Sony puts Betamax on American shelves; the battle for the living room is on

The first Betamax VCR sold in the United States — the LV-1901, bundled with a 19-inch Trinitron television — appeared in stores in early November 1975. Sony had introduced the format in Japan on May 10 of that year, betting that superior picture quality would carry the day. It didn't. JVC's VHS format licensed broadly, drove down prices, and won. By 1988, Sony quietly began producing VHS machines — early models built by Hitachi — conceding a war it had started…