DECtape reliability?

[Paul Koning]

> On Nov 12, 2015, at 7:16 PM, Rich Alderson <RichA at LivingComputerMuseum.org> wrote:
> 
> ...
>> However, more "intelligent" controllers do all this processing of the
>> mark track to identify start and end of block/tape, and all other
>> processing, in the controller. Can you make them read out the contents
>> and do the processing if you have different control codes?
> 
> The state machine implemented in hardware for all the intelligent DECtape
> controllers will not recognize the 4-bit LINCtape codes at all, since the
> DECtape codes are 6 bits long.  You'll just get a MARK Error.

Doesn't read-all leave mark track recognition to software?

	paul