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From: boyajian@akov68.DEC (Jerry Boyajian)
Newsgroups: net.video
Subject: re: Beta vs. VHS (what, again??!)
Message-ID: <3748@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 27-Sep-84 01:39:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.3748
Posted: Thu Sep 27 01:39:34 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 30-Sep-84 00:48:41 EDT
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Organization: DEC Engineering Network
Lines: 58

I apparently missed the original article to which Jeff (Moriarty) Meyer was
responding. Jeff made some good responses, but I have a few things to add.
Since all this happened ~2 weeks ago (I've been busy lately), I'll quote
from the original article (as already quoted by Jeff) [>>], as well as some
of Jeff's comments [>]

>> Every aspect of Beta makes
>> it obvious to me that Sony was just trying to push something
>> out the door before VHS got to market.

> Please read the case histories.... VHS was built after Beta had been out
> on the market for about a year.... The companies that designed the VHS
> VCRs had to get around the patent rights placed by Sony....

This is not strictly true, though after the initial development of the VHS
system, the VHS manufacturers had to make sure that they didn't step on Sony's
patents. Why isn't it strictly true that VHS had to be designed around Sony's
Beta system? Well, tell me: who do you think created the VHS system in the
first place? JVC? No. Matsushita? No. Sony? Yes. Indeedy. When Sony was doing
research into creating a home VCR, their crack teams of engineers tried many
different paths. When all of the chaff was eliminated, they were left with
the Beta and VHS formats. It was eventually decided that the Beta format had
better engineering behind it, so they went with that, and sold the patent on
VHS to the other companies, who were responsible for building the hardware
and refining the system.
	So it is *not true* that Sony tried to beat VHS to the marketplace!

>> More: All Beta cassettes are CHROME.  VHS gets the same quality
>> from Normal tape.  All Beta's use Dolby.

> Both blatently false.  I have a non-Dolby Beta system at home that does not
> use Chrome tapes.

Furthermore, I have never heard of a Beta system whatsoever that uses Dolby.
On the other hand, it seems to me that the VHS Stereo system was rushed out
to try for a holding action against the Beta Hi-Fi until the VHS Hi-Fi was
ready. Considering that the VHS system took the thin strip of tape at the
edge normally used for a mono soundtrack and split it into two channels for
stereo, using Dolby was the only way to acheive minimum standards of audio
quality.

>> Is it any wonder that more movies are available in VHS format?
>> The Sony Betamax sells for the same reason that the IBM PC sells--some
>> people don't look any further than the name plate.

> This is what annoyed me most about the article.  Please, from now on,
> restrain the insults; they do no one any good, and lower other people's
> opinion of you as an objective observer.

In addition, it makes for a no-win situation. The fact that some Big Name com-
panies make excellent products seems to be beside the point. If you decide to
buy said Big Name's product because you think it's the best, you get accused
by the detractors of only choosing it because of the name.

--- jayembee (Jerry Boyajian, DEC, Maynard, MA)

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