Quantum DLT 2000 Handbook page 120

ongoing backup. Typically, the editor will work on one job for a
period of time, perhaps several hours. When he or she finishes
work on that project – completes a new scene, or completes a set of
revisions, or simply needs to get on something with a hotter dead-
line – the editor doesn't simply close that file and open a new one.
That won't work. The files, the individual projects, are usually so
big that you can only have one active at a time. So the editor takes
the whole file and off loads it from hard disk to tape. In some cases,
the user may have two tape drives and two SCSI ports and make
two copies on two separate tape cartridges at the same time. One is
the primary copy and one is a backup. As soon as program A is off
the hard disk, the editor finds the next program he wants to work
on – stored on tape – and loads it to hard disk.
So, instead of scheduled backups, sheer content-driven size dictates
an ongoing backup process. Another characteristic is the fact that
video files usually consist of three distinct types of files: the video
"footage" itself, various headers and footers that provide informa-
tion about the program, and another set of project information –
budgets, schedules, etc. This application requires a backup solution
that includes high-capacity media (so you are sure you can get a
whole program on one cartridge), high transfer rate (so you can
catch the late drop off at FedX, instead of having to wait until
tomorrow because it takes so long to copy the tape), and durable
media (so the program survives physical adversity).
Video On Demand
Someday soon, instead of going to a video rental store to rent a
movie, you may be able to simply select the movie you want from
your cable service. You'll have your pick of hundreds of titles, and
the same service may even offer you on-line banking, games, and
interactive shopping services. If you live in one of several areas of
the country, you may even have access to this type of video on
10.16 VERTICAL MARKET APPLICATIONS