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From: bilver!bill@uunet.UU.NET (Bill Vermillion)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.high-end
Subject: Re: DAT contender/Carver vs. the dB
Message-ID: <8976@uwm.edu>
Date: 16 Jan 91 14:28:01 GMT
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In article <8918@uwm.edu> grechen@lightning.Berkeley.EDU (Grechen Darling) writes:
>I'm curious.. you mentioned  Phillip's plans for a player that
>could handle both the analogue and digital formats. what would the
>cassette format be, or would it handle regular analogue cassettes
>and an 8mm sized digital cassette? I am under the impression that
>digital recording will move in the direction of an 8mm format
>so that music, video, and computer data will use the same media
>and possibly be funcionally interchangable.

The digital cassette looks larger than the standard cassette from what I
could tell.  There was an interview with a Phillips spokesman from the
winter CES on CNN the other night.

The DCC (digital compact cassette) does NOT use a case.  It is a complete
unit, and the artwork, etc are printed on it.  The spindle holes do not go
through the cassettes. (not needed as it doesn't turn over).

>From seeing the video of the cassette, I got the impression (it may be a
wrong impression) that the unit will play both, but that the cassettes are
not the same size.  Sort of like the VHS players that will take a C size
vhs cassette without an adaptor.

They said 18 months before it's on the market.


As to moving to the same media and being interchangeable, the current DAT
is 4 mm.  The DCC is about that width (not sure of exact specs.)

There is no reason to have interchangeable media until the video goes from
analog to digital.  Otherwise you are putting more expensive media in a
video than you need.   


-- 
Bill Vermillion - UUCP: uunet!tarpit!bilver!bill
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