Abstract: A disk array control apparatus controls writing of data onto an array of N storage devices such as disk drives, where N is an integer of 3 or greater. Each storage device writes data with a granularity of a sector having a predetermined sector size. The apparatus writes data with a granularity of a transfer unit having a transfer size which is T times the sector size, where T is a plural integer greater than (N?1). The apparatus is allows writing to an array of storage devices for which (N?1) is not a factor of T. In particular, the apparatus divides each transfer unit of data into plural stripes each consisting of a respective plural number of sectors of data having the sector size, the stripes each consisting of at most (N?1) sectors and at least one of the stripes consisting of less than (N?1) sectors, and calculates, in respect of each stripe, a parity sector of parity data. The sectors of data and the parity sector representing the parity of each stripe are written onto different storage devices.

Abstract: In order provide a host apparatus 20, such as a digital television receiver, with the capability of transmitting commands to an external storage medium device 21 connected to the host apparatus 20 over an external databus 22, the host apparatus 20 is provided with: a command bus 28 and a command interface 26, 27 arranged in accordance with one of the ATA/IDE standard or the Serial ATA standard for transmitting commands to a storage medium device over the storage medium command bus 28; and an integrated circuit chip 29 connected to the command bus 28 and to the external databus 22 and having an interface arranged to convert commands received from the command bus 28 in a format in accordance with said one of the ATA/IDE standard or the Serial ATA standard into a format for the external databus 22 and to transmit the converted commands over the external databus 22. The external databus 22 may be arranged in accordance with the IEEE 1394 standard or the Universal Serial Bus standard.