Newsgroups: comp.society.futures Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!hobbes.physics.uiowa.edu!maverick.ksu.ksu.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!usenet From: thoth@uiuc.edu (Ben Cox) Subject: Re: The Future of DAT? Message-ID: <1991Jun28.162332.21772@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> Sender: usenet@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (News) Reply-To: thoth@uiuc.edu (Ben Cox) Organization: Ancient Illuminated Bavarian Seers References: <9106222115.AA10855@world.std.com> Date: Fri, 28 Jun 1991 16:23:32 GMT Lines: 52 jcb@NCD.COM (Jim Becker) writes: >bzs@WORLD.STD.COM (Barry Shein) writes: >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! The Philips format is called DCC. It uses a cassette that is the same shape and size as the ordinary cassette, but there are some differences: o The tractor holes only open on one side (like a videotape); the other side is flat and unbroken. Record companies like this because that gives them maximum label space. o There is a shield which moves aside to cover/uncover the tape, kind of like a 3 1/2" floppy disk. o The head is not tilted, nor does it rotate. It's a stationary head, which is arranged in 18 tracks (9 per direction in the same 1/8" width!!!) which read the audio data without moving the head. The tape moves at the same (I believe) cassette speed of 1+7/8 ips. o Philips uses a data compression method which involves varying the bit resolution of the audio data depending on the amplitude and frequency information in the audio signal. It's supposed to be pretty hot. o The specification includes auto-reverse, so you do record on both directions, but the tape never flips. This is done with two sets of gaps (I believe it's two sets of 9 gaps, hence the 18 tracks) rather than by flipping the head like some cassette decks. o The specification for players also includes another set of analog heads with which to play ordinary analog cassettes. >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. The info above was found in an article by Ken Pohlmann in a recent MIX magazine. -- Ben Cox thoth@uiuc.edu