--- On Tue, 8/19/08, Jerry Hartke <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> DAT tracks are positioned diagonally on the tape. A static
> head will not
> work. I am confused how a tape can be read in other than
> real time. Why reinvent the wheel?

The concept of "real time" is irrelevant when transferring
data.  You can duplicate a 70 minute CD in only a few
minutes with a fast enough CD burner. I have an HP E25
system here with a DDS drive in it.  I assume you could make
an image of the tape with the "dd" command just like any
data tape (ie: "dd if=/dev/rmt/0mn of=/tmp/filename")
but I don't have an "audio" DAT tape to try it with.