AIT-3 and AIT-3Ex vs. Others
  AIT-3 LTO1 AIT-3Ex DLTV4 VXA320
Capacity and Performance
Max Native Capacity 100 GB 100 GB 150 GB 160 GB 160 GB
Max Compressed Capacity 260 GB 200 GB 390 GB 320 GB 320 GB
Max Native Transfer Rate 12 MB/s 15 MB/s 18 MB/s 10 MB/s 12 MB/s
Average File Access Time 40 sec 71 sec 44 sec 84 sec N/A
Average Media Load Time 14 sec 25 sec 14 sec 95 sec 45-50 sec
Tape Speed (Inches per Second) 1 157 1 118 1
Technology
Recording Format Helical-Scan Linear Helical-Scan Linear Helical-Scan
Form Factor 3.5" HH 5.25" FH 3.5" HH 5.25" HH 5.25 HH
Media Type 8mm AME+ 1/2" MP 8mm AME+ 1/2" MP 8mm AME
Automatic Head Cleaner Yes No Yes No Yes
WORM Functionality Yes No No Yes No
Buffer Size 32 MB 16 MB 96 MB 32 MB 8 MB
Auxiliary (Cartridge) Memory Yes Yes Yes No No
Compression Technology ALDC N/A ALDC DLZ ALDC
Average Compression Ratio 2.6:1 2:1 2.6:1 2:1 2:1
Power Consumption 14 watts 21 watts 17 watts < 14 watts 12.7 watts
Interfaces SCSI SCSI SCSI SCSI, SATA SCSI
Reliability*
MTBF (Hours) 400,000 250,000 400,000 250,000 300,000
Duty Cycle 100% 100% 100% 100% N/A
Head Life (Hours) 50,000 60,000 50,000 30,000 N/A
Passes to Fill Tape 1 48 1 N/A 1
Media Uses 30,000 25,000 30,000 150 N/A
Media Archival Life 30 years 30 years 30 years 30 years 30 years
Download this Chart (52K PDF)