C7 Betamax made by Sony from 1980.The Sony C7 was introduced in early 1980 and offered features that had never been seen before on home video recorders such as picture search, slow motion, and an end-of-tape alarm. Serial No. 33355578; Model No. SL-C7UB

C7 Betamax video recorder, made by Sony from 1980.

The Sony C7 was introduced in early 1980 and offered features that had never been seen before on home video recorders such as picture search, slow motion, and an end-of-tape alarm.

In 1975 Sony launched the first Betamax domestic videocassette recorders in Japan. Using half-inch video tape cassettes, the Betamax recorder became available in the UK by early 1977. Although Beta was superior to the competing VHS system (developed by Japan Victor Corporation (JVC), and introduced in 1977), initial UK supply problems and higher cost led to Beta’s ultimate demise. Like VHS, Betamax offered around 3 hours of recording time with fully automated recording.