Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!noao!arizona!bakken
From: bakken@cs.arizona.edu (Dave Bakken)
Newsgroups: comp.periphs
Subject: Audio DAT recorders as computer backup devices
Summary: Could it work?
Keywords: audio DAT
Message-ID: <21987@megaron.cs.arizona.edu>
Date: 10 Jun 90 03:35:27 GMT
Organization: U of Arizona CS Dept, Tucson
Lines: 20

In the last week or two it has come out that audio DAT recorders will
be available here in the USA as early as September.  The prices will
start out at $900 and on down, and will likely drop as more models
and volume get on the market.

Could these guys be used for computer backup?  I guess that your are
supposed to be able to make perfect copies of a CD.  This might imply
that there is digital input/output in these beasts (or at least
input - or else the CD player would turn the bits into analog, and
then the DAT recorder back into digital.  Not a perfect copy in my
book).

If they could be used for this purpose, it seems that it could be
cheaper than buying the DATs that are currently available for
computer backup, just because of the large numbers involved.

Any informed comments would be appreciated.  Thanks!
-- 
Dave Bakken			bakken@cs.arizona.edu	uunet!arizona!bakken
U of A Computer Science		(602) 621-4098