Betamax. Talk to an afficionado and you’ll get a whole list of reasons why it was better. VHS supporters disagree – fairly comprehensive point-counterpoint presents both opinions.

With technology zooming ahead at such breakneck speed, many youngsters today wouldn’t even relate to this Dilbert cartoon:

With both VHS and Betamax virtually obsolete for future production, the debate is more or less moot – but I still have 162 VHS tapes on my shelf, waiting to be ripped to AVI or replaced with DVD’s.

“Why don’t you switch to Blu-Ray,” I hear someone in the background sniggering? Basically for the same reason I don’t replace my PC with a Mac – it’s no longer substantially better, just different – and a whole lot more expensive. I’ve seen lots of videos on my son’s HD/Blu-Ray set. Yeah, they’re pretty nice. But when I watch movies at home on my own equipment, I don’t feel deprived. When my DVD player goes belly-up, I’ll most likely buy a Blu-Ray capable box, but then I’ll have to get a higher-resolution screen, and I can’t see shelling out the extra money until it’s absolutely necessary.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

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