You'd think Beta wouldn't have lost out, with marketing like this

An Australian blog found an ad for a Beta VCR from the early 1980's which actually dared to advertise what most people used them for--the ability to freeze-frame nude scenes.

BTW, my family's first VCR was one like this, a Beta with a pushbutton pause control attached by a cord.

And I would like to thank



Kitten Natividad,

Cindy Morgan,


and Angie Dickinson, for helping me break it, I mean, break it in...