Betamax

E528969

Betamax is an analog videocassette tape format introduced by Sony in the 1970s that became known for its high-quality recording and its famous format war with VHS.

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Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf analog video recording format
videocassette format
alsoUsedIn professional video production (Betacam derivative)
audioCapability Hi-Fi audio (later models)
linear mono audio
linear stereo audio (later models)
cassetteDimensions 15.6 cm × 9.6 cm × 2.5 cm
colorEncodingSystemsSupported NTSC NERFINISHED
PAL
SECAM NERFINISHED
commercialReleaseDate 1975-05-10
competedWith VHS NERFINISHED
Video 2000 NERFINISHED
countryOfOrigin Japan
declineReason higher equipment cost than VHS
less industry support than VHS
shorter recording time than VHS in early models
derivativeFormat Betacam NERFINISHED
Betacam SP NERFINISHED
Betamax Hi-Fi NERFINISHED
developer Sony NERFINISHED
extendedPlayMode Beta III NERFINISHED
finalCassetteProductionCompany Sony NERFINISHED
finalCassetteProductionEnd 2016
formatWar VHS NERFINISHED
homeVCRBranding Sony Betamax NERFINISHED
horizontalResolution approximately 250 lines (NTSC)
introduced 1975
introducedHiFiAudio 1983
knownFor format war with VHS
high picture quality
laterMaximumRecordingTime 5 hours
legacy benchmark for early consumer video quality
symbol of losing a technology format war
longPlayMode Beta II NERFINISHED
manufacturer Sony NERFINISHED
marketIntroductionRegion Japan NERFINISHED
United States NERFINISHED
mediaType magnetic tape
originalRecordingTimeAtStandardSpeed 60 minutes
peakPopularityPeriod early 1980s
late 1970s
primaryMarket consumer
primaryUse home video recording
time shifting of television programs
recordingMethod helical scan
signalToNoiseRatio higher than VHS (contemporary models)
standardPlayMode Beta I
tapeWidth 0.5 inch
12.7 mm
videoSignalType analog

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

VHS competedWith Betamax
VHS wonFormatWarAgainst Betamax