Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!mcnc!decwrl!sun-barr!newstop!sun!amdcad!weitek!pyramid!leadsv!hashemi
From: hashemi@leadsv.UUCP (Rahmat O. Hashemi)
Newsgroups: comp.periphs.scsi
Subject: Re: DAT versus 8mm Tape
Message-ID: <13915@leadsv.UUCP>
Date: 9 Nov 90 18:09:35 GMT
References: <272DB1E1.9737@orion.oac.uci.edu> <9850005@hpcpbla.HP.COM>
Reply-To: hashemi@leadsv.ese.lmsc.lockheed.com.UUCP (Rahmat O. Hashemi)
Organization: LMSC-LEADS, Sunnyvale, Ca.
Lines: 87

In article <9850005@hpcpbla.HP.COM> peterk@hpcpbla.HP.COM (Peter King) writes:

+                 A Few Thoughts On Your DAT vs 8mm Choice
+               ========================================
+
+I thought I would add to the current debate with a few pointers:
+
+* You may be interested to know that HP has just announced 2 new DAT
+  drives:
+
+  - A low cost drive with 2 GByte capacity, and
+  - A high performance drive, with built-in Data Compression with
+    capacity of up to 8 GBytes.
+  - Both drives have a 3.5" Half Height Form Factor.
+
+  The drives will be demonstrated at Comdex next week and should be
+  shipping in volume by mid-91.
+
+  Both drives will support 90m DAT cassettes to increase capacity beyond
+  the current 1.3 GBytes (60m tape). The high performance drive uses
+  hardware data compression to enhance performance and capacity. Expect
+  to see a compression ratio in the range 2 to 4 (Typically around 2.5
+  on most UN*X systems) giving a maximum capacity of 8 GBytes and a maximum
+  transferrate of 732 KBytes/s. (>2.5 GBytes/hour!).
+
+  All in a 3.5" package.

I saw this article(someone had left it on my desk) from some magazine(the
article was cut out, so I couldn't see what magazine it was from).
Since I am in the market for some tape generation equipment, I called HP
to get some info. on these products(only 3 days ago). They told me that the
article was written by someone who had misheard the facts, and the product is 
not really a product yet, and no specs are available now. The product may be
shipable by the end of 91/early 92, and it will be an OEM product. So if you
have a need right now, don't go holding your breath for the HP product.

+
+* Industry Analysts predict a bright future for DAT. The leading analysts
+  seem to agree that:
+
+  DAT shipments are expected to outstrip 8mm shipments during 1991 for
+  the first time - with DAT forecast shipments running at around 150,000
+  units during 1991 (up on around 60,000 in 1990).
+
+  Forecasts show DAT shipments running at around 1/2 million per year by
+  1994 - more than double the 8mm forecast of around 200,000 units.
+
+* Industry Analysts also predict that DAT is likely to be far cheaper than
+  8mm - partly the result of DAT's 3.5" form factor.
+
+* The DDS Standards activity is also likely to play a major part in DAT's
+  success.
+
+  The DDS Standard has now been adopted as an ECMA Standard and is
+  anticipated to become an ANSI Standard in the first haly of 1991.
+
+  There are now 18 companies participating in the DDS Manufacturers Group
+  - including Exabyte and most of the major Quarter Inch Cartridge
+    manufacturers.
+
+* There are also hundreds of different DAT solutions. DAT is supported on
+  systems from HP and DEC - with third party support on Sun systems, IBM PC
+  compatibles, SCO Un*x, Novell etc. The list goes on!
+
+* Check-out Digital Review's recent article (June 90). They look at the
+  issue of 8mm performance and capacity. Their results are interesting.
+  They show that 8mm capacity and transfer rate are significantly reduced
+  when short saveset sizes are used. For example:
+
+              Saveset Size              8mm Capacity
+
+                25 MBytes                  2 GBytes
+                 5 MBytes                  1.4 GBytes
+                 1 MBytes                  560 MBytes
+
+  And they also conclude that for savesets of less than 125 MBytes DAT
+  Transfer Rate is faster than 8mm.
+
+  Performance and capacity are not simple "scalar" quantities - they depend
+  significantly upon the application as DR's review shows.
+
+I hope this information helps you make your choice. 8mm was clearly first
+to market but the future looks really bright for DAT.
+
+Regards,
+
+Peter King.