Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!infopiz!lupine!jcb From: jcb@NCD.COM (Jim Becker) Newsgroups: comp.society.futures Subject: Re: The Future of DAT? Message-ID: Date: 28 Jun 91 00:43:06 GMT References: <9106222115.AA10855@world.std.com> Lines: 27 bzs@WORLD.STD.COM (Barry Shein) writes: This past week's Economist magazine had an interesting article regarding a new MD audio format soon to be released. It uses a 2 1/2" disk, is rewriteable (MO) and holds 74 minutes of music. The MD is "immune" to the tracking problems portable CD's have (if jostled CD's often go silent as they find their place again.) They keep a buffer in RAM which holds enough sound to keep playing while repositioning the head. There is also a system that Philips has been working on that is the same form factor as audio cassette, but has the underlying workings of VCR technology (tilted spinning head..). It's all digital, and includes the hardware for backwards compatability to analog audio cassettes - a nice design win! This is where I would place a bet, if there is anything new that will take a foothold. There's an article in one of the recent Fortune magazines on this new contender, with comparisons against CD, audio cassette and DAT. -Jim Becker -- -- -Jim Becker / jcb@ncd.com / Network Computing Devices, Inc. (NCD)