What The Hell Were You Thinking

Episode 372: Video Home System Killed the Betamax Star This week Host Dave Bledsoe gets all nostalgic with some old home videos only to discover something unspeakably horrible on a tape labeled “David’s 12th Birthday” (Actual footage of his 12th birthday, god he was a fat little kid!) On the show this week we tell the tale of the most brutal conflict of the 1980’s, the war between VHS and Beta (So…Much…Blood) Along the way we discover why Dave isn’t allowed in any movie theaters anymore. (It would be better if it were a Pee Wee Herman thing) Then we dive right into the creation of home video, from its absurdly British beginnings to the mighty Titan that was Sony striding across the land. (Spoiler: Sony loses). Then we dig into General Curtis LeMay’s porn preferences for reasons never truly explained, only to veer back on topic with the tale of two tape formats and the brief but bitter fight over which one would dominate the world. (It turns out to be the one that is slightly cheaper.) We wrap up with a deli