Betaphile Club 1988-1991

Simply put, the Beta video format is a better system. SuperBeta and ED Beta furthered that still. Beta owners liked the features of their machines, features that weren't available, or weren't of the same quality on other formats. Many chose Beta after doing side-by-side comparisons with VHS machines. However, for years, because of its smaller market share, the Beta format and its supporters were treated as second class citizens.

The Beta format had been declared dead by many starting as far back as the late '70s. Even though the Beta format was at the forefront of video technology, the first format to develop various features, the first Hi-Fi video recorder, the first camcorder, and generally a full year ahead of the VHS camp, it was constantly being referred to as obsolete. After years of either being ignored or seeing nothing but anti-Beta press, and not wanting to see a good thing abandoned, Beta lovers (``Betaphiles'') found the need for a user's group to defend their interests.

On January 11, 1988, Sony announced that in addition to Beta, they would begin marketing a VHS recorder later that year. Betamax owners, used to being treated as second class citizens for choosing a superior format by others, were fearful of becoming second class to even the company that created the Beta format and with it the Home Video revolution. This event prompted me and a video-hobbiest friend to start such a group early in 1988.

An outline (that will be expanded soon):

• Because they both spin at 30 times per second, Beta's 21% larger head drum results in 21% higher video head writing speed and larger video bandwidth and higher fidelity recording.
• Wider video tracks than VHS results in higher Signal-to-Noise.
• Video head azimuth for Beta is +/- 7 degrees vs. +/- 6 degrees for VHS resulting in less crosstalk between video tracks (fields).
• The video's Luminance (black/white) signal frequency modulates a carrier to a peak of 4.8MHz (5.6MHz for SuperBeta) with deviation of 1.2MHz, VHS has its peak at 4.0MHz with a deviation of only 1.0MHz, which means larger luminance bandwidth and a sharper picture for Beta.
• ED Beta's have a peak of 9.3MHz and deviation of 2.5MHz compared to SuperVHS's 7.0MHz and 1.6MHz respectively. This results in 500-line horizontal resolution for ED Beta compared to 400-line for SuperVHS.
• Chroma (color) signal is heterodyned from 3.58MHz (NTSC) to 688kHz compared to 629kHz for VHS, resulting in larger chroma bandwidth and better color for Beta.
• The video head design of Beta has only the video heads inside the head drum rotate, with VHS, the whole drum spins and increases the friction on the tape.
• Sony's double azimuth system for crystal clear special effects accomplishes with three video heads what VHS takes four to five heads to do, extra video heads mean more tape wear.
• Beta machines use a smaller version of the U-load of the professional U-Matic format which grabs it in one place and curves it around the head drum. VHS uses an M-load which grabs the tape in two spots and pulls it up to the drum. The U-load puts less stress on the tape, which is why all but more recent VHS machines would pull the tape back into the cassette after Stop was pressed rather than letting the tape sit in the M-load position.
• Beta hi-fi uses the video heads to record the audio and modulates a carrier in the space between the chroma and luminance carriers. VHS couldn't do this because there wasn't enough room, so it uses two additional heads to record the audio on the tape and records the video tracks on top of them. Since both Beta hi-fi audio and video are recorded with the same heads, a tracking adjustment on another machine then the tape was recorded on will maximize the quality of both, while with VHS, the best video tracking setting may not be the best setting for the hi-fi audio. Also, the two extra spinning audio heads rubbing against the tape cause additional tape wear.
• Because of the way the AGC (Automatic Gain Control) works with the Beta format, the Macrovision copy-protection system is not effective on Beta.
• Beta tapes use a metal leader and senses a capacitance change to detect the start or end of a tape, VHS uses a clear plastic leader and a photo sensor to do the same. Therefore a small hole in a VHS tape will cause the machine to stop, whereas this doesn't happen with Beta.

Upon joining the club, a member received a membership kit with a membership card, one of three bumper stickers, a button, an ``I <heart> Beta'' keychain and a ``Call to Action'' which described the Club's goals and how they could help further them.

• Line In: The letters to the editor section
• Your Questions Answered: Answers to video related questions
• Production Corner: Descriptions of home video productions and techniques
• Technical Corner: Explorations inside video technology
• The Home Front: Reports from the Beta grapevine
• The Front Porch: Observations of past, current and future of Television
• Classified ads

about the Betaphile recorder...

``fascinating, very informative newsletter for Beta owners'' -- The Perfect Vision

``mad-as-hell newsletter'' -- Entertainment Weekly

``It's official. The Beta format is dead. I have the evidence here in my hand - the first two issues of The Betaphile recorder...'' -- Burl Burlingame, Honolulu Star-Bulletin

about me...

``Vance Haemmerle, the club prez, is a very nice person, an excellent writer, and is very dedicated to the format.''-- Marc Wielage, Technical Editor, The Perfect Vision

a listing of coverage...

• Magazines
  • Video Magazine, November 1988, Page 22
  • What Video? (British video magazine), May 1989
  • VideoMaker, September 1989, Page 14
  • Entertainment Weekly, April 27, 1990 (Issue No. 11), Page 52
  • The Perfect Vision, Summer 1990, Volume 2, Issue 8, Page 16
  • Video Magazine, September 1990, Page 66
  • Video Review, November 1990
• Newspaper articles
  • Milwaukee Journal, October 25, 1988
  • Albuquerque Journal, January 1989
  • Times-Union (Rochester, New York), April 13, 1989, Page 22E
  • Courier-Post (Camden, New Jersey), April 23, 1989
  • Honolulu Star-Bulletin, May 12, 1989
  • Associated Press wire story, September-November 1990
    • Dallas Times-Herald
    • Los Angeles Times
    • Des Moines Register
    • Chicago Tribune
    • many others
• TV and Radio
  • MTV, Awake on the Wild side, Morning of May 4, 1990
  • Live radio talk show guest appearances (1990)
    • WBAL-AM (CBS, Baltimore, Maryland, 1090 kHz) hosted by Dan Roderick on May 3rd at 10:30pm EDT for about 15 min.
    • CJAD-AM (Montreal, Quebec, 800 kHz) hosted by Peter Anthony Holder on May 11th at 12:15am EDT for about 30 min.
    • WLS-AM (ABC, Chicago, Illinois, 890 kHz) hosted by Bob Lassiter on May 25 at 5:00pm CDT for about an hour.