Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!crdgw1!minerva!kassover
From: kassover@minerva.crd.ge.com (David Kassover)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: Exabyte (8mm) versus DAT (4mm)
Message-ID: <9594@crdgw1.crd.ge.com>
Date: 11 Jul 90 01:53:13 GMT
References: <9007061713.AA01816@stc06.CTD.ORNL.GOV> <1881@proa.SV.DG.COM> <13113@cbmvax.commodore.com> <126@decvax.decvax.dec.com.UUCP> <23327@boulder.Colorado.EDU>
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Organization: Aule-Tek, Inc.
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In article <23327@boulder.Colorado.EDU> bobk@boulder.Colorado.EDU (Robert Kinne) writes:
...
:The magnetic particles on the tape don't know anything about digital
:or analog.  It is a characteristic of the iron oxide that it is
:easily saturated, and once the magnetizing signal goes beyond the
:linear range, the tape quickly reaches saturation.

Ah, you distinguish between compression and saturation  (a source
of argument among microwave people  8-)

:  The magnetic
:heads used in helical scan recording are very similar to video-
:heads, and a very similar technique for data storage was pioneered
:by IBM (of course!) during the 1970s, resulting in an archival
:storage technology with helical scan cartridges.

Certain agencies that have need of massive archiving have used
Ampex 2 inch video recorders, as early as the 1960's.  I was at
NCAR about five years ago, and they had a couple of these
squirrelled away in a back corner, behind the assorted crays and
308x's and vaxen...
--
David Kassover             "Proper technique helps protect you against
kassover@ra.crd.ge.com	    sharp weapons and dull judges."
kassover@crd.ge.com			F. Collins
			   Fencing:  Worlds Oldest Modern Sport