Abstract: Virtual disk drive architecture. A novel approach is presented by which a virtual design system allows for the design, development, and testing of memory storage devices including hard disk drives (HDDs). A virtual disk drive architecture allows for the implementation and emulation of a full HDD system. All of the pieces of the HDD system (e.g., including both the read channel and the controller functionalities) are included and implemented to allow a designer to develop and test certain portions within the system. In some embodiments, one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are employed to implement a hard drive (HD) controller in an all digital implementation. Various combinations including circuit boards and FPGAs can be employed to emulate an entire HDD system. In even other embodiments, one or more sockets, and appropriate interfacing, are included to allow the testing of actual chips within the virtual disk drive architecture.

Abstract: Digital packets, defined by a sync byte and then 130 MPEG2 compressed QPSK signal bytes, from a satellite transponder are reformatted prior to transmission to television receivers in apartments in a building wired to distribute video signals. A side byte between such sync and signal bytes in each packet indicates (a) any QPSK packet uncorrectable error and (b) processing information which allows automatic reconfiguration at the settop box. Additional FEC bytes correct to 8 errors within a MPEG2QPSK packet. The system removes the FEC bytes and reframes the MPEG2QPSK packets into a superpacket by converting a first number of the MPEG2QPSK packets to a second number of MPEG2QAM packets. An added sync byte indicates the beginning of each such MPEG2QAM packet. The system adds side data bytes including any uncorrectable errors in each MPEG2QPSK packet and adds a new, less complicated FEC to each MPEG2QAM packet.