Pandora's Briefcase: It's a bit late to decide now which was Beta, Max!

Two episodes ago, on the famous podcast  The Midnight Movie Club Podcast (Ep 5, S2), "The 'Burbs", Dan makes mention of a particular recording format, already so obsolete that at least one of their younger listeners had only a vague recollection of the thing! At the time I thought, "Well, here's a chance to open up the ol' briefcase again!" But forgive me, I've been a little slow!

But finally now, for your nostalgic pleasure, I present the Betamax (also commonly called Beta) videocassette tape:

From the front

From back.

Size comparison to its arch-rival, The VHS videocassette at top.

Side-on size comparison to its arch-rival, The VHS videocassette at top (Thickness-wise, not much difference because...

... they used the same diameter (1/2 inch) magnetic tape! Beta at right. (Pen lids used to keep open the tape-protection covers)

Dodgy close-up of exposed tape.

And for a more contemporary size comparison, a "standard" (such an ephemeral word where recording media is concerned!) CD next to a Betamax tape.

Again, I'm not going to go into the details of the format, but it makes an interesting read; a case where Sony lost an epic war! You can knock yourself out understanding the post name by reading Wikipedia's excellent article on this wee little beastie! Secretly, I'm quite fond of this guy!