Anyone do this in the eighties ?

I did too many drugs in the 80s as well.

I'd bet good money not as much as me crags!

That was the problem, I had muchos money in my early 20's and my mate was importing from Columbia. 10 grammes on a weekend and an ounce of sensemelia. Off my tits non stop, I don't touch anything now, got that out out of my system. I had a few beers at Selhurst Park this afternoon but that's as far as it goes now.I don't miss it.

Ron-Russian    17 Dec 16 20:01 
First person i've ever heard admit they purchased a Betamax!


Why is that an embarrassment best system by miles, ours lasted around 10 years by which time we had to get a new one they were defunct, new vhs one top of the range, and guess what even then the picture was poorer than the betemax had been after 10 years of so called improvement.

at the time, late 70's i remember people were either buying Betamax or VHS,

There is probably a long explanation somewhere as to why VHS won the race as the sole video recorder from the mid 80's, what I never really understood was why bring two similar versions out simultaneously if they really only  wanted one system on the market.

Can't remember that Ron.

Must have made that up then, must be thinking of something else.

First one i had was a VHS Ferguson Videostar
Quite a lump, but not as big as some of the contraptions!

https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzY4WDEwMjQ=/z/Z54AAOSwzvlW8nC4/$_86.JPG

So a VHS one wouldn't fit inside then!

wasnt there a third type of system maybe something to do with phillips maybe?

im sure my sister had one of those & you could turn the tape around to get double the recording time over the other types.

VHS was great, but it certainly got interesting when your dad tried to sit down to his favourite episodes of songs of praise -

and found that you'd overwritten it with Debbie does Dallas and Animal farm.

Sorry crags I did misread it. 

crags was more into glue

Despite being introduced a year after Betamax, VHS VCR standard had two very important advantages over Betamax.  The first was that the VHS standard was a third of the price of Betamax.  As a result it was more easily affordable for the masses and people began to sacrifice quality for affordability.  The second major advantage of VHS was its recording time.  Where Betamax cassettes could record for only an hour, VHS tape could record for two.  In 1976, a one hour Betamax cassette was a piece of high end technology that would cost $15 if bought in bulk, while some retail prices could go as high as $30.[2] While attempts were made, by Sony, to create a two hour cassette in response to its competitor, VHS took things one step further by introducing a recorder that allowed up to four hours of taping.[3] By 1988 Sony and the Betamax format had conceded defeat.

Ron-Russian  • December 17, 2016 8:01 PM GMT 
First person i've ever heard admit they purchased a Betamax!

I did Ron.I did not know things recorded on B & W TV played back in colour!

I read the reports at the time and all said Betamax was better. The trouble was most rental tapes were on vhs.

I eventually gave in and bought a VHS.

The first film i watched was Dirty Harry & Convoy.

probably 82 time i guess