1 00:00:00,060 --> 00:00:05,180 Say it’s 1979 and you’ve just decided to blow two whole paychecks on one of these 2 00:00:05,180 --> 00:00:11,280 new fangled video cassette recorders. Congratulations on your life-changing decision! But now comes 3 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:15,550 the time to ask yourself, which one should you buy??? Two systems are vying for your 4 00:00:15,550 --> 00:00:19,980 money, each packing their own set of unique features. A format war’s a brewin, how do 5 00:00:19,980 --> 00:00:24,269 you know which choice is the right one??? Since a startlingly large percentage of viewers 6 00:00:24,269 --> 00:00:28,740 may have never used or even seen a videocassette recorder, let’s just throw it in your face 7 00:00:28,740 --> 00:00:33,240 and make clear that we’re talking about the format war between VHS, the winner which 8 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:39,750 was released in 1976 and stayed relevant until around 2003, and Betamax, the loser which 9 00:00:39,750 --> 00:00:45,080 actually predated VHS by a year but became the butt of jokes by the late 1980’s. The 10 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:49,550 format war between Beta and VHS is widely studied even today in business classes the 11 00:00:49,550 --> 00:00:54,280 world over. In this video, we’ll explore the history of the format war, and I’ll 12 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:59,350 be comparing two machines which were both on sale in 1979, and I think by the end you’ll 13 00:00:59,350 --> 00:01:02,970 be able to see why VHS left Beta in the dust 14 00:01:02,970 --> 00:01:07,929 Quick side notes--this video discusses the format war as it took place in the United 15 00:01:07,929 --> 00:01:12,670 States. As such, Philip’s excellent and revolutionary Video 2000 format, which never 16 00:01:12,670 --> 00:01:17,619 made it to the US, is not being discussed. Beta was not the first consumer videocassette 17 00:01:17,619 --> 00:01:23,329 format--that title goes to Philips’ VCR format unless you count the professional U-Matic, 18 00:01:23,329 --> 00:01:27,760 but Phillips was ultimately unsuccessful. Betamax is regarded as the first consumer 19 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:30,080 format to achieve any sort of widespread success. 20 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:33,240 Here we are. The pinnacle of modern engineering. 21 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:37,480 You can even smell it. Trust me, these machines smell….groovy. On the left, we have an RCA 22 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:45,440 VDT-600, a fully-featured VHS model built in Japan by the Matsushita corporation (the 23 00:01:45,459 --> 00:01:50,159 parent of Panasonic) under license from the Japan Victor Company, or JVC, the inventors 24 00:01:50,159 --> 00:01:56,499 of VHS, and branded and sold by the Radio Corporation of America, or RCA. Pay attention 25 00:01:56,499 --> 00:02:00,889 to that jumbled mess of a who-built-it, because it will be important later. On our right, 26 00:02:00,889 --> 00:02:06,609 we have a Sony SL-5400, a high-end Betamax model (which came to be known simply as Beta) 27 00:02:06,609 --> 00:02:12,310 made in Japan by Sony, for Sony, and sold as a Sony. Glad we got that out of the way. 28 00:02:12,310 --> 00:02:16,400 So let’s start with a physical overview of these two machines. In the looks department, 29 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:21,680 I’d say this is kind of a tie. The Sony doesn’t exactly look sleek, in fact it looks 30 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:26,980 kind of like a giant brick. Very sharp edges, and very straight lines. But, it’s fit-and-finish 31 00:02:26,980 --> 00:02:32,040 is excellent, and the non-nonsense style almost makes it handsome. The clock is very clear 32 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:36,269 and attractive, with a charming programming display, and the buttons are labeled on both 33 00:02:36,269 --> 00:02:41,510 the top and the edge. The RCA, on the other hand, looks a fair bit bulkier, but you could 34 00:02:41,510 --> 00:02:47,300 say more interesting. It’s sloping front allows the clock-timer to be seen from a top-down 35 00:02:47,300 --> 00:02:52,799 view, and helps to minimise its bulky appearance. But the buttons are far clunkier, with weird 36 00:02:52,799 --> 00:02:58,000 color choices for their tops. RCAs decision to use mixed-case font for labeling makes 37 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:03,790 the machine appear perhaps a little less professional, but sort of gives it some modern-day charm. 38 00:03:03,790 --> 00:03:07,730 Tuning channels is accomplished on the RCA behind this front panel, where you’ll also 39 00:03:07,730 --> 00:03:12,610 find the tracking knob. Channel tuning on the Sony is done up top. See in these days, 40 00:03:12,610 --> 00:03:17,959 electronic tuners were hella expensive. So instead, VCR’s had either big-’ol knobs 41 00:03:17,959 --> 00:03:23,049 like this, or they’d have a series of tiny mechanical tuners each tied to a button. You’d 42 00:03:23,049 --> 00:03:26,739 pick which 14 or so channels you’d want to be able to record, and set them with these 43 00:03:26,739 --> 00:03:30,930 little switches and thumbwheels. Then you’d simply select between them with the buttons, 44 00:03:30,930 --> 00:03:34,930 with each button corresponding to one of these doohickeys. Often the VCR would come with 45 00:03:34,930 --> 00:03:38,780 replacement inserts to label these with the actual channel numbers. 46 00:03:38,780 --> 00:03:42,719 Sony gives you camera inputs on the front of the machine, but the audio input is strangely 47 00:03:42,719 --> 00:03:47,950 a ⅛ inch audio jack rather than a standard plug. RCA gives you standard connections, 48 00:03:47,950 --> 00:03:53,879 but they are in back. Interestingly, the Sony machine has hardly any LEDs used in its design. 49 00:03:53,879 --> 00:03:58,019 Apart from the timer programming display for tape length and this one little indicator, 50 00:03:58,019 --> 00:04:02,859 all of the lights are either small incandescent bulbs, or in the case of the channel indicators, 51 00:04:02,859 --> 00:04:07,870 tiny green fluorescent lamps, similar to the ordinary orange neon lamp you find in a power 52 00:04:07,870 --> 00:04:12,620 strip, but with a green phosphor coating the inside of the glass envelope. The RCA model, 53 00:04:12,620 --> 00:04:17,239 on the other hand, makes extensive use of LEDs, the only incandescent bulb being located 54 00:04:17,239 --> 00:04:21,150 inside the cassette mechanism, working as part of the end-of-tape sensor. 55 00:04:21,150 --> 00:04:25,531 Let’s get all touchy-feely. When using these machines, there’s a clear winner in the 56 00:04:25,531 --> 00:04:30,440 ergonomics department. The Sony was obviously designed to make the operational experience 57 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:36,700 a pleasant one. The power switch moves silently--no click here--but decisively with clear physical 58 00:04:36,700 --> 00:04:41,920 indentations between its positions. Each of the piano-key buttons is easy to press. And 59 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:45,440 when you press eject to raise the cassette tray, the machine seems to greet you with 60 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:51,120 a fine, may I have your cassette, sir? When you lower the cassette into the machine, it 61 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:56,540 immediately makes the most anti-climactic sound in the history of ever, the sound coming 62 00:04:56,540 --> 00:05:00,930 from the action of threading the tape. See, Beta machines usually kept the tape threaded 63 00:05:00,930 --> 00:05:05,669 at all times, even during fast forwarding or rewinding, but there are exceptions, notably 64 00:05:05,669 --> 00:05:11,310 Sanyo built machines. Again, pressing play takes little force, and as the tape is already 65 00:05:11,310 --> 00:05:16,080 threaded, you get a picture pretty quickly. 66 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:28,120 Now here’s where the RCA machine starts to look bad. The power switch isn’t quite 67 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:33,490 so nice, no it’s not a bad switch, but not a satisfying one. It’s just a switch. The 68 00:05:33,490 --> 00:05:37,930 red LED lights up, and for those wondering why there’s an indicator for Dew, that’s 69 00:05:37,930 --> 00:05:42,440 because these early VCRs were often lugged around with a camera to record life’s precious 70 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:47,830 moments, and RCA, I mean Matsushita, added a dew sensor to prevent operation of the machine 71 00:05:47,830 --> 00:05:53,410 if a cold VCR was brought into a warm, humid room, causing condensation to form on mechanical 72 00:05:53,410 --> 00:05:58,419 components. Pretty thoughtful, actually. Anyway, back to business. Pressing the eject button 73 00:05:58,419 --> 00:06:03,139 on this machine requires smashing your finger into the button like you smash X when playing 74 00:06:03,139 --> 00:06:08,289 Gran Turismo 3. Once you’ve hurt your finger enough to actually release the tray, the machine 75 00:06:08,289 --> 00:06:14,750 says GIMME A TAPE! No money spent on dampers here, no sir. Lowering the 76 00:06:14,750 --> 00:06:19,110 tape into the machine does, well, nothing. This machine won’t do a thing until you 77 00:06:19,110 --> 00:06:23,879 press a button. Get ready, cause that play button isn’t any easier to press. Once you’ve 78 00:06:23,879 --> 00:06:28,080 jammed it in there, the machine then lazily threads the tape around the head drum, and 79 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:31,560 eventually, you get a picture. 80 00:06:39,220 --> 00:06:45,760 BUT, we can overlook minor inconveniences if it’s a more capable machine, right? Well, 81 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:50,880 here’s where things start to get interesting. Sony was already forced to play catch-up in 82 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:56,040 1979, and a lot of that had to do with the cassette itself. Speaking of, let’s have 83 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:57,470 a look at those. 84 00:06:57,470 --> 00:07:01,110 A VHS cassette is still a somewhat common sight, and you probably know what it looks like. 85 00:07:01,110 --> 00:07:02,460 Usually black, 86 00:07:02,460 --> 00:07:03,400 but not always!, 87 00:07:03,500 --> 00:07:07,720 the cassette measures 187 mm wide, 103 mm deep, 88 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:11,980 and 25 mm thick. Two windows allow you to see the internal reels so you can see how 89 00:07:11,990 --> 00:07:15,759 much tape is on each reel, and thus you can tell roughly where you are along the length 90 00:07:15,759 --> 00:07:22,229 of the of tape. A very utilitarian design, the cassette just is. Nothing fancy here. 91 00:07:22,229 --> 00:07:27,330 The Beta cassette is a good deal smaller than the VHS cassette, with dimensions of 156 mm 92 00:07:27,330 --> 00:07:34,039 wide, 96 mm deep, and 25 mm thick. This would prove a fatal mistake, as you’ll soon see. 93 00:07:34,039 --> 00:07:39,039 The identical thickness isn’t much of a surprise as both Beta and VHS used half inch 94 00:07:39,039 --> 00:07:40,909 wide magnetic tape. 95 00:07:40,909 --> 00:07:45,379 Design wise, the Beta cassette is more visually interesting. Most Beta cassettes only had 96 00:07:45,379 --> 00:07:49,800 a window on the left-hand reel, allowing you to see how much tape was remaining, but not 97 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:54,379 how much was used. I suppose Sony thought knowing how much tape was left was most important, 98 00:07:54,379 --> 00:07:59,970 but it was also annoying as hell. Case in point: particularly with prerecorded tapes, 99 00:07:59,970 --> 00:08:05,220 you can’t tell if a tape is rewound all the way! I know just by looking at this VHS 100 00:08:05,220 --> 00:08:09,849 tape that it’s not quite at the beginning. But for Beta, the asymmetrical artsiness of 101 00:08:09,849 --> 00:08:13,380 the cassette means that you really don’t know with certainty if that tape is completely 102 00:08:13,380 --> 00:08:18,379 rewound. But it wasn’t just that annoying little quirk, in fact most of Beta’s problems 103 00:08:18,379 --> 00:08:23,110 come directly from this cassette design. Let’s take a step back in time and go over a few 104 00:08:23,110 --> 00:08:24,110 things. 105 00:08:24,110 --> 00:08:28,250 When developing the format, Sony took the old adage of “size matters” the wrong 106 00:08:28,250 --> 00:08:33,450 way. See, Betamax was pretty much just a shrunken down version of U-Matic, Sony’s earlier 107 00:08:33,450 --> 00:08:39,200 ¾ inch cassette format used in broadcasting. U-Matic had a recording time of 1 hour, which 108 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:43,260 was fine for television studios, as there would usually be multiple machines handling 109 00:08:43,260 --> 00:08:47,430 multiple tapes for things like commercial breaks, and there was always a broadcast technician 110 00:08:47,430 --> 00:08:52,890 able to switch between them and load up new tapes. Sony rather naively assumed that 1 111 00:08:52,890 --> 00:08:56,960 hour was therefore a fine benchmark for a consumer format, and kept that their goal 112 00:08:56,960 --> 00:09:01,730 for the Betamax machine. This went hand in hand with Sony’s desire to keep the cassette 113 00:09:01,730 --> 00:09:06,649 on the smaller side--they used their company handbook as a template for a “Convenient 114 00:09:06,649 --> 00:09:13,250 size”. Trouble is, worrying about that was the wrong thing to do. Sony released the Betamax 115 00:09:13,250 --> 00:09:20,060 system in 1975 with L-500 tapes, the standard length that ran for 1 hour. L-750 tapes were 116 00:09:20,060 --> 00:09:24,290 also available which could run for an hour and a half, but that was it. 117 00:09:24,290 --> 00:09:29,690 So, in comes the revolutionary VCR, and early adopters were quickly annoyed with that 90 118 00:09:29,690 --> 00:09:34,970 minute--at best--recording time. See, the whole point of a VCR is to allow you to record 119 00:09:34,970 --> 00:09:38,730 shows while you’re not home, preventing you from missing a show you really wanted 120 00:09:38,730 --> 00:09:43,839 to watch. A 90 minute recording time meant a lot of programs couldn’t be recorded. 121 00:09:43,839 --> 00:09:48,410 For example, movies would routinely take up at least a 2 hour broadcast, with commercial 122 00:09:48,410 --> 00:09:53,480 breaks built in. But this is America, dammit, and the most important thing we need to record 123 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:58,030 is a football game. That ain’t gonna work with Beta. 124 00:09:58,030 --> 00:10:03,990 (Meanwhile), JVC is busy developing their soon-to-be unveiled VHS format. Fun fact, 125 00:10:03,990 --> 00:10:08,589 VHS stands for Video Home System. You know, cause that’s definitely the order those 126 00:10:08,589 --> 00:10:14,980 three words belong in. Anyway, JVC’s system used a larger cassette which--guess what--HAS 127 00:10:14,980 --> 00:10:19,620 MORE TAPE IN IT! This meant that right out of the gate, the VHS system had Sony beat 128 00:10:19,620 --> 00:10:23,610 with a 2 hour recording time on a standard T-120 cassette. 129 00:10:23,610 --> 00:10:29,080 Let’s take these cassettes apart and compare what’s on the inside. Obviously these internal 130 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:34,339 tape reels are way smaller on the Beta tape, so to have the same length of tape as this 131 00:10:34,339 --> 00:10:40,000 cassette, the tape would need to be impractically thin. To be clear, the signals recorded on 132 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:44,640 the tape aren’t compatible in any way. The machines record onto the tape in very different 133 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:49,089 fashions with incompatible signals, but as it’s otherwise identical tape, the speed 134 00:10:49,089 --> 00:10:53,160 the tape runs through each format is pretty close so the overall length of tape was most 135 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:59,430 important (still, VHS did run a little bit slower). Here are two blank tapes, one Beta, 136 00:10:59,430 --> 00:11:05,740 one VHS. You’ll see that the L-750 cassette contains 222 meters of tape (the 750 means 137 00:11:05,740 --> 00:11:11,329 750 feet of tape). Remember, the L-750 is the “long” version with thinner than normal 138 00:11:11,329 --> 00:11:18,800 tape. But this T-120, the standard VHS length, has 24 more meters of tape. A T-160, the most 139 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:26,160 common “long” VHS cassette, has 327 meters of tape, almost 50% more than the L-750. Sony 140 00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:31,240 did release the ultra-thin (and somewhat rare) L-830, but this wasn’t a huge deal as it 141 00:11:31,240 --> 00:11:35,709 only squeezed an extra 10 minutes of recording time on early machines. Just by the look of 142 00:11:35,709 --> 00:11:39,300 these tapes, Sony seemed to be at a huge disadvantage here. 143 00:11:39,300 --> 00:11:44,170 (Meanwhile), The American company RCA had a rather large part in ensuring VHS would 144 00:11:44,170 --> 00:11:48,960 end up winning the format war. See, before Beta was even released, RCA was interested 145 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:52,860 in building a videotape recorder of their own. But they heard about Sony’s work on 146 00:11:52,860 --> 00:11:56,730 Betamax, and decided that maybe they’d be better of to just license the technology and 147 00:11:56,730 --> 00:12:02,180 ask Sony to build machines for them. But there were 2 problems. First was that Sony wasn’t 148 00:12:02,180 --> 00:12:06,940 all that excited to build machines for other people, let alone let others build copies. 149 00:12:06,940 --> 00:12:12,010 And second was their stubbornness on recording time. RCA reps reportedly asked the Sony guys 150 00:12:12,010 --> 00:12:17,760 if a longer recording time was possible, and sony said “Maybe someday”. Pft. PFT. Don’t 151 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:19,360 bother with them! 152 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:24,620 So RCA found out about what JVC was doing. Already they were more excited about JVC’s 153 00:12:24,620 --> 00:12:29,950 product, because if could record 2 hours. RCA asked if a longer recording time was possible, 154 00:12:29,950 --> 00:12:35,850 and JVC gave a long answer about reduced image quality and maybe it’s not such a good idea 155 00:12:35,850 --> 00:12:40,250 but I guess yes it would be technically possible so long as you kept that reduced picture quality 156 00:12:40,250 --> 00:12:44,149 in mind to which RCA said OK! Sound great! Keep in touch! 157 00:12:44,149 --> 00:12:49,240 Unlike the controlling Sony, JVC was totally cool with licensing the VHS patents to other 158 00:12:49,240 --> 00:12:54,709 companies, and shortly dozens of names would appear on VHS machines. Like this machine, 159 00:12:54,709 --> 00:12:59,570 Matsushita made RCA’s first Selectavision VCR, and although JVC still warned them about 160 00:12:59,570 --> 00:13:05,649 doing so, RCA had Matsushita produce the recorders with an LP, or Long Play, recording mode, 161 00:13:05,649 --> 00:13:10,399 which cut the tape speed in half and thus doubled the recording time. RCA thought this 162 00:13:10,399 --> 00:13:15,240 was imperative to having a successful product, as 4 hours was a pretty average length for 163 00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:19,699 a broadcast football game. And guess what? They were right on the money. 164 00:13:19,699 --> 00:13:26,060 As soon as RCA went public in 1977 about their upcoming VCR with this amazing 4 hour recording 165 00:13:26,060 --> 00:13:33,209 capability, Sony executives gave a collective AHH! And scrambled to come up with a solution. 166 00:13:33,209 --> 00:13:38,040 So what did they do? Well, they just ripped off RCA’s technique and introduced a new 167 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:43,199 recorder with the X-2 (later called Beta 2) recording speed. Now, an L-500 tape could 168 00:13:43,199 --> 00:13:49,880 hold 2 hours of video, and an L-750 could hold 3. Yay. But that’s still not as good 169 00:13:49,880 --> 00:13:53,699 as RCA’s machine. And now is where things start to get interesting. 170 00:13:53,699 --> 00:13:57,690 These two machines reveal the tit-for-tat, look-what-I-can-do nature of the format war 171 00:13:57,690 --> 00:14:02,980 in its early stages. RCA kept pushing the importance of recording time, and this machine 172 00:14:02,980 --> 00:14:08,810 has the brand new, whiz-bang SLP speed, which allows a whopping 6 hours of recording time 173 00:14:08,810 --> 00:14:14,970 on a T-120 tape, 8 hours on the slightly thinner T-160. Sony wouldn’t leave this unanswered 174 00:14:14,970 --> 00:14:20,000 and released the Beta 3 recording speed, which pushed the L-750 tape to 4.5 hours recording 175 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:25,710 time. Still not that great. So, what did they do? Well, this machine marks the beginning 176 00:14:25,710 --> 00:14:30,190 of Sony’s desperate attempts to find a way to wow buyers with new exciting features that 177 00:14:30,190 --> 00:14:34,750 might let people overlook the shorter recording time. You’ll notice this machine proudly 178 00:14:34,750 --> 00:14:40,889 proclaims BETASCAN! What does that mean? Well, all video recorders before this very model 179 00:14:40,889 --> 00:14:45,980 had to blank the screen when fast-forwarding or rewinding. On this VHS machine, you have 180 00:14:45,980 --> 00:14:50,680 to press STOP, wait for the tape to unthread, and then you can fast forward or rewind. And 181 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:56,740 then you press STOP, then PLAY, and hope you’re in the right place. 182 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:04,840 But BETASCAN lets you 183 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:10,860 see on the screen a fast-motion image, showing you exactly where you are on the tape! Revolutionary! 184 00:15:19,730 --> 00:15:23,440 While this feature would eventually become a staple of the VCR from both Beta machines 185 00:15:23,459 --> 00:15:28,200 and VHS models (once VHS manufacturers figured out how to copy Sony’s work, which didn’t 186 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:33,370 take long), it was at the time kind of a grasping-at-straws gesture. Again, you’ve got to put yourself 187 00:15:33,370 --> 00:15:37,769 in the mindset of consumers at the time. These machines are here to save you from the deep 188 00:15:37,769 --> 00:15:42,680 dark despair that consumes you when you’ve missed your television show! Betascan was 189 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:48,029 more of a “neat trick” at this point. What’s most important is the machine’s 190 00:15:48,029 --> 00:15:52,920 flexibility at recording shows. And here’s where the Sony machine falls flat on its face. 191 00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:58,220 OK, we’re gonna have to pause here. There’s a lot to digest in this format war, so I’m 192 00:15:58,220 --> 00:16:02,560 going to split it here into two videos. In the next video, we’ll be discussing how 193 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:07,010 Sony seemed to think they could decide what their customers wanted. This led them to a 194 00:16:07,010 --> 00:16:11,960 position where they were always a step ahead of VHS in terms of technical feats, but often 195 00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:18,100 a step behind when it came to everyday features that people really needed. Thanks for watching! 196 00:16:18,100 --> 00:16:25,160 Don’t forget to hit that like button and subscribe! As you know, I’m doing my best 197 00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:28,189 to keep videos like this headed your way. See you next time!