According to one embodiment, a drive-implemented method includes, in a first mode of operation, processing data using only transducers of subarrays positioned on opposite sides of an inner transducer in an array of transducers, and processing data using only a portion of the transducers in each of the subarrays in a second mode of operation, wherein the inner transducer is inactive in the second mode of operation.

A tape device includes: a tape drive configured to read and write data to a tape medium; and a processor configured to: determine, when requested to read data from a first segment and a second segment on the tape medium, a data amount in a third segment located between the first segment and the second segment; compare the data amount with a threshold value that is determined based on a reading characteristic of the tape drive; instruct the tape drive, when the data amount is the threshold value or more, to read data from the first segment, skip the third segment, and read data from the second segment; and instruct the tape drive, when the data amount is less than the threshold value, to continuously read data from the first segment, the third segment, and the second segment.

An approach, for storing video data in a plurality of tape media via a ring buffer. A tape data splitter receives video data stored in a ring buffer. The tape data splitter writes the video data to a current tape media. The tape data splitter detects an end of tape media event. The tape data splitter responds to the end of tape media event, by switching the current tape media to a next tape media. The tape data splitter selects a resume point for the video data stored in the ring buffer and writes to the next tape media, the video data stored in the ring buffer that is subsequent to the resume point.

[Object] Provided is a technology that is capable of further improving a recording density of data.

[Solving Means] A magnetic recording medium according to the present technology is a magnetic recording medium in a shape of a tape that is long in a longitudinal direction and is short in a width direction, the medium including: a base material; a magnetic layer; and a non-magnetic layer that is provided between the base material and the magnetic layer, and contains one or more types of non-magnetic inorganic particles, in which the magnetic layer includes a data band long in the longitudinal direction in which a data signal is to be written, and a servo band long in the longitudinal direction in which a servo signal is written, and in the magnetic layer, a degree of vertical orientation is greater than or equal to 65%, a half width of a solitary waveform in a reproduction waveform of the servo signal is less than or equal to 195 nm, and a thickness of the magnetic layer is less than or equal to 90 nm, and the non-magnetic layer contains at least Fe-based non-magnetic particles as the non-magnetic inorganic particles, and in the non-magnetic layer, an average particle volume of the Fe-based non-magnetic particles is less than or equal to 2.010.sup.5 m.sup.3, and a thickness of the non-magnetic layer is less than or equal to 1.1 m.

[Object] A cartridge memory according to an embodiment of the present technology is a cartridge memory for a recording medium cartridge, including: a memory unit; and a capacity setting unit. The memory unit has a memory capacity capable of storing management information relating to a second information recording medium configured to be capable of recording information with a second data track number larger than a first data track number. The capacity setting unit is configured to be capable of setting a data storage area limited to a first capacity capable of storing management information relating to a first information recording medium configured to be capable of recording information with the first data track number.

A mark corresponding to recording data is formed on an optical disk by: encoding the recording data in accordance with a modulation code and generating encoded data; classifying the encoded data by a combination of at least two of a mark length of a mark, a space length of a preceding space, the mark length of a preceding mark, and the space length of a succeeding space; setting a correction amount for adjusting the position of the start edge and the end edge of a recording pulse based on an evaluation index of a decoding result, which is a result of decoding a reproduction signal of the encoded data, for each of the classification; and generating the recording pulse corresponding to the encoded data by using the correction amount corresponding to the classification of the run length of the encoded data.

A tape-shaped magnetic recording medium includes a substrate; and a magnetic layer that is provided on the substrate and contains a magnetic powder. An average thickness of the magnetic layer is not more than 90 nm, an average aspect ratio of the magnetic powder is not less than 1.0 and not more than 3.0, the coercive force Hc1 in a vertical direction is not more than 3000 Oe, and the coercive force Hc1 in the vertical direction and a coercive force Hc2 in a longitudinal direction satisfy a relationship of Hc2/Hc10.8.

According to one embodiment, a magnetic recording apparatus measures and stores recording signal quality of a disk at an initial stage, inspects the recording signal quality before data is recorded, determines whether or not the recording signal quality obtained in the inspection satisfies a standard when compared to the stored recording signal quality at the initial stage, adjusts, based on a result of the determination, light irradiation power of a light irradiation element so as to satisfy the standard, determines a read offset amount based on a result of the adjustment, and performs control so that a position of a read head is shifted based on the determined read offset amount.

In one embodiment, a drive-implemented method includes determining, by a tape drive, that a magnetic recording tape is compatible with a first format, the tape drive having an array of transducers including an inner transducer and subarrays of the transducers positioned on opposite sides of the inner transducer, reading from or writing to the magnetic recording tape, by the tape drive, using the array of transducers in a first mode of operation corresponding to the first format, and processing data, by the tape drive, using only the transducers in the subarrays in the first mode of operation.

Various illustrative aspects are directed to a data storage device, comprising one or more disks; at least one actuator mechanism configured to position at least a first head proximate to a first disk surface and a second head proximate to a second disk surface; and one or more processing devices. The one or more processing devices are configured to: assign logical tracks to physical tracks of the disk surfaces such that a respective logical track comprises: at least a portion of sectors of a primary physical track, the primary physical track being on the first disk surface; and at least a portion of sectors of a donor physical track, the donor physical track being on the second disk surface. The one or more processing devices are configured to perform, using the first head and the second head, a data access operation with at least one of the logical tracks.