From the very beginning there were professional Betas. Prior to the Betamax it was primarily the Sony U-matic cartridge recorders that was used by the networks for sports and news gathering. It was these machines that laid the ground work for consumer VCRs. So it was only natural that Beta would enter into the professional domain. These machines took many forms. Some were uniquely designed stand alone units and some were variations on consumer models. All had extra interface options and features that were not found on units made for the public. Normally they were a little more robust in design and painted beige or gray and tan in color. This distinguished them from home units and indicated that they belonged to the Sony family of pro VCRs.