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A format war is an economic argument between the offerers of different commercial, not so easily combinable technical standard solutions for a common factual problem. Many format wars end very fast with the retreat of most competitive offers.
This article concerns itself with the most well-known long-continuing format war, the "video war" the late 1970er and early 1980er years. When the first home video recorders came on the market, there were arguments between the different manufacturers and users, which now the better format was. The constant social perception of that time has a lasting effect until today with the evaluation of comparable phenomena, whereby the term video war was generalized to format war.
Video home system and beta appeared about at the same time at the market, video 2000 somewhat later. Video home system offered a worse image quality, on the other hand longer cartridge running times and (at first) a robustere Rekorder in relation to the other systems.
The actual Urpatent of Sony, which made the video home system system only possible at all, was acquired by the company JVC, since Sony its own invention as too badly judged.
Who looks at itself the technical data of these three competitive video systems, fast to recognize that beta max had the nose in front, closely followed of video 2000; the tail light delivered video home system. In addition, beta max supplied the better image quality, offered -- so long it still monotonous gave -- the somewhat worse clay/tone quality. This was connected completely simply with the relatively small volume speed of the beta max system, since the clay/tone is noted in mono along and not with the video diagonal trace. In all other respects also the beta max cartridges are substantially smaller and handier than with video home system, the disadvantage of beta max here are however the lower maximum running time (3h20min with the L-750-Kassette for PAL systems). Later then Sony than first with stereo and HiFi clay/tone could play trumps, but this had license-legal reasons and lay not to the fact that JVC would technically not have been in addition able.
All companies, which wanted to sell patents under its own name video recorder and neither on nor production capacities for video recorders had, specified with JVC only its firm layout and possible characteristics and then for the time being all video recorders, all the same for which company, under their respective Logo of JVC in Japan were produced. Different companies had also new ideas, e.g. front loaders opposite the first Topladern, or picture improvement systems. This led to the fact that the video home system systems developed themselves further fastest.
The company Sony insisted against it with its except-Japanese partners on the fact that these own manufacturing plants in respective selling country construct, which created naturally long production starting time. Incomprehensibly at the whole thing was also the price strategy, because Sony offered more achievement for fewer moneys. Who wanted to buy 1979 Sony a video recorder, on the other hand gave it had to often search video home system recorder to always buy.
Philips had been the pioneer in things of home video systems; its 1974 imported VCR-System (video cartridge recorder) offered at that time two superimposed reel cores in compact squarely formed cartridge housing, which permitted a running time of maximally 32 minutes. Thus the format was smaller and more practical than the then usual U-Matic-system of Sony, which were popular in schools and universities in particular. Actually VCR could be never established correctly within the home range. With the arising of the video home system system in the USA and Japan, Philips became more aware of that for the home range a running time of approximately 2 hours was necessary to set in order to offer A) to the consumer a genuine increase in value (e.g. noting a feature) and b) of the competition from Japan identical running times against. Thus by the reduction of the volume speed of the VCR-Systems VCR-LP was finally born. There JVC however already 1978 a E-240 (in USA/Japan: T-240) with a running time of four hours announced, developed Grundig from a panic tendency the SVR system (super video Recording), which developed on the VCR cartridge, but reduced the volume speed again around half and thus a running time of four hours to offer could. Unfortunately SVR troubled all kinds of teething troubles and was not established not at the market. The basic industrial union management played at that time with the thought to give themselves the Japanese competition struck and to refer a VIDEO HOME SYSTEM or a beta max license, when the Netherlands partner offered a conceptionally new system, which then as a system not completely developed on that hot contested market one threw: Video 2000.
The consequences showed up a little later: Although capability characteristics of video 2000 undisputed to the best belonged, it was the repair susceptibility of the devices, which became legendary. One of the largest evils was tape jam generally and torn-tape conditions by rewinding in the special one. The image quality however could measure easily with from beta max, equally the clay/tone was better than from both other systems. Remarkable also up to 8 hours the amounting to Spieldauer of the Video-2000-Kassette is - after 4 hours she was simply turned and could be taped further 4 hours.
Between 1978 and 1982 e.g. a E240 video home system cartridge cost converted for instance "27 to "35 a L195 beta max cartridge approx. "24 to "27 and a Video-2000-Cassette "31 to "40.
Apart from the fact there were hardly cartridges with the play times mentioned: the E180 (180 min) was easily available, with beta max the L500 (120 min), and for each 2x 180 min with Video-2000 depending upon system with video home system.
To the comparison: Philips offered still 1978 s/w with one Spieldauer of only 30 min. for sayful " 50 (DM 98, -).
With the video recorders nearly all salesmen (until 1980) adhered to the selling prices recommended by the manufacturers. These were not under " 1,500 (DM 2,950, -), usually even far over it.
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