The first ED Beta unit. Built for durable metal tapes, which support extended-definition recording, this Betamax recorder offered the best horizontal resolution among consumer VCRs at the time: more than 500 lines of horizontal resolution. A thick acrylic plate bolted to the front conveys an upscale design, unmatched at the time. The case has an anodized aluminum finish. In operation, the ED Beta offered editing features that gave users a taste of the fun of extended-definition editing.