What's Happened In Video?



                                                  By Gary Bryant



           Over the years, home video has  changed the enter- tainment
     habits of an entire generation.  We've all  heard someone say: " I
     don't  go to movies anymore, I  just wait for them to come out on
     video." 

           With more than seventy percent of American homes sporting
     some  form of video equipment, there is growing a ready market for
     used VCR's camera's and other Video related
     accessories.  Here's a brief rundown on what's been  happening.  

          First, let's get the terminology straight.   There  are
     basically four forms of video machines in the used  marketplace,
     some old and some new.   

          BETA: This was the first video machine format.  It  hasn't been
     manufactured in years, and rarely do  current titles come out in
     this format.  If you're not  interested in this machine for it's
     historical value,  then stay away.  

          VHS: This is currently the most prolific VCR  format on the
     market today.  As with other electronic  devices (like computers)
     it is not necessarily the  best.  It is the least expensive machine
     of the current  choices and used machines can sell for as little as 
     fifty dollars!       
     
          Super-VHS: Purportedly to be an improvement over
      VHS, Super-VHS (S-VHS) machines cost quite a bit more
      than it's father format, plain VHS and picture  clarity is much
     better.  

          C: This video format is marked by the smaller  cassette and
     compact home camera. Its quality  is as good if not better than 
     S-VHS, it cost less, but  suffers from the same problem of not
     being immediately  compatible with the prevalent VHS standard.  
         
          If you're buying retail, any electronics product is a gamble,
     its market value is likely to be slashed  by the next advance in
     technology.  You lose nothing by  buying second hand, and actually
     get more value for  your dollar when it comes to video.