From the TLC website:the Betamax video recorder. The revolutionary home-taping system was introduced by the Japanese giant in 1975. However, it was soon eclipsed in the consumer market by the rival VHS system, invented by the Japan Victor Co. Most experts judged the Beta system superior to VHS, but two factors spelled doom for Sony: JVC licensed other manufacturers to turn out VHS decks, so as competition increased, prices fell. And while the Betamax was essentially for home taping, the VHS camp encouraged the making and distribution of movies on prerecorded tapes for rental. Sony was left behind, and essentially conceded defeat in 1988, when it began to make VHS machines.
note: TLC has featured the Betamax format as a "failed invention" for their upcoming show "Inventions We Love to Hate." The Beta format was superior in picture quality, as mentioned above. The "failure" was essentially the marketing and licensing blunder that allowed VHS to dominate (also mentioned above). By TLC's rationale, you could conclude that the Apple computer was a failed invention as well. Both Beta (yep, it still exists) and Apple computers are used by high end professionals for videography and video/visual/audio work, respectively.
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