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Video
Recording >
Formats
> Betamax
Betamax
Image
quality: poor
Generation
loss: Yes. Even 2nd generation copies look poor.
Recording
method: Composite
Digital
or Analog: Analog
Other
incarnations: SuperBeta, ED Beta
Uses:
Betamax is dead. It was the first major consumer recording
format, but VHS came up quickly and eventually killed
Betamax. So why even mention it? Because too many beginners
look stupid by confusing Betamax with it’s high-end,
very popular (in professional circles), cousin Betacam.
This is tricky because Betamax tapes look identical
to Betacam tapes. Yet the underlying recording technologies
are completely different. And while a typical Betamax
VCR might have cost $300 in its heyday, the cost of
a Betacam VCR starts at about $8,000.
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Betamax was first to market, and the
picture was ever-so-slightly better
than VHS, but it eventually died because
VHS tapes could record longer.
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