DAT stirs piracy fears, loses out to plastic discs
By Staff -- EDN, January 5, 2006
In the mid-1980s, DAT (digital-audio tape) was poised to become a mainstream music medium. Sampling modes varied from 12 bits at 32 kHz to 24 bits at 96 kHz, resulting in storage capacities of 90 minutes to three hours. But DAT's real claim to fame was lossless recoding. DAT would allow perfect duplication of digital content, such as audio CDs. Of course, the recording industry was no more enlightened back then than it is today and quickly lobbied for mitigation. The result was the Home Recording Act of 1992—also called the DAT tax. The act levied a royalty on all DAT recorders and media and mandated the Serial Copy Management System that limited DAT recorders to a single perfect copy.
It turns out that affordable, recordable CD technology was just around the corner. Thus, DAT's success was limited to studio and audiophile customers. In November, Sony announced that it would discontinue its DAT product, as demand had dropped to approximately 100 units/month. As of mid-December, the outlet section of the Sony Electronics Web site offered the DTC-ZE700 for $500—$300 less than retail.
