Word: formation
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Crimson: "Which format is a more effective medium for informing the moviegoer: documentary or fictionalized drama...
...format devised as an upshot of this bit of pop-psych market research pits He-Man's Heroic Warriors against the forces of evil every weekday on 166 television stations. In each half-hour segment, He-Man starts out as a mere wimp of a kid named Adam. When he raises his sword and utters the magic incantation, Adam turns into a hero who looks like Prince Valiant with Arnold Schwarzenegger's physique. Since the animated cartoon premiered 15 months ago, it has gained 9 million viewers, most of them boys ages four to seven...
...first decision for the bewildered consumer is whether to purchase a Beta (from Sony's Betamax) or VMS (from Video Home System) format machine. Both use half-inch tape, but they are incompatible: Beta programs cannot be played on VHS machines and vice versa. Sony markets only Beta machines; RCA, GE and Panasonic, among others, market only VHS. Sears sells both. Many videophiles insist that Beta produces a slightly sharper image, but most people cannot see any difference in technical quality. Although Beta was introduced first, VHS has been far more successfully marketed: three out of every four machines...
Last October, Eastman Kodak introduced still another format: an 8-mm video camcorder whose 30-, 60-or 90-minute videotapes are roughly the same size as a standard audio cassette. The 8-mm format is as light as other camcorders, is easy to use and can be attached to a tuner to record television programs. Kodak is clearly banking on acceptance of its format as a third home-video alternative...
...variety of them, including one called Murphy's Law (Price/Stern/Sloan) and others for sports trivia, Bible verses, computer terms, astrological signs and even dirty jokes. The 365 new-words-a-year calendar (Workman) made both lists, with offerings like "Dionysian . . . recklessly uninhibited; frenzied." The success is in the format, says Publisher Peter Workman. "Each day they entertain, surprise and educate, like books you can savor piece by piece over a full year...