The Betamax Machine In The Corner
Better picture, wrong format, no films in the shop.
Sony's superior video format lost the war to VHS, leaving a small number of very smug and very stranded households.
Betamax genuinely had the better picture. It also had shorter tapes and, crucially, the rental shops did not stock it.
If your family bought Betamax you spent five years watching whatever was in the tiny rack at the back of the shop.
Cost back then
£400
Goes for now
£50–£250 for working machines
