Before the Beta VCR revolutionized television viewing we were all slaves to the three major networks, ABC, CBS and NBC. If two programs we liked ran in the same time slot our only option was to choose one over the other. So primitive and so brutal. But that was just the way it was. The big three fought over the evening prime time slots like wolves, knowing that their ratings (and their advertising dollars) depended on us choosing their show over the others. That all changed in 1975 when Sony bestowed upon the world the first home video cassette recorder, aka the Betamax VCR. It was wonderful. It gave us TV on demand. Now we could watch one show while recording another. We could even record one while we were away. Finally we were free from the shackles of time and the cruelty of the television networks subterfuge. But this new found freedom came with a learning curve. So what follows is all you need to know to understanding how Betamax works and how it changed the world.

Our first Betamax was the Sony SL-7200A (A for USA). A single speed recorder with a built-in tuner for capturing off-the-air TV broadcasts. It came with a K-30 cassette for recording up to thirty minutes. A K-60 cassette was available that allowed up to an hour of recording. By setting the optional timer it could record a single program for watching later. The SL-7200A sold well and it inspired Sony enough to throw all their marketing expertise behind it. Video recording for the masses had arrived. That single recording speed would later become known as Beta x1. This was because the next model, the SL-8200, recorded and played a second, slower speed. This doubled the recording time. The new speed was called Beta x2 (times two). These two speeds were soon renamed using the Greek letter Β (identified by the symbol for Beta) and the Roman numeral "I" was used to signify the speed. So Beta x1 became and Beta x2 was now . This was done to avoid confusion because future models included a feature called times two or times three playback (x2 or x3). This new attribute allowed tapes to be played back at an accelerated speed while still showing a watchable picture. So the "x" (times) mark now had a different meaning. It no longer applied to recording, only to picture viewing speed. By using the new speed it was now possible to capture two hours of video using the K-60 cassette. Tape identity soon had to be changed too because a new, longer cassette length was introduced that had 50% more tape inside. (Remember now that this was all taking place during the great recording time war between Beta and VHS.) This extra tape increased the maximum recording time for the K-60 to 3 hours in . Calling this new cassette the K-90 (or K-180) would have been confusing so the numbers were changed. The K-30 became the L-250, K-60 the L-500 and the new longer tape the L-750. These "L" (length) numbers coincided closely with the amount in feet of tape inside the cassette. But wait, soon after this an even slower speed was introduced. Called it extended the recording times even more. Now they were 90 minutes for the L-250, 3 hours for the L-500 and a whopping 4 1/2 hours for the L-750. It gets even better. An even longer L-830 cassette extended the maximum time to 5 hours in . In it was 3 hours 20 minutes. But that was it for recording speeds and cassette lengths. No other tape additions or speed changes were made for the remaining life of Beta. Most home recording was done in or using L-750 tapes. The L-830 was hard to find and, at first, it was expensive. The speed was mostly abandoned. It did return later and was reserved only for making the super high quality recordings cherished by the most demanding of videophiles. But there is more to the Beta story. There were some important quality and operational enhancements made to the Beta format during its lifespan. And these are next.

Because the Beta format pampers the tape and it remains in the path all the time machines were able to perform some very interesting functions and maneuvers that the competition had great difficulty matching. I already mentioned the x2 and x3 playback but a high speed picture search feature was available almost from the start. Called "BetaScan" it was great for findings locations on a tape. The video (no sound) went by fast, but it was visible. All but the earliest of Betas could do this. Also clear-picture pause, single-frame advance and slow motion (or more accurately step-motion) were further talents. These were standard on all high-end models and some specials. These refinements added more electronics to the VCR but it also increased its appeal. Providing a remote control that could handle all these goodies was another great convenience. Sound wasn't forgotten. In fact it became the shinning star for Beta. Known as Betahi-fi stereo it was a revolution. Before this transformation the audio that came from a VCR was lame. The slow tape speeds simply couldn't deliver the higher frequencies necessary for generating good quality sound, and it was in monaural. All that changed when Sony engineers developed a way to insert four FM carriers into Betas large video signal (recording area). This strategy was made possible by Betas bigger video drum. These four carriers were used for inserting stereo sound and this was something that the smaller VHS video drum could not do. It was the high speed of the video heads spinning at 30 revolutions per second that gave Betahi-fi its outstanding audio performance. It is so good that it is nearly perfect. No wow, no flutter, no distortion and no rumble. Just clean, clear sound. Another nice thing was that it was fully compatible with the older Betas. The picture was unaffected and the regular (linear) monaural track was still being recorded along with the stereo. And as if that wasn't enough Sony engineers performed another milestone. They improved Betas already superior picture by pushing up the luminance part of the recording signal, so it could deliver more picture detail. They called it SuperBeta and Sony bragged that it improved the picture by 20%, or more. And yes, you can see the difference. By combining a great picture with awesome stereo the Beta format could deliver SuperBetahi-fi. Now one could fully immerse themselves in their home theater experience. There was one small glitch though. SuperBeta tapes, when played back on older standard Beta machines could exhibit some over-modulation or picture noise. Called sparkles they showed up around the edges of bright areas. It depended on the machine how much of this happened so it was never a major issue.

Near the close of Beta manufacture there were some other very interesting augmentations to the picture and sound but this is really all you need to know to understanding the Beta format. Not too bad for fifteen years of improvements while marketing something totally new to the public. Some pretty famous nameplates teamed up with Sony to license and make their own Beta VCRs. Here was the line up: Aiwa, Magnasonic, Marantz, NEC, Navco, Pioneer, Radio Shack (Realistic), Sanyo, Sears, Toshiba and Zenith. Great companies every one. But it was Sony, with the introduction of their Betamax, that paved the way for CDs, DVRs, DVDs and Laser discs.