Concurrent data recording and reproducing method, seek operation control method and magnetic disk drive using the methods

A method of controlling a head actuator to move a magnetic head relative to a magnetic disk medium to record data to and reproduce data from the magnetic disk medium, the method comprising:

• controlling the magnetic head to record stream data on the magnetic disk medium in a stream data format;
• and
• detecting a situation in which two or more stream data are to be recorded or reproduced concurrently so as to set a slower seek operation mode;
• wherein the stream data is recorded on the magnetic disk medium using an AV command defined by an ATA-7 in a stream data format.

A recording and reproducing method for recording first stream data on a recording medium while reproducing second stream data which has been recorded on the recording medium, the method comprising:

• setting a seek time shorter when the first stream and second stream are respectively recorded to and reproduced from an innermost area of the recording medium than when the first stream and second stream are respectively recorded to and reproduced from an outermost area of the recording medium;
• and
• concurrently recording the first stream data on and reproducing the second stream data from the recording medium using the seek time;
• wherein the first and second stream data are recorded on the recording medium using an AV command defined by an ATA-7 in a stream data format.

A method for controlling a seek operation in a magnetic disk drive when the magnetic disk drive recognizes information sent from a host device as stream data and concurrently accesses two or more stream data including the stream data sent from the host device;

• the method comprising:
• setting the magnetic disk drive which is interoperably connected to the host device into a standby state;
• judging whether the information sent from the host device is stream data;
• if the information is judged as stream data, finding other stream data that are to be recorded or reproduced;
• if two or more other stream data are to be recorded or reproduced, pairing the stream data from the host device with one of the stream data found and assigning a slower seek mode to the pair;
• executing seek operations in the slower seek mode between the two stream data constituting the pair;
• and
• recording the stream data on a magnetic disk medium using an AV command defined by an ATA-7 in a stream data format.