Sony SDX 550V/RP

Sony SDX 550V/RP ... (equivalent to that of DDS) and valued media utilizing market-proven AIT technology. AIT drives feature a 3.5" form factor, compared to most competing products at 5.25", allowing higher capacities in less space. This is especially beneficial in environments with limited mounting space.

Metal Particle (MP) media, used by many competing technologies, contains binder material and additives that can cause head contamination. AME media, on the other hand, contains pure evaporated cobalt, which is sealed with a super-durable Diamond-Like Carbon coating, providing extraordinary reliability, and reducing the need for periodic cleaning. AIT media features a 64-kbit memory chip embedded in the cartridge, which stores index information, decreasing access time to files as well as load and unload times.

Helical-Scan Recording allows higher density recording for increased capacities within a small space, and writes to tape media using a single pass at a low speed, reducing wear-and-tear on the drive and media. Compared to IRDC or DLZ compression of 2:1, Adaptive Lossless Data Compression (ALDC) provides greater data compression efficiency, 2.6:1 on average, resulting in higher capacity and performance capabilities.

Super Head Cleaner Feature provides an automated cleaning solution, increasing head life, and reducing the need for periodic cleaning. Head design reduces tape tension compared to that of most competing technologies, providing long head and media life. AIT drives typically consume 1/2 to 1/3 the power required for competing technologies, offering savings in operational costs. This is particularly important when considering multi-drive automation solutions that can contain anywhere from 6 to over 20 drives in a library.