Beta was just as good as VHS except for one thing. You could record longer on a VHS tape than you could on a Beta tape. Why they quit making Beta so soon is beyond me. I give Beta a 4 star rating.

Beta was better than VHS but in the end it all came down to marketing and supply chain activities. VHS was able to secure better distribution channels and ultimately won the standards battle. HDVD should learn from Beta in its lose to Blue Ray DVDs

I heard that Beta lost because the adult film industry backed VHS...

While it's not that popular now, Betamax was generally argued to be the better of the two formats of the time (versus VHS), but VHS happened to gain footing in the home market. VHS just offered more for your money, but at a reduction of quality.