-=> Quoting Nick Blundell to Rick Mcbroom <=-
 NB> Not really familiar with Betamax's myself, I know they were supposed
 NB> to be better quality than VHS but VHS just took off as the standard..
 Dunno what test instruments would say, but to my eyes, Beta 2 looks better
 than VHS SP. Nevertheless, John Q. Public percieved VHS's 6-hour capability
 as a big advantage, apparently.
 Another big advantage of Betamax is the smooth, fast tape handling. None of
 the clunky unthreading of the tape, etc.  Of course, many current VHS decks
 have copied the Betamax's tape handling techniques.  Imitation is the most
 sincere form of flattery, and all..  ;-)
 NB> ..I was un-aware that they even bought out Stereo Betamax's but as your
 NB> in USA...
 Oh yes. In fact, Beta Hi-Fi beat VHS Hi-Fi to the market by several months.
 As I recall, the U.S. timeline was;
  1. VHS linear stereo
  2. Beta Hi-Fi stereo
  3. VHS Hi-Fi stereo
 Also, at least one Betamax manufacturer (Pioneer) produced decks with linear
 stereo sound.  But these were non-standard.  Linear stereo sound was never a
 part of the official format specifications, and such decks are exceedingly
 rare.
 re: the ability to record different signals on linear and Hi-Fi soundtracks
 NB> I don't know of any VHS deck that can do that, handy feature that!
 It certainly is! I've often wondered if it was done by design, or if it was
 a serendipitous accident.
 NB> One of my VHS VCR's has got an Audio Dub facility..
 Right.. audio dub was pretty much standard on early VHS Hi-Fi decks, and
 some Betamax decks offered it, too. A few VHS decks even let you replace
 the left and right linear soundtracks individually!
 NB> Cheers for now & Merry Christmas!
 Thanks!
 Hope you had a great one as well!
... "The early worm deserves the bird." --Robert A Heinlein
--- GEcho 1.11+
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