AIT-4 vs. Others
  DLTV4 VXA320 AIT-4 LTO2
Capacity and Performance
Max Native Capacity 160 GB 160 GB 200 GB 200 GB
Max Compressed Capacity 320 GB 320 GB 520 GB 400 GB
Max Native Transfer Rate 10 MB/s 12 MB/s 24 MB/s 30 MB/s
Average File Access Time 84 sec N/A 44 sec 71 sec
Average Media Load Time 95 sec 45-50 sec 14 sec 25 sec
Tape Speed (Inches per Second) 118 1 1 N/A
Technology
Recording Format Linear Helical-Scan Helical-Scan Linear
Form Factor 5.25" HH 5.25" HH 3.5" HH 5.25" FH
Media Type 1/2" MP 8mm AME 8mm AMEII 1/2" MP
Automatic Head Cleaner No Yes Yes No
WORM Functionality Yes No Yes No
Buffer Size 32 MB 8 MB 96 MB N/A
Auxiliary (Cartridge) Memory No No Yes Yes
Compression Technology DLZ ALDC ALDC ALDC
Average Compression Ratio 2:1 2:1 2.6:1 2:1
Power Consumption < 14 watts 12.7 watts 17 watts N/A
Interfaces SCSI, SATA SCSI SCSI SCSI, Fibre
Reliability*
MTBF (Hours) 250,000 300,000 400,000 250,000
Duty Cycle 100% N/A 100% 100%
Head Life (Hours) 30,000 N/A 50,000 N/A
Passes to Fill Tape N/A 1 1 48
Media Uses 150 N/A 30,000 25,000
Media Archival Life 30 years 30 years 30 years 30 years
Download this Chart (50K PDF)