Various factors must be considered in answering the question, "Which tape format?" Texas Instruments chose the 21-track format after 50 engineering man-years of study. Higher data transfer rates can be made using the 9 track rather than the 7 track. A comparison of 21 track versus 9 track capabilities is made in regard to ability to handle the number of seismic channels, format and gain recovery, efficiency, reliability, the recording of the actual time of the sample, edge effects, and economics.

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