Re: [ARSCLIST] Risk assessment tool Q3--DAT

["Marie Azile O'Connell" <marie.oconnell@xxxxxxx>]

Before I left Sound Archives/Nga Taonga Korero in New Zealand, we had made it a
priority to get everything off DAT and onto Mitsui Gold CD-R's.  As a small
team most of us did this "in the background" whilst doing our main duties, mine
being Tape Preservation.  From memory, we were using HHB DAT's and Sony, 120's
was the norm.

The machines were Panasonic's and the newer ones were Tascam,once again from
memory.  The Panasonic's had been used with great demand and worn heads and
errors and tape stoppage had begun.  They had all required servicing. John
Kelcher would be able to give details on the servicing of the machines. In the
newer machines sometimes the DAT's simply didn't play.  Once the word was out
that DAT was not what it was cracked up to be we began our programme of getting
the audio off that medium and onto CD-R.  I think this process began in about
1996-97.

I completed some 1200 DAT's to CD-R and I am sure SA has done a few thousand
more since then.  The DAT's were after that being used as an interim medium
before going onto a more stable and acceptable standard.  

Cheers

Marie O'Connell



Quoting "Richard L. Hess" <ArcLists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:

> At 03:44 PM 1/11/2006, David Lennick wrote:
> 
> 
> >I was under the impression they [CBC] stayed with DAT for quite a 
> >long time, but I'll check
> >with those who were actually there (I haven't worked on a CBC 
> >program since the late
> >90s).
> 
> I was under that impression as well and as of a few years ago, there 
> was no program in place to migrate the DATs. Hopefully that has changed.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Richard
> 
> Richard L. Hess                   richard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Aurora, Ontario, Canada       http://www.richardhess.com/
> Detailed contact information: http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm  
> 


Marie O'Connell
Sound Archivist/Sound Engineer/Sound Consultant
Center for Oral History & Cultural Heritage
University of Southern Mississippi
Phone: 601-266-6514
Mobile: 601-329-6911