Betamax Uses

"Sony’s Betamax VTR is a mechanism consisting of three basic components: a tuner, which receives electromagnetic signals transmitted over the television band of the public airwaves and separates them into audio and visual signals; a recorder, which records such signals on a magnetic tape; and an adapter, which converts the audio and visual signals on the tape into a composite signal that can be received by a television set. A timer in the Betamax can be used to activate and deactivate the equipment at predetermined times, enabling an intended viewer to record programs that are transmitted when he or she is not at home. The pause button enables a viewer to omit a commercial advertisement from the recording, and the fast-forward control enables the viewer of a previously recorded program to run the tape rapidly when a segment he or she does not desire to see is being played back. Surveys showed that the primary use of the machine for most owners was “time-shifting”—the practice of recording a program to view it once at a later time, and thereafter erasing it. Sony’s survey indicated that over 80% of the interviewees watched at least as much regular television as they had before owning a Betamax. Respondents offered no evidence of decreased television viewing by Betamax owners."