Reporter: You might have heard. Betamax finally bit the dust. Reader: Betamax, the video format? You must be kidding? I thought Betamax packed it in eons ago, along with Rubik's Cube and Billy Idol.

TOKYO -- Sony closed the final chapter of its legendary battle with Victor Co. of Japan to dominate the home video machine market, when it announced it would discontinue its Betamax VCRs. Sony will ...