I spoke too soon. Initially, Betamax was the superior product. It held 250 lines of horizontal revolution (as opposed to the 240 lines of VHS), as well as less video noise and crosstalk. However, with the release of VHS HQ, all these advantages were leveled out, to the point where the formats were essentially identical in technical regards. Again, you are NOT talking to an expert. If someone can correct any major errors I might have made, feel free. Of course, from a technical standpoint, LaserDisc kicked both their asses.