Many experts on the subject blame the "bandwagon" effect as one of the major problems facing Sony. It refers to situation where customers perceive value in owning the standard that is most commonly available in the industry. Due to the massive demand of a global market Sony was unable to produce enough Beta systems to supply all its potential customers. This resulted in the opportunity for a competing system, like VHS, to enter the market and meet the demand. The demand for complementary products, like prerecorded tapes, started a second bandwagon in the 1980s. As retail outlets began to stock tapes in the most popular format, Sony continued to enjoy significant acceptance. Although engineers and managers recognized that a standard format would benefit both customers and producers an agreement could not be reached. This was due to Sony's experience with an earlier product the U-Matic. As early as 1970 Sony was ready to release a smaller more sophisticated recording system which may have proved popular with customers. However, since its competitors like JVC were not ready to mass produce such a machine, the U-Matic ended up as a compromise design. By compromising to support what became the industry standard for institutional machines, Sony had missed the potential opportunity to enter the home market.