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- From: winalski@adserv.enet.dec.com (Paul S. Winalski)
- Newsgroups: rec.audio
- Subject: Re: DAT, DCC and MD
- Message-ID: <1993Jan22.024858.11634@e2big.mko.dec.com>
- Date: 22 Jan 93 02:48:58 GMT
- References: <C15ozr.C3F@news2.cis.umn.edu> <1993Jan21.202342.7073@news.columbia.edu>
- Sender: usenet@e2big.mko.dec.com (Mr. USENET)
- Reply-To: winalski@adserv.enet.dec.com (Paul S. Winalski)
- Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation, Nashua NH
- Lines: 32
-
-
- In article <1993Jan21.202342.7073@news.columbia.edu>,
- gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Gabe M Wiener) writes:
- |>
- |>Well, they do have their applications, and let me explain why. DAT is
- |>a great format. I use it every day in professional applications. But it
- |>really will never make it as a consumer format and here's why.
- |>
- |> - DAT cannot be used in a walkman design (not very
- |> well, anyway). Its helical-scan system is too delicate,
-
- Sony has had a DAT Walkman on the market for years, as well as a portable
- recorder. Reports have been favorable.
-
- |> - DAT is not very robust.
-
- In what way? I own two DAT decks and have had less problems with them than
- with my previous analog tape equipment. On the other hand, DCC is reported
- to suffer from tape alignment problems (tapes recorded on one deck not playable
- on another due to fussy alignment tolerances).
-
- |> - DAT has no consumer pizzaz.
- |>
- |>wrt the last....MD is recordable optical, and that is generally considered
- |>"cool" by the public. DCC has semi-backward-compatibility, which is also
- |>a plus. DAT is neither "cool" nor compatible, which makes it strike out
- |>from a consumer point of view.
-
- THIS is the real reason DAT lost out in the consumer marketplace. Lack of
- pizzaz, plus no pre-recorded tapes.
-
- --PSW
-