Posted by Richard Crowley on 07/11/06 23:43

"Steve King" wrote ...
> "Richard Crowley" wrote ...
>> "Steve King" wrote...
>>> So, where did the difference lie between mini-DV and typical
>>> tape-backup hardware do you think? In the tape formulations? In the
>>> way the ones and zeros are put on the tape? On the tape speed? On the
>>> way the head scans the tape? Something else?
>>
>> Media used for "hard data" budgets a significant quota of the raw
>> capacity to ECC. There is strength in numbers (in this case, numbers
>> of different ways of reconstructing bad data).
>
> How can media budget anything? It is just plastic and emulsion in the
> tape form. If it is the 'recording electronics', to use terms a geezer
> can understand, that handles the data differently than does the
> electronics in a tape backup deck I could understand that.

OK, it is the recording electronics that handles the data differently.
Note that the statement applies to hard drives, optical drives, etc,
not just mag tape.

Note that some drive electronics can handle both varieties of data.
Likely all CD drives for computers can handle both the data-grade
"Orange-Book" standard, AND the more relaxed "Red-Book" ECC
used by audio CDs.

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