CNET Top 5: Dead video formats Video
CNET Top 5: Dead video formats Video Transcript
Welcome to the CNET Top 5, where each time we meet we count down another hot CNET list. I'm Tom Merritt. As Blu-ray begins its rise to dominance, we face the imminent death of another video format, VHS. But at least it had a long run. Others vying for the video crown have not been so lucky. So, let's count down the Top 5 dead video formats. At number five: The original DivX. An alternative to DVD that required you to hook up a special player to a phone line, and which became useless 48 hours after you purchased it unless you paid more money. Head-scratcher: why it didn't work, eh? The DivX video codec was named, mockingly, in its honor. Coming in at number four: The Sony CV-2000. A trailblazer in consumer electronics, it could record black and white video to reel-to-reel tape. A spool cost $40 and held about an hour of video. It was crushed by a prettier younger rival--cassettes, which could record in color. Up to number three: LaserDisc. I used to dream of buying MASH, the movie, on LaserDisc. I didn't care if you had to flip over the movie halfway through. It was a disc! And it had lasers! Plus the video quality far surpassed any tape- based systems. VHS, pah! Sliding in at number 2: HD DVD. I have my five free HD DVDs and my Xbox 360 HD DVD player. And they will stand in my video format museum till the end of time. While its defenders still argue it's superior interactve features and usability, the studios all went with Blu-Ray in the end, and HD DVD canceled its party and went home. Literally. Before we get to number one, let's take a peek at the most popular Blu-ray players. Look at those smug victorious model names. Hmmph. All right. Let's get to our number one. The deadest video format of all time. At number one, it's Betamax. Sony's great disappointment. The long, drawn-out war between Betamax and VHS became a template for every format war thereafter. In fact, many predicted Blu-ray's death early on, solely based on the fact that Sony was behind it. But as we have seen, Sony learned from the failure of Betamax. Price matters much more than quality. And so Betamax still reigns supreme as the high- quality, premium, dead video format. Well that's it for this edition of CNET's Top 5. You can find this video on Betamax, LaserDisc, reel, HD DVD, and DivX at your local swap meet. I'm Tom Merritt. See you next time.
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