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From: seifert@hammer.UUCP (Snoopy)
Newsgroups: net.video
Subject: Re: The Fate of Beta Format
Message-ID: <1670@hammer.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 30-Nov-85 01:01:29 EST
Article-I.D.: hammer.1670
Posted: Sat Nov 30 01:01:29 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 5-Dec-85 04:25:35 EST
References: <703@leadsv.UUCP> <1666@hammer.UUCP> <1912@orca.UUCP>
Reply-To: tekecs!doghouse.TEK!snoopy
Organization: The Daisy Hill Puppy Farm
Lines: 49

In article <1912@orca.UUCP> andrew@orca.UUCP (Andrew Klossner) writes:

>"Why would RCA spend the bucks for developing stereo CED disks and
>interactive (mucho special effects) if they planned on dumping the
>format?"

A few differences here, CED was a braindamaged idea to start with.
It never did very well.  You don't even see that much laser disk
stuff in stores.  (why this is would make an interesting discussion)

Of the two disk formats, the technically superior system won.

>more of their work into 8mm and less emphasis on Beta.  When 8mm
>quality reaches Beta quality (and it will -- analogy with audio tape
>reel-to-reel vs cassette; they stopped improving RtR quality but
>continued pushing cassette quality to parity)

But RtR is (1) more difficult than a cassette (2) more expensive,
both for machine and for tape (3) physically larger (both machine
and tape) (4) hard to have auto and portable machines that use the
same tape as your home machine.

Besides, RtR is still around, you just don't see the low-end stuff anymore.

Beta, VHS, and 8mm are all cassettes => easy to handle.  8mm's size
may be a factor for camcorders, but Beta/VHS home machines are down
to normal component size.  (for large libraries tape size and cost
could be a factor)

Sure, 8mm will get to the point that Beta is now, but the same
tricks can be used to make Beta even better.  Only when 8mm
becomes so good that further improvement isn't needed will
Beta become obsolete.  By no further improvement needed, I mean
that an n-th generation tape (say n=4) produces a perfect,
high-resolution picture on a projection TV, with at least two
high fidelity sound tracks (4 would be better).

Granted they may drop Beta before it get quite this far, but
on the other hand they may not.  TV is finally getting into
the high performance bit, after years of being "good enough".
People are buying monitors and projection TVs, and they want
a very good picture.

Another factor is that there is A LOT of Beta gear already
out there, so there will be a continuing demand for Beta
products for a long time.

Snoopy
tektronix!tekecs!doghouse.TEK!snoopy