What Does Digital Audio Tape (DAT) Mean?
Digital Audio Tape (DAT) is a recordable digital audio format. It was introduced in 1987 by Sony and looks similar to compact cassettes, but is smaller in size. Used primarily for playing and recording audio and intended as a replacement for analog audio compact cassettes, Digital Audio Tape was not widely popular or adopted by consumers, as most commercial recordings were not available in the format and concerns arose such as unauthorized high-quality copies. Digital Audio Tape saw moderate acceptance as a computer storage medium and in certain professional markets.
Techopedia Explains Digital Audio Tape (DAT)
Digital Audio Tape has the capability to record at lower, equal or higher sampling rates compared to a compact disc. Unlike an analog audio cassette, a Digital Audio Tape can only be recorded and played in one direction. Similar to video recorders, DAT made use of a helical scan and rotating heads to record data. Real-time conversion is required for Digital Audio Tape when moving to hard disk from the tape. Largely dependent on the machine and tape used, Digital Audio Tape allowed four unique sampling modes, namely:
