Thread by @PulpLibrarian

Betamax! A simple, convenient, high-quality way to record and watch tv and movies. How did it happen, and why did it lose out to its rival VHS?

This is the story of the video format wars. Roll VT...

Recording analogue video images on magnetic tape began in the 1950s; in 1956 Ampex introduced the Quadruplex videotape format which was widely used by broadcasters.

But it was expensive, and the reel to reel design wasn't that convenient.

So the success of the compact audio cassette, launched by Philips in 1963, prompted manufacturers to think: could they do the same with video tape? A number of companies tried to find out...

The Sony U-matic system, launched in 1971, used a video cassette system for loading the magnetic tape into the recorder. A standard tape format was also agreed between various manufacturers.

The U-matic system was enthusiastically taken up by broadcasters - especially by TV news crews.

Home video use was a different matter...

In 1972 Philips launched the N1500 video recorder, with square cassettes aimed squarely at the home market. It was still pricey but it was simple to use, incorporating many of the design elements of audio cassette recorders that buyers were familiar with.

Not to be outdone in the square cassette world Avco launched its Cartrivision format in 1972 (the reels were mounted on top of each other, hence the shape).

Cartrivision's big advantage? You could buy Hollywood films to watch at home! That was a great idea.

But the real game-changer came on 10 May 1975 when Sony launched a slimmed-down version of its U-matic format: Betamax!

What followed was a lesson in how hard it is to give the public what they want when they don't really know what they want yet...

Technically Betamax is a great format: a 1/2 inch thick tape with an audio track at the top and a control track at the bottom. Separate audio heads record Hi-Fi quality sound and a metallic leader tape helps ensure reliable playback.

Sony specifically wanted a small 'pocket-size' cassette which could hold a complete feature film. Betamax can do that (some tapes can handle 5 hours of recording) but only by running at 'Beta II' speed - reducing the quality of the recording.

Betamax's rival launched in 1976. VHS used larger cassettes and the format was arguably less technically excellent than Sony's. However, on long-play mode a VHS cassette could record for four hours - more tv to watch, less tapes to buy.

And in 1979 a third format entered he ring: the Philips Video 2000. Alas it was late to market, and was initially PAL only. It struggled to attract attention compared to Betamax and VHS.

Sony continued to emphasise he recording quality of Betamax over VHS, and with its marketing muscle it aggressively promoted the brand. But for the average user the perceived picture quality difference wasn't always apparent. The price difference was.

VHS was licenced to many manufacturers, and initially prices were much lower than for Betamax decks. Sony eventually slashed its prices and allowed other companies to use its format, but the damage was done: VHS was seen by the public as costing less with longer tape playback.

The difference was also seen at the video store, where VHS films regularly outnumbered Betamax ones on the shelves. Not that people bought many - in 1980 a movie could cost up to £60 to buy! Thus the video rental business was born...

There's an urban myth that what really did for Betamax was its refusal to licence its technology to the porn industry. However there's very little evidence that x-rated sales was a big driver of people buying VCRs, let alone deciding what format they went for.

A bigger headache for Sony was a lawsuit from movie studios, alleging that Sony was manufacturing a device that could be used for copyright infringement. Home taping was a form of piracy, wasn't it? The law wasn't really clear.

From 1976 to 1984 the 'Betamax case' rumbled on, until the US Supreme Court finally ruled that taping a film on TV to watch later was fair use, not copyright infringement. Sony had won the home taping battle, but was losing the format war.

Despite its quality, its innovative features and its worldwide marketing Betamax couldn't convince the public that Beta was better. Price, convenience and public perceptions tipped the scales in VHS's favour by the mid-1980s.

It was downloads rather than tape formats that dealt the fatal blow. TV on demand meant fewer people needed a VCR. Production of Betamax cassettes ended in March 2016. Four months later the last manufacturer of VHS recorders ceased production.

Digital killed the analogue star...

Betamax has a big legacy: Betacam Digital set the standard for professional videography; Betamax is still used for film archiving; time-shifting is part of everyday life. The movie industry eventually made big profits from home video too.

All technology is transformative, until it isn't. Some day Twitter, the smartphone, even the internet will be a nostalgic memory. Betamax wasn't the first ground-breaking entertainment technology to bite the dust. It won't be the last.

More stories another time...