No, this is because the original Beta cassette size that Sony first offered contained enough tape for 1/2 hour of recording. As time went on, longer cassettes

No, this is because the original Beta cassette size that Sony first offered contained enough tape for 1/2 hour of recording. As time went on, longer cassettes and slower recording speeds were released and Beta recorders eventually had tape cassettes available that recorded for 4.5 hours (L750) or 5 hours (L830) of time on a single cassette.