Beta or UHS? Get the facts in 1976

[Dude111]

Ah man..... I would love playing one and see how it looked and all

[WCV82]

Was UHS the original name of before VHS? Or was it another name for Umatic?

I didn't think VHS format was unveiled in the US until summer 1977?

[Electronic M]

I think UHS is a typo. The machines in the ad are a RCA VHS deck and a Sony Beta deck.

Umatic was released in 1971 with aspirations to be a home format, but rapidly flopped in that market while at the same time becoming popular with broadcasters...By the time beta was out in 1975 I can't imagine anyone pitching Umatic to the same market as beta.

[Dude111]

Hmmm I hadnt ever heard of Umatic...... I wonder how good the pic/sound was (I love anything analogue like crazy)

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by Dude111

Hmmm I hadnt ever heard of Umatic...... I wonder how good the pic/sound was (I love anything analogue like crazy)

Ever watch the news after they stopped saying " film at 11*" then most in the field non-live shots you saw were being played in studio off a U-matic.... It was the first format small enough to be portable yet good enough for broadcast so it was most popular for ENG.... some studio use for archiving and other uses began to trickle in as the better quality open reel broadcast decks got older and fewer.

*Kinda want to post a YouTube link to the opening " film at 11" joke of the Kentucky Fried Movie....

[Telecolor 3007]

What is that thing on top of the "Sony" machine? A mechanical clock?

[Dubis7]

Originally Posted by Telecolor 3007

What is that thing on top of the "Sony" machine? A mechanical clock?

It's a timer. The original Betamax deck didn't have an internal timer because they didn't want consumers to have to turn in the entire unit for service if the timer failed. At least that's the official reasoning. It was also sold as a separate accessory, though, so that may have been part of it.

I don't think that's what the production timer looked like, though. If I recall correctly, it had a round analog clock and a dial timer, but I may be mistaken.

[Dubis7]

Originally Posted by Dubis7

I don't think that's what the production timer looked like, though. If I recall correctly, it had a round analog clock and a dial timer, but I may be mistaken.

No, ignore me. I don't know where I got that from but a quick search is showing that timer design made it to production units. I don't see any of the one I described. I must be thinking of something else.

[Electronic M]

Yeah the one pictured is the one that was made and sold. I've seen the Sony model in person and I own the Zenith Badge version along with Zenith's first betamax deck is a reskinned version of that song.

[MX70]

I,ve two of those Sony DT-30 timers, one I used with a SL-8200 as in the picture ( that one is long gone) and the second one I have is with my SLO-260 industrial Betamax . The two bear the the same model numbers ( ie. No suffix) but e one with the 260 has a three prong grounded plug, and the other is regular two blade plug . There some trivia for you guys !

[MX70]

Also that is quite the typo in that advertisment

[MX70]

Dubis7 , I think you may be thinking of the Quasar VX format "Great Time Machine" vcr timer from around '76 or so. Those had an analogue clock and timer face in a brushed aluminum trimmed housing.

[djfivos]

These are the RCA VBT200 and the Sony SL-8200. "UHS" is definitely a typo.