yes

The Beta camera is a camera that uses the beta format for recording. The beta format is a tape about half the size of a VHS tape and is actually quite old and came out around the same time VHS did. It is a bit higher quality then VHS. But what people are using these days if you hear of a beta camera being used is actually a digibetacam which is digitalbeta which is much higher quality then analog beta.

Sony made the first VHS system but opted out of it after they decided the beta format produced a better quality picture. They sold the rights to the VHS system to JVC who because of the VHS system's ability to put more video on a tape (at that time, 6 hors as compared to 4.5 for the beta tapes) eventually won the format wars. Sony later started putting out VHS machines and the rest is history.

Because VHS released the rights to duplicate its products, more people had the stuff, everyone wanted to exchange their videos (like porn), so the most common won the battle.

Answer

VHS was licensed to many different brands. Many competing brands had to lower the price to be competitive. Beta was only in the Sony brand and did not lower the price to properly compete in the consumer market, even though they had a demonstrably superior product.

Video rentals drove the consumer industry. There were more VHS units in the hands of consumers, therefore the distributors of video released their products in the VHS format more than Beta. Eventually Sony conceded the consumer market to VHS. For many years Beta dominated the professional broadcast market because of their vastly better picture.

Betamax video was out at the same time as VHS video but came out 1 year before vhs did, In the 1970s. The beta format was smaller than vhs and had a better performance operation. It gradually lost out to vhs as that format became more popular.

As a matter of interest, there were other formats of recording equipment available at the time. Phillips video 2000, was an even bigger tape version than vhs. Philips also manufactured a laser disc player/recorder similar to dvd but much bigger. Sony developed the U-matic tape as long ago as 1969.