Betamax

betamax English Etymology According to Sony, the name had a double meaning: beta is the Japanese word used to describe the way in which signals are recorded on the tape; and the shape of the Greek letter beta β resembles the course of the tape through the transport. The suffix -max, from en maximum, was added to suggest greatness. Proper noun A home videocassette recording format developed by Sony in 1975, now known for having lost the format war to VHS. en Beta Verb en transitive informal To make (something) obsolete. en 2006 Ian David Aronson DV Filmmaking: From Start to Finish 1 98 O'Reilly Media 0596008481 If you don’t want to get Betamaxed, or stuck with a dated technology, it might be a good idea to purchase the latest, fastest computer available. en 2008 Chris DiBona; Mark Stone; and Danese Cooper Open Sources 2.0: The Continuing Evolution 159 O'Reilly Media 0596553897 DRM can't stop piracy, but it can prevent anyone from Betamaxing another industry, commercializing disruptive technology development without content-industry sanction. en 2012 Michael Meyers CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide edition 8, McGraw Hill Professional 007179512X 253 CRIMM RDRAM offered dramatic possibilities for high-speed PCs but ran into three roadblocks that Betamaxed it. See also en VHS -maxx Further reading