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Sanyo marketed a version as Betacord, but this was also referred to casually as " Beta ".

In addition to Sony and Sanyo, Beta-format video recorders were also sold by Toshiba, Pioneer, Murphy, Aiwa, and NEC ; the Zenith Electronics Corporation and WEGA Corporations contracted with Sony to produce VCRs for their product lines.

Department stores like Sears ( in the U. S. and Canada ) and Quelle ( Germany ) sold Beta-format VCRs under their house brands, as did the RadioShack chain of electronic stores.

Betamax and VHS competed in a fierce format war, which saw VHS come out on top in most markets.