Why was Beta I recording removed from Betamax VCRs?

[Bix]

I've noticed that later Betamax VCRs will record to tapes in Beta II and Beta III modes and play tapes recorded in Beta I, Beta II, and Beta III modes. Why was Beta I recording removed?

Thanks!

[filmboss80]

Beta I was beautiful. At the time, it was considered the equivalent of industrial / prosumer quality. But when consumers saw that VHS could cram 6 hours of video material on a single T-120 VHS tape, they expected something similar with Betamax. Tape prices, early on, were pretty high. In 1980, 2-hour VHS and Beta tapes were in the $20 range -- ten times higher than the prices they ended up being.

[Bix]

So what was the point of removing the recording mode? With the idea that nobody was using it (even though VHS VCRs still recorded in SP), did it save a significant enough amount of money to make it a good idea in the eyes of the manufacturers?

[wulf109]

It was likely a marketing decision. Beta II recorded for 2 hours like VHS SP. The time war was in full advertise and VHS was winning the war. There was no 'consumer" reason for BetaI and the extra speed probably added to the cost. Beta I record did reappear on some superbeta models,SL-HF750 and SL-HF1000.

[Scooter_NJ]

Beta 1S became a premium feature...and rocks to this day. I have 2 Beta 1S model which were only exceeded by the ED Beta format.

[Bix]

How far into the war did L-750 surpass L-500 as the common blank Betamax tape?

[Marvingj]

When Betamax was introduced in Japan and the United States in 1975, its Beta-I speed offered a slightly higher horizontal resolution (250 lines vs. 240 lines horizontal NTSC), lower video noise, and less luma/chroma crosstalk than VHS, and was later marketed as providing pictures superior to VHS's playback. However, the introduction of B-II speed (2-hour mode), to compete with VHS's 2-hour Standard Play mode, reduced Betamax's horizontal resolution to 240 lines.

[Bix]

So Beta II was actually closer to SP than LP? I didn't know that. How did Beta III compare to LP and SLP/EP?

[lingyi]

So Beta II was actually closer to SP than LP? I didn't know that. How did Beta III compare to LP and SLP/EP?

As a long time Betamax lover, then and now...I'll add my $.02.

In general, the order of video quality in descending order was: BI, BII, SP, BIII, LP, SLP/EP

Then, there was ED Beta II, ED Beta III, SuperBeta Hi-Band BI, SuperBeta BII and SuperBeta BIII !!!

I don't want the flames to start but will state that I could tell the difference between a Laserdisc recording on ED Beta II and S-VHS. The ED Beta tape was nearly indistinguishable from the original, while the S-VHS copy while really good, was noticably noiser and less color accurate.

AFAIK, there isn't a ED Beta I speed, though perhaps Beta SP (professional equipment) could be considered ED Beta BI or better because it could use the same tape (metal particle) as ED Beta machines. There was an even higher quality tape for Beta SP, but that wasn't compatible with ED Beta.

[lingyi]

I've noticed that later Betamax VCRs will record to tapes in Beta II and Beta III modes and play tapes recorded in Beta I, Beta II, and Beta III modes. Why was Beta I recording removed?

Thanks!

As my memory serves me, BI wasn't removed, but was never offered in a BI/BII machine because BI required a wider video head/track. The first BII machines were single speed only with a narrower video head/track. Most, but not all Betamaxes could play BI tapes, though at the expense of quality because they weren't able to utilize all the information contained on the wider track.

I'm not 100% sure about this, but I believe Betamaxes that recorded in Beta I Super High Band required an additional set of video heads especially for that function.

[lingyi]

How far into the war did L-750 surpass L-500 as the common blank Betamax tape?

From my experience (I got started with Betamaxes in 1981 and held fast to only Beta until ~1987), the L-750 didn't really take hold until roughly the late 80's / early '90's (keep in mind I'm a Betaphile and hung on to the idea that Beta would never die, so move my estimate back a few years to be more accurate <GRIN>).