Messages in this thread | | | From | (Matthias Urlichs) | Subject | Re: Linux VCR driver? | Date | 3 Dec 1996 17:20:56 +0100 |
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In linux.dev.kernel, article <32A36F67.642@mail.kdcol.com>, Brent Glines <bglines@mail.kdcol.com> writes: > > "There are controllers available for many PC's that allow a VCR to be > used as a backup device. This is an inexpensive way to get a lot of > backup capability on a PC. However, in order to utilize such a system, > a device driver will have to be written..." > > I do not have a tape backup drive handy. I have several VCRs. Has > anyone ever heard/done anything along these lines? > Don't.
There may be such beasts, but I wouldn't trust my data to them. Better get a "real" computer tape drive.
Problems with these video beasts: - No read-after-write, therefore no decent error control. - The additional conversion to an analog video signal means that the speed is nothing to speak of. - No filemarks, i.e. one backup per tape. - How do you push the rewind/play/record buttons with the computer? - Timing of the signal (usually, parallel-port) is likely to be rather critical -> writing a Linux driver is difficult at best.
-- Sweeny's Law: The length of a progress report is inversly proportional to the ammount of progress. -- Matthias Urlichs \ noris network GmbH / Xlink-POP Nürnberg Schleiermacherstraße 12 \ Linux+Internet / EMail: urlichs@noris.de 90491 Nürnberg (Germany) \ Consulting+Programming+Networking+etc'ing PGP: 1024/4F578875 1B 89 E2 1C 43 EA 80 44 15 D2 29 CF C6 C7 E0 DE Click <A HREF="http://info.noris.de/~smurf/finger">here</A>. 42
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