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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!ihnp4!hplabs!piety
From: piety@hplabs.UUCP (Bob Piety)
Newsgroups: net.video
Subject: Re: VHS vs. Beta
Message-ID: <837@hplabs.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 12-Sep-84 10:03:11 EDT
Article-I.D.: hplabs.837
Posted: Wed Sep 12 10:03:11 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 14-Sep-84 20:55:07 EDT
References: <471@rdin.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett Packard Labs, Palo Alto CA
Lines: 39

Give ME a break!!!

A couple of years ago, I went out with the intention of buying a VHS machine.
After looking at the video quality and feature of several, I went home with a
Sony Sl-2000.  The Sony's quality at the slow speed is quite good-- good
enough that I use the "5-hour" mode for 99% of my taping.  Two years ago, I
couldn't find a VHS machine that equalled the quality of the SL2000, in the
long-playing mode.

I've read articles comparing the way the tape is handled, mechanically.  I
believe the Beta machines put less stress (stretching, twisting, distorting)
on the tape than VHS, but the difference is, evidently, slight.  Such a
difference might only be apparent when playing tapes from one machine on
another or for critical uses such as digital audio, where excessive dropouts
are a real concern.

As far as tape availability is concerned, the video store that I rent tapes
from (Prime Time Video, Sunnyvale, Ca.) carries EACH title in both Beta and
VHS.  Since there are more VHS owners than Beta owners, a popular titled
movie will often be already rented but I can usually get a Beta copy.  Thus,
I have found no disadvantages to owning Beta, except for a few, rare
occassions when a friend with a VHS machine had something I wanted to see,
and vice-versa.

The fact that there are many more VHS machines sold than Beta does not imply
high quality-- merely ADEQUATE quality, often for non-discriminating
consumers.  There are more Chevrolets and Fords sold, but few will admit
that they are of higher quality than a Honda, Toyota, Subaru, or Datsun.

For those of you who are unconvinced, make several generations of a VHS
tape, from one VHS machine to another, on slow speed, and observe the
degradation of video quality.  Now try the same on Beta, at least the Sony
SL2000.  You will be surprised.

You say you never need to make multiple-generations of copies, VHS-slow to
VHS-slow??? Great! So where's the beef?  You're happy; so am I.

Bob  (with an eye on a Sony SL2700, BETA!!!)