[IP] Nostalgia: how many punch cards per 3 minute MP3?
Begin forwarded message:
From: Cliff Bamford <bamford@xxxxxx>
Date: August 2, 2005 1:58:49 AM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Nostalgia: how many punch cards per 3 minute MP3?
Reply-To: bamford@xxxxxx
Dave ... for IP if you wish...
From http://www.ypsidixit.com/blog/archives/2005/08/
remember_punch.html (surf at your own risk) ... Cliff
August 01, 2005
"Remember 80-column punch cards?
"Just think of the concept--the data is made up out of thin air! The
card is just there to organize the holes"
How many cards would it take to encode a 3-minute mp3? Answer:
"Assuming a non-Hollerith encoding with eight bits per column, and an
MP3 file encoded at 128kbps CBR, there would be 36,864 cards in that
deck, and the card reader would need a throughput of 205 cards per
second. It might be wise to include an 8-column sequence number,
however, so that a misordered deck can be repaired by a card sorter;
with 72 data columns per card, the total is precisely 40,960 cards
(40K cards), requiring a 228 card/second throughput." The 21 boxes of
cards needed would by 5 feet 9 inches tall. That such a huge leap in
technology is well within living memory is astonishing.
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