🚀 go-pugleaf

gps19@herald.usask.ca (Gregory P. Siemens) writes:
>Is it possible to use a VCR as a backup device.  What hardware and 
>software would be needed?  I,m trying to come up with a cheap way of
>storing large amounts of data.  If the hardware does not exist would it
>be difficult to construct(ie. what would be required).  I would
>appreciate any(!!) enlightenment on this subject(reasons it will or 
>won't work, etc.).

      It's been done, but I haven't seen an adapter for doing it since
about 1987.  Heavy redundancy in the data is necessary (one system
recorded everything six times) because of the high noise level and
dropout problems with VCRs.  VCRs are not well suited to stop-start
operation, so buffering is a problem.  

      8mm drives are often warmed-over camcorder decks, and 8mm backup
is a mature technology, although the drives still cost too much.
At least the tape is cheap.  But VHS backup seems a dead technology.

					John Nagle