| Q: |
How long does it take to copy a tape? |
| A: |
This is a difficult question to answer as it can depend upon a number of factors, such as the type of tape (4mm, 8mm, Data Cartridge, etc), format (QIC-24, QIC-150, QIC-1000, etc), and block size/tape structure. We normally give figures for tape transfer rates
as the maximum transfer rates of the drives, however, things like partitioning, filemarks and block sizes can reduce these. Some typical transfer rates would be:
|
Tape Type
|
Format
|
Transfer Rate
|
| 8mm |
EXB-8200 |
<=10
MB/min |
| EXB8500 comp |
<=30
MB/min |
| 4mm |
DDS1 |
<=10
MB/min |
| DDS1 comp. |
<=20
MB/min |
| Data Cartridge |
QIC-24 |
<=4
MB/min |
| QIC-150 |
<=6
MB/min |
| QIC-525 |
<=10
MB/min |
|
|
| |
|
| Q: |
What are 4mm, 8mm, DAT, Exabyte, Helical Scan? |
| A: |
4mm and DAT are terms for the same thing. DAT is an acronym for Digital Audio Tape and is a higher data grade version of the tape that has become the standard in the music industry. DAT tape has a width of 4mm, so you may find the term 4mm DAT used frequently.
8mm tape is a medium that evolved from the video camera, and the company which pioneered the use of 8mm tape for computers was Exabyte Corp.. Helical Scan is the term used to describe the method by which data is written to and read from both 4mm and 8mm tapes
- it denotes the way in which the data tracks are written diagonally across as opposed to along the length of the tape. |
| |
|
| Q: |
Are partitioned tapes a problem? |
| A: |
Not at all. There are a number of drives on the market which allow partitioning - 4mm DAT, 8mm Exabyte and QIC to name the main ones. If the media is partitioned then we can copy it, and if required, even change the size of the first partition. |
| |
|
| Q: |
Can you
copy block sizes of 64KB or greater?
|
| A: |
Yes, our in-house produced software
is able to cope with block sizes up
to 320KB. |
| |
|
| Q: |
Are you able to copy from one tape type to another? |
| A: |
Yes we can, as long as the drives are available with a SCSI interface. |
| |
|
| Q: |
Can I supply a Betacam tape as a master for VHS duplication? |
| A: |
Yes, in fact you can supply video
in just about any format possible and
it can be converted to the format you
need, including DVD. |
| |
|
