who would spend $1000+ on a VCR is not the same person who would not know how to set the clock. The age of electronics being so cheap that a Luddite would buy one was yet to come.

Snake from The Simpsons (Itchy & Scrathy the Movie): "Oh, no! Beta!"

10:58 Can we talk about how perfectly those tapes aligned with each other with that throw?

@AssailantLF

3 жыл бұрын

I think he paused the footage on a frame where they were most aligned, but I could be wrong

My mother used the VCR to record her crappy soap opera. Picture quality had ZERO relevance to her.

@jamescarter3196

5 жыл бұрын

She probably recorded them on six-hour slow tape too. I can watch my old tv tapes on LP or SP, but the SLP/EP tapes are awful and I’m only keeping the ones with rare stuff on them.

@iunderstanphotography2780

5 жыл бұрын

same for my mother! when the tape started to skip/jump i bought her another 8hr tape and proceeded on

@justanotheryoutubechannel

4 жыл бұрын

IGnatius T Foobar Oh god, my mum is like that. To this day, she can’t tell the different in quality between a VHS and a modern HD digital recording. She also can’t see shadows though, so she’s generally not very good at seeing things.

@199NickYT

4 жыл бұрын

Sounds like she just needed to know WHAT happened so she wasn't "out of the loop."

@cxc410

4 жыл бұрын

It reminds me of people who buy these cheap record players then tell me how clear the music plays, never understanding you need hi end equipment for anywhere near CD quality sound.

I own a HD DVD player. I thought if Microsoft adopted it, it was going to be the norm. Wrong! I'm going to keep it as new maybe my grandkids can cash in on it.

At the beginning of Beta, the 60 min tape was called a “K-60” and a 30 min “K-30” came with the machine. There was only one record/playback speed, so the number represented the number of minutes the tape would run. When the SL-8200 came our with the second slower speed, they called the speeds BI and BII, and renamed the cassettes L-250 and L-500. Eventually the L-750 and L-830 came later along with odd lengths that were created for duplication houses, L-125, L-375. Sony released the SL-8600 next, and decided to abandon BI, and it would record and playback BII only, so if you had tapes recorded on older machines in BI, too bad, you couldn’t play them. I had an SL-7200 and SL-8200, and I wouldn’t “upgrade” to the SL-8600 for that reason. Next was the SL-5400, SL-5600 and SL-5800 and Sony brought back BI speed but playback only and it was a switch you had to use on the back of the machine. They gave it the BI play capability, but it was like they didn’t want anybody to know about it, but at least make the videophiles happy. Sony made many strange decisions beyond the whole 1 hour/2 hour mess with their Beta machines.

@electrictroy2010

2 жыл бұрын

HALF THE FORMAT WARS would disappear if Sony didn’t exist. Everyone would use VHS or VHS-C for recording/camcorders (not betamax or Video8). CD-R or DVD-R for digital (no minidisc or umd). And so on .

@danek_hren

Жыл бұрын

@@electrictroy2010 well... About CD, I think, you're not fully right, as it was product from Sony + Philips. Sure, maybe Philips will alone make it, but...

My mom's first VHS player was a top loading beast like that one. I remember using it as a kid to watch bootleg tapes of Disney movies that wouldn't be officially released until the 90s as well as tapes of The Muppet Show recorded from the original airing. Those were the days.

Bought my first VCR in December 1977. It was a VHS Magnavox. This had the SP and LP modes the SLP came later. I had it for two years and traded it for a 1918 Luger pistol. That pistol is worth a lot more then that VCR is now.

@timfondiggle2582

4 жыл бұрын

Guns are bad and theres never a reason for anyone to own one ever

@MisterPikol

4 жыл бұрын

weird flex but ok

@im1who84u

4 жыл бұрын

@@timfondiggle2582 You are certainly entitled to your opinion..... but not entitled to force your beliefs and opinions on others. You are free to not own or possess a firearm and I won't force my beliefs on you and try to force you to carry a firearm.

@jamesdeppeler793

4 жыл бұрын

Can't watch shows on the gun. But you can't shoot a home invader with a VHS.

@emmanuelrodriguez2346

4 жыл бұрын

LOL

I remember when I could rent either betamax or vhs tapes at my local grocery store in the 80s. Betamax had their own section that got smaller and smaller as time went by and as vhs took over for good. I was so happy my dad made the right choice in getting a vhs machine.

There was a store called Betaville in my home town when I was in highschool. As the name suggests, it was a video store that rented movies only in the Beta format. It lasted surprisingly long. Didn't go out of business until the late 90's. Cannot remember what year, but I know it was after 1995.

@sebastiangorka200

Жыл бұрын

i bet the clerks got a lot of "betaville. population: you" jokes thrown at them

Just to throw this out there: Akai made their own VHS with their own video processing, and the picture was roughly equal to the Beta. You never saw a crisper yet smoother picture on any VHS. Old timer service guys know the machine (I can't recall the model but remember the machine well). We kept two of them for dubbing videos for customers.

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit amphetamines.

@leemehdinur3766

5 жыл бұрын

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit beta!!

@thedys70

5 жыл бұрын

@@leemehdinur3766 Do you like Gladiator movies, Lee [on Betamax]?

@iowasenator

5 жыл бұрын

Have you ever been in a Turkish prison?

@Popdaddy88

5 жыл бұрын

Surely, you can't be serious!

@DVincentW

5 жыл бұрын

"I am serious, and dont call me Shirley." ..@@Popdaddy88

Was that really 16:28? It felt more like five minutes. It's nice to see someone presenting tech history who's clearly done research and speaks confidently. I hope you continue to release many more of these videos and that your channel gets more exposure. Thanks again!

NTSC = Never The Same Color Greetings from Germany :D

@Zawmbbeh

4 жыл бұрын

listen, pal

@loganiushere

4 жыл бұрын

Haha! I love it! Greetings from America, sir!

@SomeRandomPiggo

4 жыл бұрын

@@Zawmbbeh haha

@linksmith1057

4 жыл бұрын

Hey, we had color and we liked it! People maybe green... but we liked it!

@mntlmentos

4 жыл бұрын

desinfector I never understood why people hated NTSC.

I remember this video format war! In KZread years, I'm dead.

I AM SO LOOKING FORWARD TO PART TWO!!!

I haven't heard your sarcasm on this level before. clicked like before the 1st 5 mins were over

Beta's cassette was aesthetically more pleasing & had a slightly longer time, this could be extended on the Sony C7 by using a Betastack which held 4 tapes which changed when the one in the machine came to the end. I managed to stack 10 by allowing the ejected ones to drop onto the floor. Over 30 hours almost continuous recording!

@xxxdumbwordstupidnumberxxx4844

11 ай бұрын

I'm not sure where you're getting the slightly longer time thing. There were various casettes released for both over the years that increased recording time (and also machines that could record and play back at higher or lower speed), so I'm guessing the Beta tapes you were using had a longer time than an older VHS tape, but VHS had a longer recording time by default. Beta cassetes do look better though.

@zzzaphod8507

7 ай бұрын

Why would you need to record for 30 hours?

@lextatertotsfromhell7673

7 ай бұрын

@@zzzaphod8507have you seen KZread videos nowadays

I love your videos, you always put a lot of work into them. Well done!

Great video, I was always curious about the differences between VHS and Betamax. Looking forward to part 2!

@andrew_koala2974

5 жыл бұрын

@MsMadLemon You could have spoke with any TV Technician and discovered the answer to your question. Did you never consider asking. You only discover answers when you ask questions. So always be asking questions about everything you don't know about, and surround yourself with people who know MORE than you. Let them teach you and be teachable. Then teach it to your children.

@4Kandlez

5 жыл бұрын

@@andrew_koala2974 I hate to say it, but you're sort of mansplaining here.

This is my new favourite KZread channel. I've heard this story before, but not in quite the same amount of depth. Can't wait for part 2!

@VictorCampos87

6 жыл бұрын

If you like this you will like *8-bit Guy* and *Techmoan* videos too!

@Zcooger

6 жыл бұрын

We have now trinity force on youtube. Techmoan + 8-bit guy and Technology connections!

@Zcooger

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for mentioning LGR. I will check it!

You have to remember just how expensive video recorders were back in prehistoric times. $400 for a VCR was a lot of money back then. So making a choice between an item that was $600 vs a $400 item went to the $400 item most of the time.

Format wars aside- it's great to see how both these machines still work (and all the bulbs as well by the look of it). Of course I'm assuming here that Technology Connections didn't have to do some repair.

Be kind, please rewind!

@jakejones5736

5 жыл бұрын

LOL! Yeah, remember when they used to have a "rewind" fee?

@paulbarlow8286

5 жыл бұрын

HA! Remember the tape rewinding machines shaped like cars? I had one!

@gravyboat2370

5 жыл бұрын

Haha I always used to forget and take it back late. Dump it on the counter and don't go back for a while and use my mates account

@MrPAULONEAL

5 жыл бұрын

The DVDs at Blockbuster had those labels on the cases.

@SquishyZoran

5 жыл бұрын

Paul Barlow neat. Ours was Radio shack branded which makes it doubly ironic!

"Gimme the Tape!" On a serious note, this was well researched and presented. Thank you for creating this.

Just basic but explained SO well !! Thank you for doing these and allowing us insight into your incredible thought process.

1980 I bought a Sony BetaMax (side loading) . I had gotten a HUGE bonus that year and bought this thing (and also learned to fly !). Good times.

@nthgth

3 жыл бұрын

"Where did YOU learn to fly?" (I wonder if anyone will get this pointless reference)

@drsudo5135

2 жыл бұрын

@@nthgth WHERE DID YOU LEARN TO BE AN ASSHOLE?! 😂

@nthgth

2 жыл бұрын

@@drsudo5135 hahaha 🍻 cheers!

@AbdallahTeach

2 жыл бұрын

How big of an investment was a VCR back then?

thanks now i remember the long process of trying to tune tv channels on a vhs machine

As a VHS owner from the start, I have to admit Beta video quality was better. However, tape based recording systems are something I would prefer to forget.

that "neat trick" is useful for skipping ads, though.

Great video! Very informative! Going to watch Part 2 now....

This is the kind of content I can agree with. Hope to see you someday get a big rush of new subs, your content is fantastic.

your channel deserves more views

@szabi113

6 жыл бұрын

pladampa3 true

@michaelbacon8698

6 жыл бұрын

Yeah I agree, I just found this guys channel a few days ago and instantly subbed, it's a gem. I think it's going to blow up fast really well done vids, likeable guy

@Andytlp

6 жыл бұрын

So have i that means youtube is pushing this channel out. Really good content.

@SireSquish

6 жыл бұрын

It'll get there, especially if he keeps making great videos.

@AumchanterPiLetsPlay

6 жыл бұрын

Yeah. I have found that channels like this ALWAYS start to somehow get subscribers because they are good. But you're right. Great videos. Needs more views.

The whole time I was watching this I was trying to remember the Playtime selector settings. I'm glad you included that

I love how thorough you are. Thanks!

This is so well presented. I find it quite therapeutic. Oh yeah, most interesting too!

The original consumer Betamax (SL-7200) could only record for one hour on the standard L-500 cassette (Beta I). The first VHS VCRs had a standard recording time of 2 hours and an LP recording time of 4 hours on a standard T-120 cassette. The SL-7200 needed a mechanical timer accessory to set a timed recording while the early VHS machines (RCA VBT-200) had a built in digital clock / timer for timed recording. These two features alone gave the VHS machines a big head start in the VCR war. I started repairing VCRs in 1978 and was an authorized RCA repair station for them. Tooling up for VHS and Beta VCR repair was very expensive at the time. I still have tools, jigs and fixtures for it as well as service manuals dating back to 1977 collecting dust.

@paulyricca3881

Жыл бұрын

ILL GIVE 500 DOLLARS IF YOU CAN FIX MY VHS PLAYER

Nicely put together program, and well delivered!

how do you not have more subscribers I love your videos

Great video! In the mid 90's I picked up a early 80's Panasonic VHS top-loader at a thrift store for 5 dollars in the mid 90's. The ladies there just wanted it out the door. After a good cleaning it worked just fine and my grandmother used it for a few years after. I wish I had hung onto it after she passed away, but I had too many newer decks.

Thank you for this. Very interesting (answered questions I've always had), excellently done, and perfectly paced. Good idea, too, to split it in half. 30 min episodes sometimes take some maneuvering to fit in (meaning sometimes they never do) whereas 15-16 min ones can be watched, say, during a meal.

@davidwuhrer6704

6 жыл бұрын

KZread can remember for you where you stopped watching, and will continue from there when you watch it again. That works across devices, too, if you use the same Google account for both. I don't think it is a widely used feature, but it seems made for just such occasions.

@fishsquishguy1833

6 жыл бұрын

Jorge Garcia Just do what most guys do: Tie up the bathroom, sitting on throne with laptop/iPad, while rest of family is forced to wait. Jim

I remember just marvelling that the TV didn't even need to be turned on to record things. It just seemed like magic. And I remember "tracking", that band of sandy glimmer at the bottom of the picture that could never quite be adjusted away.

Great entertaining videos man. Good job. Informative.

Airplane! Great 1980 film! I Love it!

@okaro6595

6 жыл бұрын

Funny how it is just on TV here.

@synaesthesia2010

6 жыл бұрын

i have the dvd box set of the Airplane movies, 2 of the greatest comedies ever made

@markleyg

6 жыл бұрын

"Ever seen a grown man naked?"

@Noycey64

6 жыл бұрын

I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley. 😂

@TheWacoKid1963

6 жыл бұрын

"I picked the wrong time to quit smoking"

When I was super young, my dad bought that exact VCR. I remember him saying it cost a months salary but it was worth it!

It's simple. Beta was a bit too expensive, but their quality in recording was better, the problem was that it only recorded an hour on a tape, and that was after they increased it when JVC's VHS was coming out. Vhs was lower quality recording, but it could record two full hours and it was cheaper. The video still looked fine, especially to people who grew up on over-the-air broadcasts which were notoriously iffy in quality. Cheaper and more bang for the buck always wins over prettier with slightly better quality.

@Mike-ie5xu

5 жыл бұрын

Absolutely amazing that you could summarize this 2-part, 30+ minute rambling series of videos into a few concise sentences. A-fucking-mazing.

@brucenadeau1280

4 жыл бұрын

Vhs won because it could do more of what the customers wanted to do Beta added features that wore nice failed at the most important task record the tv shows the customers wanted to watch

@hectorsagan4655

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for pointing out, HepChaos, that over-the-air broadcasts were of low quality, making Beta's better quality image irrelevant, to most consumers. I remember, that Beta and VHS both looked the same to me, when recording off-the-air, or from open-source instructional tapes that were deteriorated from many playbacks. Back then, I wondered, perhaps, only video connoisseurs could see the subtle difference? ......Therefore... today I wonder... Was Beta preferred by pirates? ...who were duplicating video tapes, rented from video stores? For personal use... or resale? One copy, pirated to Beta, could be used to make hundreds of original-looking copies, either to Beta or VHS. Can anyone chime in, on that? ......On the issue of US consumers wanting a recording length of 4 to 6 hours, for football... did the Japanese at Sony even know what football was? Or did they just make a survey of the maximum duration of US series episodes, news specials, dramatic plays, and operas? (LOL! There were a few operas broadcast, on US educational public networks.)

@RaptorV1USA

4 жыл бұрын

and the Porns..... dont forget the Porns...

@thomask940

4 жыл бұрын

What about the cam corders? If VHS came on the scene and flooded the market before Beta even had a model ready for production the the consumer would have the perceived notion that beta is a loser "so we better go with the VHS" mentality. Marketing strategy wins every time, regardless of performance.

"I'd give anything to watch my reruns of Night Court one more time..."

@Electrolab1114

4 жыл бұрын

One of the terrestrial TV channels is actually running night court again. I think it is antenna TV.

@chicagodaddy1

4 жыл бұрын

Stuart Garlick They’re available on DVD and streaming services.

@dragons_red

3 жыл бұрын

Don't worry Mr. Plinkett, we'll get that VCR of yours fixed sooner or later.

I was told to come here to summit a complaint about the phrase "Now here's where things start to get interesting".

@joeblow8593

5 жыл бұрын

Submit to the summit sounds like a good name for an alternative band

@andrew_koala2974

5 жыл бұрын

@ summit is (a) The highest level or degree attainable (b) The highest stage of development (c) A meeting of heads of governments (d) The highest point (of a mountain) So tell us how that word ' summit ' fits into the context of your comment? Buy yourself a dictionary and study the meaning of words you wish to use.

VHS's were cheaper People buy cheaper product Rental places notice VHS's have more customers Rental places order more VHS copies than Beta People to go rental places and see all the movies in VHS People buy VHS players. VHS wins.

@lamper2

6 жыл бұрын

great point!

@PatrickCawley

6 жыл бұрын

I was around when both systems came out and Beta had the better quality by far

@quarksamurai6101

6 жыл бұрын

Zero Cool no it didn't.Common myth perptuated by porn industry to appear as progressive

@spacemissing

6 жыл бұрын

Not "by far". More like "by a hair".

@Myrtone

6 жыл бұрын

I'm not sure that Beta was generally more expensive. Also, the original intention of video cassette recorders was to record TV shows that could not be watched when they were broadcast, not to play pre-recorded material. Pre-recorded video did not yet exist.

In '85, during my stint in Germany, my first VCR was a Beta machine with a corded remote. It was brought home to the States with me, however, I didn't have it long. Since then, I've always had a VHS in either a player/recorder or just a VCP only. In today's period, I own a combo DVD/VHS unit because I have yet to fully give up all of my tape movies. Watching your presentation of their histories in this installment brought back memories of yesteryear. Thanks.

@scottschimming2040

Жыл бұрын

ItzCaseyKC, were you stationed in Germany? I was in the Army in 1985 and also bought a Beta VCR that year. While stationed at Ft Richardson, Alaska the old Betamax kept me entertained the whole 3 years I was there!

@itzcaseykc

Жыл бұрын

@@scottschimming2040 I was in southern Germany up one of the hills from Stuttgart from Jan. 1, 1984 to around July 22, 1985. The base no longer exists because the civilians bulldozed many of the buildings and made the area a nice looking place for the German population. I was at Nellingen Kasern btw.

great channel Man. I love it. You do a very excellent job

In the PAL system, VHS cassettes were branded as E-30(30 mins); E-60(60 mins); E-120(2 hours); E180(3 hours) and E240(4 hours).

@briantw

5 жыл бұрын

As well as E-195, E300 and a bunch of other "off" lengths.

@youtubeviewer7030

5 жыл бұрын

on long play you double the length

@Atombender

5 жыл бұрын

Similar to music cassettes. 30, 60, 90, 120.

@youtubeviewer7030

5 жыл бұрын

@@Atombender i had a ten minute cassette that i bought from Tandy Electronics (radioshack in USA and Canada) and used them as cassingles

@youtubeviewer7030

5 жыл бұрын

and the E300 but in long play E30=60 E60=120 E180=240 and E240=480 and E300=600

In the UK, I was selling Betamax, VHS and Video 2000 machines back in 1980, side by side in the same electrical shop. Video 2000 was the best but nobody wanted it, Betamax was better than VHS pound for pound picture quality wise and the entry level was cheaper than VHS. We sold more Betamax machines than VHS. The killer for Betamax ultimately was software of course; coupled with that flat spin product formats enter as soon as the public start to perceive them as _dying_ in relation to competing format(s). Nobody was remotely bothered about the cosmetic stuff you mention, different times. One factor which was beginning to matter to people back then, however, was toploader vs frontloader and both formats fielded examples of both; a practical, space-saving feature but still not actually a deal breaker for most people particularly as the cheaper ones tended to be toploaders.

@ColinMill1

5 жыл бұрын

Totally agree though I guess you mean softcore as much as software 8-)=

@eddiehockley4144

5 жыл бұрын

Tallshrew Fishing. Exactly wasn't it the Phillips 2000 that never took off? Also i bought a Betamax in 83/84 for around £250 in England when the cheapest VHS was around £350. So as you say they were cheaper by quite a margin at the time.

@TallshrewFishing

5 жыл бұрын

@@eddiehockley4144 Yes, we were selling the cheapest Betamax machine at about £190 in 1980/81 and the cheapest VHS (which was not as good) was noticeably more. Worth remembering lots of people in _proper_ jobs were earning £60 to £100 per week back then, so none were cheap.

@RyviusRan

5 жыл бұрын

@@TallshrewFishing That is a pretty low wage. My dad worked a warehouse job in California in the early 1980s and made around 45,000USD a year with medical insurance that covered a 750,000USD medical bill my brother had for being put in intensive care after kidney failure. I miss those days of good paying blue collar jobs that you could raise a family on.

@TallshrewFishing

5 жыл бұрын

@@RyviusRan Average UK annual wage in 1980 was £6000 or £115/week and the average is always high as it is skewed by massively high earners with most people earning less than the average.

I just found an SL-5800 for $10 in a thrift store and it looks overwhelmingly similar to the Sl-5400, so this video served as a nice overview of the unit! The only differences I can spot are underneath the two hidden panels for the tuner and clock/timer. Seems yours has more LEDs and switches for the channels instead of buttons. Now only one problem... where in the world am I gonna find a freakin Betamax tape lmao. Was hoping there might be one mixed in amongst all the VHS in the thrift store but no such luck. Hopefully I can see how the machine runs soon.

I just discovered your channel and I am loving it!

"GIMME THAT TAPE!!!" LOL!!!! I love your channel so much! Do you have a Patreon? ......The one person that clicked dislike is the one person who thinks still Betamax is still going to make a comeback....

Straight up, anyone who used both formats in the 1980s and even 1990s, knows Beta smoked VHS in every way _except_ recording time. Picture quality was deplorable on VHS in SLP (6 HR) recording mode, and colors very washed out compared with Beta III (4.5 HR) mode, which almost looked as good as VHS SP (2HR) mode. Also, as mentioned, the tape transport mechanism is very lazy on VHS, but almost instant response for all tape functions on Beta. I had both types of machines in the 1980s, and used the Beta almost exclusively to record from television because the quality was so much better in long record time mode. Still have all the Beta and VHS tapes, and the various VCRs, and they still work, unlike today's junk which will fall apart after one year.

@Zuflux

6 жыл бұрын

My dad did much of the same, he once more backed the losing format with MiniDisc. I loved this format as it was a much neater size to handle and store compared to CD's, and was great for recording stuff off the radio, for example.

@spottydog4477

6 жыл бұрын

Mate this from a country on NTSC (Never The Same Color) 520 lines of transmission??.. Shit in - shit out....ahahah!..The Brits were on PAL system with 625 lines........so at least the Play- back was of a satisfying quality....on Either Beta or VHS

@wildbilltexas

6 жыл бұрын

Back in the 80's-90's I used LP and EP most of the time to save money on tapes, and it was very watchable on the 19 inch CRT TV's (RCA and Philips) I had back then. I didn't realize how bad the quality was until I got a 55 inch Vizio flatscreen and started watching some old tapes.

@kaitlyn__L

6 жыл бұрын

this is what's called "survivor bias" - only the machines that were built to last have survived until now, and so there is always the perception that "modern things die fast, old things last forever". people were saying the same thing in the 70s about products from the 30s and 40s.

@buckfiden6227

6 жыл бұрын

LakeNipissing True. Also, 1. The comparison he makes between SP & BII is not a fair one b/c he's comparing an 80's Betamax to a modern VHS vcr. In the 80's VHS was not as good as it later became. 2. In the mid 80's movie studios started putting an anti-copy code on pre-recorded tapes. The code only worked on VHS as Betamax could still copy ANY movie regardless of the copy protection scheme! If more movie buffs had known this, Beta may have sold better.

I was born in 1998 so by that time stand-alone VCRs were no longer available in most plases my parents owned a VHS/DVD combo unit for as as long as I can remember.

Great video, thanks -- interesting AND a bit funny! I grew up then, but never realized all this. It occurs to me there are parallels to the circa Apple vs PC wars (closed/arrogant vs. open/competitive, respectively).

Bring back wood grain electronics now!

@thedys70

5 жыл бұрын

And wood grain station wagons too; they are the tits!

@curbmassa

5 жыл бұрын

Genuine simulated wood.

@chrisbeard7940

5 жыл бұрын

God, I miss RadioShack, God !

@zo1dberg

5 жыл бұрын

Trump should write up an executive order making it illegal to produce electronics products that aren't covered in genuine simulated wood grain. MAGA!

@frankfacts6207

5 жыл бұрын

use hemp

I bought an RCA VCR in 1980. It was 650.00 two paychecks exactly. What sealed the deal was the public library was lending only VHS tapes.

@allenatkins2263

5 жыл бұрын

And now you can find them at yard sales for $1

@FUNZO1975

5 жыл бұрын

@@allenatkins2263 And when you find them at said yard sale, you get ALL of them for one dollar.

@Kevin-en1jm

5 жыл бұрын

You got a good deal on that then because the VHS JVS HRS-6700 I bought in 1979 cost $1300. It might have been near or at the top of the line though.

@robertmarks8142

5 жыл бұрын

An RCA VCR in 1980 would have been a relabeled Hitachi.

@dariusanderton3760

5 жыл бұрын

@@Paperclown I remember the library in my city did lend out VHS tapes. This was in the late 1980s, and the videos were usually boring stuff like documentaries and children's videos. If you wanted popular movies, video rental stores had those.

I still use my VHS player to watch old movies! I must be one of the few left with a VHS library!

@azh698

4 жыл бұрын

We had ours digitised about 10 years ago.

@electrictroy2010

3 жыл бұрын

I still use my Super VHS to record HDTV off the air. The final result looks like DVD quality

@HiroNguy

3 жыл бұрын

I'm sure there's someone out there dubbing Disturbed onto an Edison phonographic cylindre. 😁

That Gran Turismo 3 reference was probably more descriptive for me than you thought it would be. Had to smash that x button down hard or you'd only go partial throttle. I would honestly like to see you do a video on how the progressive buttons work. I've found out that all buttons, including the D pad so it too.

@nthgth

Жыл бұрын

I remember being so disappointed that analog face buttons didn't catch on for consoles. Analog triggers pretty much make up for it though.

I remember all the hype, my aunt, in the late '70's, was so proud of their new Betamax. hahaha

Cue me wondering if my parents' old Beta player still works.

I have a Panasonic PV1770 from about 1982. Might need a belt but I believe it still works, it has a 'special effects' remote. A real beast! Makes the most beautiful noises inside when you use the soft-touch buttons. I used the daylights out of that machine - and I have a similar Quasar model along with it. Both residing in the basement.

5:15 Jeez there's a childhood flashback!

GIMMEATAPE! WHAM! Holy crap, my sides!

I had seen a box of bata tapes one time at goodwill and this looks very interesting video that you made and it’s great topic to talk about.

And I remember when my dad and I squeezed 8 hours into a VHS. Had to have all 3 Star Wars movies in one VHS for the 6 year old, so he didn't break the store-bought tapes. We even got a bit of Star Wars Droids in the end of it.

great channel and great video!

@dubsy1026

6 жыл бұрын

you should see if the 8-but guy or someone like that will give you a shout out, I'm sure that sort of audience would really enjoy this

@VisionThing

6 жыл бұрын

Dubsy 102 Good idea, Techmoan as well.

I enjoy your dry sense of humor.

Yep... you said it all when you said "football" with regards to length. Back in the day, there was a time I always had to work on Monday nights - seemed like forever. The VCR was there so I could watch the game when I got home. The worst part was trying to avoid hearing the score, but the VCR always did the job perfectly.

In a 1960's issue of one of those science/mechanics/technology magazines, there was an article about how to build your own video recorder using reel-to-reel tape. This was just before rotating recording heads were developed, so to get enough bandwidth, you ran the tape at very high speed. They even showed what happened when a wildly spinning reel of tape started unfurling during playback.

Damn! A nice set of retro top loaders! Where did you find these (and what did you have to do to get them working? - that's an episode in itself!)

One thing that nobody brings when explains why beta fails is the 1981's Jane Fonda's Workout Tape, which was released for VHS only. At the time, every housewife wants a VCR because of that specific tape.

@krashd

5 жыл бұрын

Not to mention every teenage boy.

@danielmarshall4587

5 жыл бұрын

My mate's sister had Duran Duran Betamax tape of "Girls on film". He is still a Dear friend to this day,

@vinniemoreno704

5 жыл бұрын

Masturbation heaven my friends.

@Sypaka

5 жыл бұрын

Can we talk about this workout video? kzread.info/dash/bejne/nod1j5Otir26gLA.html

@228Brendon

5 жыл бұрын

I fapped to that once or twice

Amazing videos! Congratulations!

i just want to compliment the really nice composition on the tableau of the two cassettes sliding into frame at 11:00

Notice something, both of these units are still fully functional. Todays electronics won't last 10 years.

@andrew_koala2974

5 жыл бұрын

@Thomas Ward Todays electronics don't last because they are engineered not to. This ensures people will buy new products, and this ensures manufacture continuity and more profit. Also Manufacturers kept spare parts fro as long as was necessary by law to provide warranty. Once that legal requirement for warranty expired parts were dumped at the local land-fill ..... when users required repairs or service for their machine, the manufacturer said .. 'Sorry, parts are no longer available. It falls into the scam category where people paid a great deal of their income into purchasing equipment. only to be abandoned by the manufacturer... Thus it happened that enterprising companies in Russia, Sweden, The Netherlands and Italy were making substitute components, that kept the machines serviceable and owners of these machines happy. It is remains a reality that there is very little loyalty to a client base by manufacturers, and what is more important fro them is to produce cheap disposable products. And It is unlikely that anyone today would pay five times their weekly income for a Television. So prices have dropped to very affordable and manageable levels . and the quality is commensurate with that, 4 years life-span is about the average. Gone are the days when people kept their TV for 20 years and other devices for 10 years or more. People now want the latest design to impress people they dislike, and buy with money they don't have to stay in perpetual debt.

@thomasward00

5 жыл бұрын

@@andrew_koala2974 I agree 100%, which is why I just purchased a new Speed Queen washing machine, they are built to last 25 years, just like in the old days.

@hewgrebe4771

5 жыл бұрын

I know. All new appliances don't work but about two to three years, then you need a new machine. Not good, at all.

@CapHowdy

5 жыл бұрын

I disagree with this to an extent. Like most technology, it depends on who manufactures it. My time with VHS was awful as I pretty much went through players like they were disposable. They were forever breaking down. My DVD player though, I have had for god knows how many years. Probably somewhere between 12 to 15 years at least. VHS players were notorious for wearing out their heads. I would also go as far as to say that my recent history with TVs has been positive as well, as even after selling them when I wanted to upgrade, I sold them to friends or family and they are still going strong. The problem now though is tech is outdated almost as soon as it is released. They do not need to build limited life spans into them as tech advancements are what now cause people to buy new equipment.

@WyreForestBiker

5 жыл бұрын

Your kidding ! .. both were not very reliable ,with loads of mechanical parts to go wrong and tape that had a limited lifespan and problems with jamming .

Never clicked on a video faster

@radish64

6 жыл бұрын

9262XYZ Just because I said I clicked on the video quickly doesn't mean that I'm gay. We don't need eight year olds like you posting idiotic and salty comments on KZread.

@radish64

6 жыл бұрын

9262XYZ How does being gay have anything to do with posting a "meme". Obviously, you are a kid as well, calling me gay and saying I watch gay porn, trying to be all edgy. P.S. I'm not gay.

@9262XYZ

6 жыл бұрын

Okay, you're not gay. Sorry for being "salty", Mr Meme Lord. Here are some more cool memes you can try in the future: "Give me a thumbs up for my birthday!" "17 people had a Betamax!". "FIRST!!!" TRULY HILARIOUS STUFF (for unintelligent children)!!!

@jasoneverett

6 жыл бұрын

9262xyz....I like your style.

@radish64

6 жыл бұрын

So you're saying that you an adult that goes around telling random people that they are gay, because of one comment that they posted. Do something better with your life.

I think this playlist is the first T.C. I ever watched, ages ago. Got me into this channel.

The adjectives for the design features were quite amazing,

Once they introduced copy protection, you would have to play a VHS through a Beta and record onto another VHS to copy tapes.

"Sony seemed to think *they* could decide what their customers wanted." Ah, how times have changed... oh wait.

@stephanburgess654

4 жыл бұрын

Soitisisit still do. Remember the Sony memory stick for digital cameras, the floppy disc digital camera and the mini disc. Neither will many young people today.

@eval_is_evil

3 жыл бұрын

@@stephanburgess654 or the memory stick for PS VITA...it basically lost them billions because some cretin exec thought "they will pay for it!". Well the PS VITA was a flop even though it is the best portable console for RPG enthusiasts. Ok the memory stick wasnt really the main reason,I exaggerated on that.

@stephanburgess654

3 жыл бұрын

Tomi Sony had a lot to learn back then. They were not the be all and end all they thought.

@eval_is_evil

3 жыл бұрын

@@stephanburgess654 yeah... dont get me wrong I very much respect them. In fact I am what you might call a "fanboy" of Sony's ;) cant wait for the PS5! Cheers

@dragons_red

3 жыл бұрын

UMD, proprietary memory stick, and the bloated, hard to program for and costly PS3 where they arrogantly claimed you will WANT to get a second job to be able to buy this thing. All this from their most (only) profitable division. Thank God Mark Cerny took over since PS4 and that imperial Japanese mindset is no longet at the helm.

My first VHS tape was an EMI and cost £10 in 1980! I still have it and it still plays in my Panasonic DMR-EZ49VEB-K DVD/VCR VHS Combi Recorder.

That 70's Show, Red Forman: "We have a Betamax, we're better than normal people." The Simpsons, Snake: "Oh no! Beta"

[LGR]Hmmm, woodgrain...[/LGR] @.@

@catsoften

6 жыл бұрын

Bastet Furry exactly what I was thinking when I saw a woodgrain clock.

I like your references to Airplane! I have a question. "What is it?" It's a an interrogative statement used to test knowledge, but that's not important right now! How about a video of SD card vs Memory Stick?

Years ago I bought a Betamax, good product, top of the line. Experts said it was better than a VHS.

I like that you’ve assigned voices and personalities to the machines.

Beta recording quality was ALWAYS much better than VHS....I know....I was there.

@briantw

5 жыл бұрын

I was there too, had both, and I disagree with your subjective assessment.

@jakejones5736

5 жыл бұрын

So was I! We even had a Beta video cam. Yup, Beta all the way...

@dmcnamara9859

5 жыл бұрын

Machine Code: Totally Agree...my parents went out of the way and kept paying the premium for Beta purchases/rentals,etc......video quality was always better.....VHS players then (even the good ones) had issues. We then we went Laser-Disk and then DVDs. But then oh....Laser was awesome...remember seeing Terminator (collectors/directors cut edition,whatever)....that was crazy then of all the features it had compared to early DVD. Parents still have their Betamax....far as I know,they still work....and that corny simulated wood reminds one of the 1970s/1980s.

@Raysboss302

5 жыл бұрын

Video 2000 had the best picture quality. But only PAL versions so sadly only Europe knows them. I was there too.