Convention Paper
Is R-DAT a Recording Format for Professional Use?-Measurements and Considerations
AES Convention 86 · Paper 2769 · March 1989
Abstract
The goal of the DAT Conference was to replace the analog compact cassette system by a digital one. But the resulting DAT standard issued in June, 1987, includes also professional attributes. Thus the 48k mode is in accordance with IEC Publication 899, dealing with source encoding. The big subcode capacity of R-DAT offers new possibilities for auxiliary data accompanying the audio signal. The question now is: Does this consumer format really meet professional requirements? To become clearer, measurements in particular on reliability and robustness of recorder and tape were done. But also the compatibility of DAT records was tested. Starting out from the results of measurements, professional applications are taken into consideration and a compatible standard extension is proposed.
