Also remember that we're not talking about viewing video over HDMI to a high def LCD panel, we're talking about viewing over an RF cable link to a crappy little

Also remember that we're not talking about viewing video over HDMI to a high def LCD panel, we're talking about viewing over an RF cable link to a crappy little CRT display, often badly calibrated. Under perfect conditions betamax was superior to VHS, under average viewing conditions in the typical household if you'd have done a survey asking people which video signal looked better you'd be hard pressed to get people to admit that either one was noticeably superior let alone get a consistent result showing betamax to be a better choice. It's also worth noting the costs here. In 1980 a VHS VCR cost around $800, that's $2300 adjusted for inflation. The first betamax VCRs were over $250 more expensive ($700 in today's dollars). Paying $700 more for a device which wasn't markedly superior was a sucker's bet, it's no wonder VHS was more widely adopted.