Digital data storage and access

Abstract

A device for storing and accessing digital video data comprises first processing means 1 for implementing an operating system and a video system. A hard disk drive 7 is partitioned to provide a video file system storage area and an operating system file system storage area. A Hard Disk Drive Controller 8 controls access to the hard disk drive 7, the Hard Disk Drive Controller 8 comprising at least one register 14 for storing parameters defining a hard disk drive access operation and indicating the status of that operation. Two further registers 12,13 are associated with the video system and the operating system respectively, each further register being arranged to store parameters defining a hard disk drive access operation received from the associated system, and parameters indicating the status of that operation. Second processing means exchanges parameters between the register 14 of the Hard Disk Drive Controller 8 and those of said two further registers 12,13.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.