Topic: Which DAT (not DDS) tape to use?

[Scuba Jeremy]

So if DDS tapes have higher standards, why are they so much cheaper?

-Kevin

Because all you have to do is add "Pro Audio" to anything, and it will increase the price by a good 40%!

[blu666z]

Ah...ok, tommorow I'm going to tell my boss I'm not an ISeries Application Developer.  I took some new classes, now I'm a Pro Audio ISeries Application Developer.  That should be worth another 25k a year.  Sweet!!



-Kevin

[greenone]

Gotta pay a higher tax on them - same reason music CD-Rs are more expensive than data CD-Rs.

[utahtaper]

Gotta pay a higher tax on them - same reason music CD-Rs are more expensive than data CD-Rs.

Bingo!

[junkbondking]

i use dds as well in my d-8.  maxell 4-60's and 90's.... the sony 60's jammed in the d-8and i got stuck with 6 of em.....

[Simp-Dawg]

Gotta pay a higher tax on them - same reason music CD-Rs are more expensive than data CD-Rs.

why is there a higher tax on these?  or did i miss that part of the discussion.....

[greenone]

It's actually part of the Audio Home Recording Act, passed in 1992 - basically the government telling us that we're going to do illegal things with music CD-Rs and DAT tapes, so they'll take money out of our pockets up front as a disincentive to purchase them.

More info here: http://www.brouhaha.com/~eric/bad_laws/dat_tax.html
and here, on expansion to other media: http://www.xent.com/FoRK-archive/apr98/0458.html
More discussion: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/archive/dvd-discuss/msg11357.html

Just be thankful you don't live in Canada - MUCH more is taxed (or "levied") there:
http://neil.eton.ca/copylevy.shtml

--Dave

[zhianosatch]

Canadia, America's Hat...
These bricks o' Maxells look pretty good to me!

[John R]

from terrapin

http://www.ttapes.com/techtips/datdds.html

jr

[leegeddy]

So if DDS tapes have higher standards, why are they so much cheaper?

the RIAA's imposed levy on DAT tapes is one reason.  
it's a similar situation with CDAudio vs. data cdrs.

perhaps more DDS tapes are manufactured than DAT tapes driving costs down.

in my experience, lower cost does not equate to lesser quality.

i have total of 4 DAT decks:  Sony M1, D100, PCM-2600 and PCM-R500.  not one has ever complained about DDS tapes (Sony 60P/90P and Maxell HS-90 mostly).  i've experienced zero misloading and has never had a tape eaten by a deck, due to the fault of the tape or its casing.

marc

[RastaFish]

The few problems I have had with tapes have always been on DDS tapes.  Never had any trouble with audio grade at all.  I know that is hardly scientific data, but that has been my experience.