fall inside a hole
Betamax tapes
Betamax tapes from different manufacturers. Click the images for
higher resolution
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Sony |
Scotch - TDK |
BASF - Maxell - Fuji |
Other |
Commercial - Industrial |
Sony
K Series (1975-1977)
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The original Sony Betamax tape lineup included the K30 and K60. The maximum recording time of one hour at introduction was comparable to older open reel video formats as well as direct competitors like the Sanyo V-Cord II but became the first nail in the coffin for Betamax when VHS released with a default tape length of two hours |
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A darker, less brown variant of the K60. The K series was quickly replaced by the first L series tapes when the standard VHS tape settled on twice the duration of the K60s, prompting Sony to obfuscate running time behind the more impressive sounding tape lengths |
L series (1977-1980)
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During the lifetime of the original L series, the range of available tapes expanded to include everything from a 15 minute tape at Beta I speed to five hour tape at Beta III speed. This Japanese market L125 was produced after X1 and X2 were renamed to Beta I and Beta II, but before the introduction of Beta III |
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Label sheets for these tapes were similar to the K series tapes, with duplicate labels and indexing numbers | |
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The first L series tapes came in these subtly striped slipcases. Slight variations of the packaging exist for manufacturing and sales regions |
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The K30 tape was replaced by the L250 and the K60 was replaced by the L500. These tapes were introduced in 1977 alongside new VCRs like the SL-8200 that could record in Beta II, then called Betamax X2, with the original Beta speed being retroactively called X1 or simply Betamax |
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Assembled in USA variant of the L500 |
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Bilingual Made in Japan variant. These tapes dropped the runtime chart from the back |
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Japanese market L500 that includes the length of the tape in meters on the front |
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Japanese L500 from after X1 and X2 were renamed to Beta I and Beta II |
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Japanese label sheet for the Beta I/II L500 | |
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Later American L500 from after the introduction of Beta III speed VCRs and the L750 length tape |
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The L750 length tape was introduced
alongside cheaper Beta II recorders in Japan in late
1977 and in the spring of 1978 in the US. This
Japanese example does not include a Beta I runtime
and predates the introduction of Beta III |
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A later American L750 from after the introduction of Beta III speed VCRs |
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Made in USA variant. Similar to how L830 tapes were not recommended to be used in early Beta I speed VCRs, the earliest L750 tapes include a warning on the back about making a test recording on existing Beta VCRs as well |
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Assembled in USA variant that includes the test recording warning but not the runtime chart |
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A sealed two pack of assembled in USA L750s |
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Bilingual made in Japan variant that again drops the runtime chart as well as the recording warning, possibly to avoid having to have them written out in multiple languages |
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The first L830 tapes were introduced later in this series of tapes alongside new Beta III speed capable VCRs. The new thinner tape stock was not recommended for use in older recorders |
Original Dynamicron series (1980 - )
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With the 80s came new "Dynamicron" tapes. Short tapes like this L125 were most commonly used in industrial applications and often recorded in Beta I speed, containing short informational or training recordings. Early examples of Dynamicron tapes do not have the color bar pattern carried over to the back |
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The uncommon L165 length Dynamicron. This length was pretty much only used in industrial and other dubbing applications outside of Japan, and does not appear on the time chart of other lengths |
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The higher-grade HG tapes of this generation also do not carry over their own cool-toned color bar motif to the back of their slipcases |
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Early Dynamicron L250 labeled for use in PAL/SECAM territories, where different recordings speeds were not really a thing |
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Made in Japan Dynamicron L500. Sony dropped the "Betamax" name from these tapes and started using the more "unified" Beta logo. Before this point, some other manufacturers had different names for their Beta format recorders and cassettes like BetaVision or BetaCord |
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An early made in USA variant that does not include the line about Dynamicron being the name of Sony Beta-format videocassettes |
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Later made in USA variant. These were the first Sony tapes to use more cardboardy sleeves instead of the more plasticized sleeves of the previous generations |
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PAL/SECAM Dynamicron L500 |
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Early American Dynamicron L750 without the rear color bars |
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A slightly later American Dynamicron L750 that still includes the test recording information on the back |
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Later made in USA Dynamicron L750 without the test recording recommendation |
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Made in Japan Dynamicron L750 |
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USA Dynamicron L750 with added Dynamicron test on the back |
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Bilingual Dynamicron L750 with some additional information on the back. This variant also drops the line about Dynamicron being Sony's name for Beta cassettes |
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PAL/SECAM L750 with no rear color bars |
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Made in Japan Dynamicron L830. By this point, Sony was also selling VHS tapes in similarly designed boxes. Several Sony VHS tapes can be seen in the VHS gallery |
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Made in the U.S.A. variant of the Dynamicron L830 | |
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The plastic wrap for these early Dynamicron tapes adds horizontal stripes showing the running times and turning the color bars into a grid |
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PAL/SECAM L830 Dynamicron |
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This generation also introduced Sony's high-grade offering with cool-toned color bars. Generally for institutional use, shorter length tapes continued to be sold by Sony - many manufacturers sold only an L750, or an L500, L750, and L830 lineup |
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Japanese market L125HG |
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Japanese L125HG label sheet | |
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Monolingual L500HG variant |
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Monolingual L750HG (with a mismatched ESX-hifi tape inside). These tapes came in a grey shell with a black lid instead of the all black of other Sony tapes up to this point |
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Bilingual L750HG |
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Bilingual L750HG label sheet | |
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A Japanese market L250B "business" tape, for industrial and business use. These tapes actually had yellow tape flaps |
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Labels for these tapes match the style of labels in the vertical Dynamicron series |
Horizontal Dynamicron series ( - 1985)
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Seemingly between the vertical Dynamicron and horizontal Dynamicron generations, Sony released some Dynamicron N variants in Japan |
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Labels for these N tapes resemble the labels from Japanese market vertical Dynamicron tapes | |
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L330N Dynamicron |
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These tapes had thicker horizontal lines than the later horizontal Dynamicrons and lacked the It's a Sony "dots" as well as a UPC and other details on the back |
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L500N Dynamicron label sheet | |
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The HG high grade tape was replaced with the UX series of tapes for the early horizontal Dynamicron series. The HG would later return in a new flashy silver case later in the horizontal Dynamicron era |
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The next generation of Dynamicrons rotated the color bars and added the Sony "dots" logo that was included usually as a sticker on their audio and video equipment |
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Japanese market Dynamicron L500. Like many other Japanese market tapes, it still refers back to older Beta-square era markings on the back |
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In PAL and SECAM territories where different recording speeds were not really a thing, the L370 length was also available |
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Made in Japan L750 |
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Made in USA L750 |
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UPC location variant of the USA Dynamicron L750 |
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I really like the sticker that looks like a small Dynamicron tape box | |
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PAL/SECAM market tapes seem to have been primarily manufactured in Japan, unlike many American market tapes of this generation which were made in the USA |
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In Japan, Sony continued to sell an updated HG tape in a new flashy silver case to match the gold of the UHG tapes released internationally |
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An HG of the uncommon L370 length |
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Sony second generation L500HG |
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Sony horizontal L750HG High Grade tape |
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Japanese market L830HG |
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Japanese market L250UHG or Ultra High Grade tape |
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Japanese market L370UHG |
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Japanese market L500UHG |
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The UHG Ultra High Grade tapes turned out to be prone to dropouts |
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UPC location variant similar to the standard grade horizontal Dynamicrons above |
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American market L750UHG labels | |
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When professional duplication houses slowed down dubbing of commercial Beta releases, Sony sold off some of their "LS" dubbing blanks of nonstandard lengths free with normal Dynamicron tapes in a Super Saver deal |
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These tapes came with their white "Copywrited material" tape covers and a small foam blocker inserted into the write-protect tab slot. Neither of my Super Saver cassettes have an original label - they may have not been provided |
Diagonal Dynamicron series (1985 - )
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The 1985 Dynamicron runs the color bars at an angle. The grip cutout was also shallowed, meaning you could no longer see how much tape was on the supply spool without pulling it out |
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Diagonal stripe L750 Dynamicron |
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Wrappers for these tapes had a blue "Beta" logo on the back |
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The ES/HG high grade tape for the 1985 lineup |
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As time went on, most American buyers gravitated towards using L750 length cassettes, while the L500 and other shorter lengths stayed more relevant in Japan |
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The ES "Extra Superior" standard grade Dynamicron. They used a smaller magnetic particle size and binder |
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Around this time Sony stopped printing different label sheets for different length cassettes, instead giving you small stickers for different lengths. Tellingly, L750 gets two | |
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Later ES-HG L500 with a redesigned back panel more similar to the ES Dynamicron |
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Updated L750 ES-HG |
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By 1986 the ES had become the standard Sony cassette |
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American L750ES variant with a quality assurance seal added to the back |
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American market ESX hifi L750. These tapes has a single large window showing both reels and a cardboard slipcase, unlike the plastic slipcases most other large window Sony cassettes |
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In the late 80s Sony switched to a more open faced cassette design as well as clear cases as seen on this Japanese market L500 |
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Nicely featured label sheet for the L500 HG | |
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A sealed two pack of Master HG L500s |
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Variant of the Master HG L500 with a slightly different slipcase and front tape label |
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L500 Master HG label sheet | |
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Master HG L830 variant |
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Limited Master HG L500 with even nicer labels and a removable log sheet |
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Limited Master HG insert card | |
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Japanese market Master AC Arts & Crafts L500 |
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L750 Master AC |
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Master AC label sheet, with stickers for multiple tape lengths | |
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The higher grade American market L750 ESX-hifi, with a grey cassette and large tape window |
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The plastic case for these tapes was actually mostly a textured transparent plastic with only the black and white ESX-hifi banner at the top printed on it and this card inserted inside | |
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Japanese market L500 ESX-hifi |
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Insert for the Japanese L500 ESX-hifi | |
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Higher grade tapes often included fancier sets of tape labels that reference PCM audio and Super Hi-Band recording | |
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The 1991 standard Sony tapes had flashy plastic wrappers but a fairly understated design that almost looks better backwards, leading to people storing cassettes "upside down" relative to other cases - not that this actually matters |
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Sony only printed one international label design for these tapes, with different cassette labels for NTSC and PAL/SECAM use | |
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Later on (potentially after PAL/SECAM sales had dropped off) these tapes included only a small single panel label sheet | |
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A very nondescript 90s Beta with a large cassette window and plastic slipcase |
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The label sheet is very similar to the later NTSC only variant of the cardboard sleeve 90s Sony but with a grey proof of purchase sticker instead of blue | |
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90s Japanese basic L500 "superfine" that acknowledges the old Beta-square era |
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Later Japanese market ES L750 in a nice, heavy cardboard slipcase |
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Nice label sheets for the ES L500 | |
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Later High Grade ES-HG L500 for the Japanese market |
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ES-HG L750 with teal stripes. These tapes were a nice gray with metallic text on the dust cover |
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Plastic sleeve ES-HG L500 |
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Later Japanese market SD "standard" L500 |
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SD L500 variant |
ED Beta (1988 - 1990s)
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Metal particle EL250 Extended Definition tape |
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EL500 ED Beta cassette |
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ED Beta insert card | |
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Late 80s metal particle EL750 for use in Extended Definition Betas |
|
Sony |
Scotch - TDK |
BASF - Maxell - Fuji |
Other |
Commercial - Industrial |