The early days of video production consumers used 1/2 inch tape, and professionals, TV stations used 3/4 inch tape. It all had to do with the amount of analog information you could squeeze into a single frame, the more the better. This is from memory, and I'm fuzzy, but I think Sony came out with Beta, which was a better system as far as picture quality. But JVC (Japan Video Corp.) out marketed them, selling VHS, (Video Home System) and Beta failed. Anyhow, back in the day, 1/2 VHS the picture of grass looked like green pavement and hair was a glob on the head, but the TV station video looked better because it was 3/4 inch, with that much more information. There's a lot of other reasons also, like the number of video heads in the recorder, the speed of the tape past the heads, faster is better etc. but basically it all comes down to the same thing, more is better. What it looks to me like is you have a 3/4 inch professional, probably Beta, cassette, and good luck on finding a place to play it. Somebody somewhere probably saved their machine, but finding out where might be a problem. Ebay is probably right, in the day the professionals paid big bucks, and so did consumers for several years. In the day a bottom line semi pro camera body ran at least $6000, and a good lens that wouldn't interchange with any other bloody thing, not even a camera from the same maker cost $3,000 and up. Remember also 30 years ago we didn't have the gummit printing money by the bizzilions, and 10 grand would buy a lot more than it will today. I bought 700 acres for $72,000, same place now is over a mil.
