[plug] OT: MS Freedom to enervate

[Clive Woodward]

Getting further off topic... ;-)

I agree in part with Alan's VHS versus Beta analogy but his example is not 
totally correct. As a technician in the broadcast video field, I must point 
out that Beta (domestic) and Betacam have very little in common, other than 
being based on a physically similar cassette size (Betacam tape speed is 
six times that of Beta). VHS has a broadcast relative, too: "M" and more 
recently "M-2" (again with substantial differences other than basic shell 
dimensions). M-2 has a similar broadcast market share in the USA as BetacamSP.

The real Beta v's VHS argument is that Sony would licence its Beta format 
to only two other players (Sanyo and Toshiba from memory), whilst VHS 
(JVC's baby) was more freely available to other manufacturers. Beta may 
have been marginally better on specification but it was always more 
expensive to buy the hardware. VHS won.

In terms of Windoze v's Linux, more the opposite way around, yet M$ wins?

Sorry for the bandwidth :-)


Clive.

At 20:54 Sunday 17-09-00 +0800, you wrote:

>it reminds me of the VHS versus BETA video debate many years ago . the 
>superior system (BETA) lost against VHS in the home, while BETACAM is used
>profesionally and not VHS. Which is superior? The one that sells the most, 
>or the one that performs the best?
>regards
>alan howard


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