|
Technology
DVD
CD
Vinyl Records
Magnetic Tape
Mini Disc
DAT
Floppy Disk
VCR
MP3
DAB Radio
DAB TV
Digital Camera
Printers
Makes Of DVD
|
 The
recording medium was a mostly 1/2 inch wide thin band of nickel plated
bronze. Recording density was 128 characters per inch on eight tracks at a
speed of 100 ips, yielding a data rate of 12,800 characters per second.
Making allowance for the empty space between tape blocks, the actual
transfer rate was around 7,200 characters per second.
IBM computers from the 1950s used oxide-coated tape similar to that used in
audio recording, and IBM's technology soon became the industry standard.
Magnetic tape was half an inch wide and wound on removable reels 10.5 inches
in diameter. Different lengths were available with 2400 feet and 4800 feet
being common.
Most tape drives now include some kind of data compression. There are
several algorithms which provide similar results: LZ (Most), IDRC (Exabyte),
ALDC (IBM, QIC) and DLZ1 (DLT). The actual compression algorithms used are not
the most effective known today, and better results can usually be obtained by
turning off the compression built into the device and using a software
compression program instead.
Tape remains a viable alternative to disk due to its higher bit density and
lower cost per bit. Tape has historically offered enough advantage in these
two areas above disk storage to make it a viable product.
|
