The VHS has a superior shelf to the Betamax. Take a look a this doozy: http://wiki.ggc.usg.edu/mediawiki/index.php/VCR_vs._Betamax#VCR_vs._Betamax:_the_.22Format_War.22
U-Matic
You would have to have a Betamax VCR. Try ebay.
To use betamax through magnetism, you would need a betamax tape and a suitable magnetic playback device such as a betamax VCR. Insert the tape into the VCR, ensuring it is wound properly. The magnetic heads in the VCR will read the magnetic signals recorded on the tape to play back the audio and video content.
sony
Sony came out with the first VCR for home use in 1975. It was called the Betamax. A year later, JVC introduced its VHS videocassette recorder. After a several-year battle, the VHS became the VCR standard. Sony began producing VHS recorders in 1988 and produced its last Betamax in 2002. The true first VCR was invented in 1956 and was the size of a piano. The VCR was invented in 1971 along with the dot-matrix, food processor and the liquid-crystal display The VCR that we see these days was invented in 1970.
A VCR shelf is a shelf that is purchased to house a VCR. It often has perforated holes in the backing or an open back so that you can run cords to and from your television.
VCR shelf units come in a variety of colors, though they lean more towards the popular colors: black, brown, light brown, and metal. You can customize you shelf color yourself as well.
Sounds like Sanyo, if you're talking about beta tape recorders.
Betamax, but the system went on to be used on pro systems for years and still in use today. The beta system had a greater head to tape contact than did other systems.
The VCR, or Video Cassette Recorder, was introduced in the United States in 1977. The first commercially successful model was the Sony Betamax, which was followed by the VHS format that eventually became more popular. This technology revolutionized home entertainment by allowing people to record and watch television programs at their convenience.
JVC and others developed VHS (Video Home System) while Sony launched the Betamax format as a direct competitor. Although Betamax was technically superior to VHS and offered a higher picture quality, it lost the video tape format war after a number of years. The Betamax adopters were very limited with only Sony and Sanyo making any impact in the market. Betamax was more popular in North America than Europe and was still on the market for several years after they disappeared from British and European stores. It is interesting to note that some of the technologies and developments that went into the Betamax format were further developed into a format called Betacam. Betacam was the first of the truly portable broadcast tape formats and became the de facto standard throughout the broadcast world for news gathering. It is only in recent years that other formats have competed with Betacam as the industry moves to HD.
Yes, you can as long as you have the coax cable connected to the VCR first and then to your TV. Some TVs have RCA A/V outputs also and you can connect a VCR to them. Even better is to use the RCA A/V connections from the cable box to VCR, VCR to TV.