Topic: Remember Beta vs VHS?

[Clive]

10 other format wars & the stories behind them 

LINK

[Simon]

I'm glad BluRay one that one!  I still have several VHS tapes, mainly Chris's videos that aren't available on DVD.

[Clive]

Trouble is that it will soon be difficult to buy a VHS player since the format is now so old.  Apparently you can't even give the tapes away at car boot sales these days! 

[Simon]

Yes, the only decent video player I have found, is a combi unit, with DVDR built in.  You can also get VCR / DVD / HDD combis, which are useful for saving space.

[Clive]

I have a VCR/DVD combi.  But most of my TV's are TV/DVD combis.  I don't have HDD yet because I'm too mean to pay the subscription.  But it will be free before too much longer.   

[Simon]

HDD is Hard Disc Drive, Clive.  They work the same as a DVD recorder, only, on a hard drive, so you can get much more on.  Mine came with onboard Freeview, so no subscription.

[Clive]

Oh I was talking about high definition.     Yes, I have Pioneer HDD DVD recorder but with Sky+ it's rarely used these days!

[daveeb]

I used to have a Philips V2000 video recorder, fantastic quality but a real beast of a machine. All the tapes recorded using that machine still play fine today and look much better quality than tapes produced from more modern machines. Having said all that i wouldn't use tape now, HDD is just too good 

[Simon]

I was too late for V2000, but a friend had a Betamax, and it was much better quality than VHS.

[daveeb]

I hasten to add i'm not as prehistoric as my previous post may suggest. A girlfriend with more money than sense bought it and i "borrowed" it to test it out. I seem to remember it was "third hand" and she paid about £100 for it in 1984.

[Simon]

I couldn't afford to buy a VHS when they first came out, so rented from Radio Rentals.

[sam]

radio rentals.... 

[Simon]

Bloody kids! 

[Clive]

Before your time Sam.     They started out as a radio relay service for people who preferred to rent a radio set fed by cable.  It meant good reception in difficult areas - especially for Radio Luxembourg which was often a very weak signal.  Cheap transistor radios sparked the death knell for relay stations and they diversified into renting out TV sets.  My first Black and white TV was an ex-rental and my first colour was a rented 13" Sony. Being such a small set, the picture quality was outstanding.   

[sam]

I do wonder why the rental business died off, I guess things got cheap - especially with the supermarkets.