"Image is nothing, thirst is everything," according to this 1994 television commercial for Sprite soda set to hip-hop music, part of their "Obey Your Thirst" ad campaign. The BetaGems channel also has "1995 Sprite hip-hop freestyle TV commercial," "1999 Sprite Under the Cap game TV commercial," "What Is Cool? 1994 Sprite Obey Your Thirst TV commercial," "1988 Sprite musical TV ad I like the Sprite in you," "1994 Ring Pops wearable candy hip-hop TV commercial," "1988 hip-hop anti-graffiti PSA Yo, U need 2 stop that!," "1993 hip-hop Got Milk? TV commercial," "Hip-hop farmers 1993 Budweiser TV ad," "Eggo "In Yo Mouth 1994 hip-hop TV ad," "1984 hip-hop breakdance TV ad for Crunch & Munch," "1987 hip-hop rap ad for Miller Lite = worst rap ever?," and "1987 hip-hop rap ad for Mervyns, animated = worst rap ever?"

BetaGems are culled from an archive of over 1000 beta video tapes recorded from the early 1980s into the 1990s. Most feature live music performances broadcast on television in San Diego CA, though there are also rarely seen commercials, comedy clips, and other material that doesn't seem to be anywhere else on Youtube or online.

Most of the tapes were recorded on a Sony SL-HFT7 Super Beta Theater Hi-Fi Stereo - the same model was refurbished and is being used for these digital transfers and uploads. In rare occasions where a BetaGems clip does appear elsewhere, we're only uploading if our own beta master is better quality or contains material not seen previously. Much footage comes from public television and public access broadcasts that the taper, who worked for a local cable TV production company in the 1980s, monitored nightly for several years. Some of the programming is strictly regional, mostly from the San Diego area.

свернуть