Abstract: Read and write transducer elements have very high reliability for most of their respective lives. Only a small percentage of transducer elements fail after a significant duration of operation in the field, but failure rate ramps up significantly with as the transducer elements age, particularly with heavy read and write use. Prior solutions to this problem involve regularly running data field integrity checks. However, the data field integrity checks are resource intensive and yield significant latency impacts. The presently disclosed technology renders data field integrity checks (that come with high latency costs) dependent upon periodic or continuous head health monitoring schemes (that come with low latency costs). The data field integrity checks are triggered by a “poor health” signal generating from the head health monitoring schemes rather than being continuously or periodically performed with no regard to projected head health.

Abstract: A catheter tube for a fecal drainage system has a first layer and a second layer. At least one of the first and second layers is an odor barrier layer of material and at least one of the first and second layers is a thermoplastic elastomer material.

Abstract: A catheter tube for a fecal drainage system has a first layer and a second layer. At least one of the first and second layers is an odor barrier layer of material and at least one of the first and second layers is a thermoplastic elastomer material.

Abstract: A multi-layer odor barrier catheter tube for a fecal drainage catheter. The external surface has a low coefficient of friction, as does the internal surface. The layers of the catheter tube may be co-extruded, or formed as a heat-laminated film rolled into a cylindrical shape and heat-welded. A flexible scrim may be included intermediate the first and third layers. One or more tie layers may be included between at least one of the first and second layers, or the second and third layers. A combination of a multi-layer odor barrier catheter tube with an odor barrier collection bag is also described.

Abstract: A multi-layer odor barrier catheter tube for a fecal drainage catheter. The external surface has a low coefficient of friction, as does the internal surface. The layers of the catheter tube may be co-extruded, or formed as a heat-laminated film rolled into a cylindrical shape and heat-welded. A flexible scrim may be included intermediate the first and third layers. One or more tie layers may be included between at least one of the first and second layers, or the second and third layers. A combination of a multi-layer odor barrier catheter tube with an odor barrier collection bag is also described.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing error/status information generated in the demultiplexing, processing, and handling of data packets from a video transport stream. Error/status information is organized into control fields of error/status packets. The error/status packets are sent to dedicated error/status buffers of bulk system memory where they can be accessed by a system processor during the reconfiguration and decoding of video programming.

Abstract: A processing apparatus for processing multiple video programs from one or more transport streams. The processing apparatus has a transport processing circuit that includes multiple transport processor units. The transport processor units utilize a common transport processor memory unit having demux context entries containing processing and hardware state information for packet types. Each transport processor unit includes a transport interface for identifying data packets to be acquired from the transport stream, a demultiplexing processor for processing the acquired data packets, and a demultiplexing DMA unit for memory handling operations of the processed data packets. Index chaining allows the transport processor units to access information from the transport processor memory unit. The method uses indices to access demux context entries from the transport processor memory unit. Related DMA indices are used to access memory handling information from the transport processor memory unit.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing error/status information generated in the demultiplexing, processing, and handling of data packets from a video transport stream. Error/status information is organized into control fields of error/status packets. The error/status packets are sent to dedicated error/status buffers of bulk system memory where they can be accessed by a system processor during the reconfiguration and decoding of video programming.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing error/status information generated in the demultiplexing, processing, and handling of data packets from a video transport stream. Error/status information is organized into control fields of error/status packets. The error/status packets are sent to dedicated error/status buffers of bulk system memory where they can be accessed by a system processor during the reconfiguration and decoding of video programming.

Abstract: A processing apparatus for processing multiple video programs from one or more transport streams. The processing apparatus has a transport processing circuit that includes multiple transport processor units. The transport processor units utilize a common transport processor memory unit having demux context entries containing processing and hardware state information for packet types. Each transport processor unit includes a transport interface for identifying data packets to be acquired from the transport stream, a demultiplexing processor for processing the acquired data packets, and a demultiplexing DMA unit for memory handling operations ofthe processed data packets. Index chaining allows the transport processor units to access information from the transport processor memory unit. The method uses indices to access demux context entries from the transport processor memory unit. Related DMA indices are used to access memory handling information from the transport processor memory unit.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing error/status information generated in the demultiplexing, processing, and handling of data packets from a video transport stream. Error/status information is organized into control fields of error/status packets. The error/status packets are sent to dedicated error/status buffers of bulk system memory where they can be accessed by a system processor during the reconfiguration and decoding of video programming.