Even though we finally got this last Godzilla film released on DVD, we weren't able to get THIS version, due to entanglements with the rights, and so it remains unreleased for Godzilla fans in the modern era. However, back in the day, it was released on home video, in Betamax, VHS, Laserdisc, and even a CED version.
If you've never held a Beta tape, they are shorter than their VHS counterparts in stature, and a bit stockier. I had forgotten how much more compact they feel than VHS. During the time that the two formats co-existed, there was a brief "format war," which VHS won in the end. It's interesting to think that it could have gone the other way, and some people say it should have, because if I remember correctly, Betamax had a slightly higher resolution.
It's a bit ironic for me, because as a kid, I recorded the very first TV airing of GODZILLA 1985 on a Betamax recorder that had been handed down to me when my parents upgraded to VHS.
No comments:
Post a Comment