Sony SL-5200 Betamax VCR, 1983

01

Artifact Overview

The Betamax video format was a major contender in the complicated world of early video players. Sony's Betamax and JVC's VHS, two incompatible standards for home video playback and recording, were both popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s, among other systems. Despite Beta's picture video quality, VHS's longer recording time and marketing might helped it become the video standard by the mid-1980s.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Videocassette recorder

Date Made

1983

Place of Creation

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

92.32.1

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of David LaBarge

Material

Plastic
Metal

Dimensions

Height: 6.5 in
Width: 18 in
Depth: 15.25 in

Inscriptions

SONY BETA HI FI BETAMAX