Conversation:

There are a number of factual errors around Philips video formats, but I'm not sure how to set about correcting these.

Firstly Philips has one L not two. And the V2000 format was not abandoned in 1980, it hadn't even been launched by then.

It's worth adding that Philips VCR (often known as N1500) is usually credited with being the first home video cassette recorder from 1972/1973, because the machines contained all the vital elements: A TV tuner, a timer, and aerial connections in and out (very few TVs had AV connectors then). This was superceeded around 1978 by VCR-LP (N1700) using similar cassettes. It was this format that initially competed with VHS and Beta. The tape is housed in a square cassette and winds its way from the bottom spool to the top.

I note that the author thinks Beta came out before VHS yet they were essentially simultaneously released to the UK market. Some mention should be made that Beta developed high performance spin-offs including Betacam, BetacamSP and then digital variations which are still very much in use today. High performance VHS derivatives (M, MII and D-VHS) fell by the wayside, so in one way Beta outlived VHS.

Colin