Abstract: Methods and apparatus describe processing of data for recording to a storage device. An apparatus includes, in at least one aspect, a plurality of buffers and circuitry configured to encode data stored in one buffer of the plurality of buffers concurrently with storing data in another buffer of the plurality of buffers and to write the encoded data from the one buffer to a storage device concurrently with encoding the stored data in the other buffer.

Abstract: Among other disclosed subject matter, a magnetic disk controller includes an interface that receives and transmits data to be written into a magnetic disk. The magnetic disk controller includes a first buffer and a second buffer each of which temporarily stores data that is to be written into at least one sector of the magnetic disk. The magnetic disk controller includes an encoding unit that encodes the data stored in any of the first buffer and the second buffer into data representing a signal to be applied to the magnetic disk. A data width M between the encoding unit and the first and second buffers is at least equal to twice a data width N between the interface and the first and second buffers.