How can I play .dat video on my iPad

Try VLC for Mobile - available from the Apple App Store:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vlc-for-mobile/id650377962?mt=8

The VLC Player App will play most video files without further conversion. Here is the VLC page:

https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-ios.html

You would need to copy this video to iTunes, sync it with iTunes, locate the video, in the iOS Photos app and use the share icon to bring up the share sheet, in the iOS Photos app, to share/import the video to the iOS version of VLC Player and try playing it on the iPad version of VLC Player.

You will need to go to the iOS App Store, first to find and install/download the VLC Player app for iOS.

If that does not work, you need to unsync this .dat video from your iPad using iTunes on your computer and then find another app for your computer that can convert that .dat format video to .mp4 format and try re-syncing the .mp4 video version to your iPad, instead.

Simply changing the 3 character extension does nothing.

You need to find an app, for your computer, that can do a proper .mp4 movie format conversion. It is a different video codec.

The .mp4 video should show up in the Photos app OR TV app ( under Library, Home Videos ) where the video should play right inside either app needing no other app to play the .mp4 formatted/converted video file.

Best of Luck to You!

Yes, actually, I do know - and equally I am equally very aware of what DAT tape is.

The “.dat” file-extension is a generic file extension - that can be used with a whole multitude of filetypes, including video.

Let’s just allow the OP to determine what, if any information that we have provided, is useful.

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Has the video on this DAT tape already been converted to a digital format that a regular computer can read and play?

Not if the video is still on a DAT tape and has not been converted/imported to a digital format on a computer.

VLC won't help with that either on a computer or iPad.

A “.dat” file-extension has absolutely nothing to do with DAT or any other type of tape; “.dat” files are just one of many digital file types.

You are incorrect.

The ,dat file format is an old, digital tape based format that was once used just for audio, then adapted to video playing and recording.

DAT and .dat stands for Digital Audio ( later Audio and video ) Tape format.

This is an old digital video tape playing/recording format.

I have and still own a working dat tape video recoding camera and actual DAT tape audio/video player.

Both are made by Sony.

I actually still have a collection of unused high end tape format for that digital camera by Sony, TDK and Ampex.

When the footage is first live imported into iMovie, it comes in the tape's native .dat format and needs to be converted to iMovie’s native format for editing then can be exported/rendered to any other digital media format.

My version of Final Cut Express can, also, do all of this, as well.

So, now you know.