digital compact cassette

Digitally recorded audio cassette that is roughly the same size as a standard cassette. It cannot be played on a normal tape recorder, though standard tapes can be played on a DCC machine; this is known as ‘backwards compatibility’. The playing time is 90 minutes.

A DCC player has a stationary playback and recording head similar to that in ordinary tape decks, though the tape used is chrome videotape. The cassettes are copy-protected and can be individually programmed for playing order. Some DCC decks have a liquid-crystal digital-display screen, which can show track titles and other information encoded on the tape.