If by
"proprietary DEC formfactor", you mean "looks like a DLT tape",
then yes.
I don't really know anything about the various tape form factors. I
can recognize 9-track :-) and I can recognize QIC cartridges, but
beyond that I'm at a loss. Oh yeah, I can also recognize audio and
video cassettes :-).
The current generation SDLT2 tapes support about 600GB per tape, the next
generation are supposed to go up to 1.2TB.
Audio tapes have been used in computers since at least the 70's. Most old
home PC's used them, and 4mm DAT tapes are still a popular backup format.
The frightening thing is, there were high-end backup devices that used data
grade VHS tapes to store *massive* amounts of data in the mid-90's.
Zane