Storage system with actuated media player

1. A system comprising:

read/write control electronics integrated within a media player assembly;

multiple storage cartridges arranged in an original position in a rack; and

actuation means for achieving movement of the media player assembly relative to the multiple storage cartridges in the rack to allow the read/write control electronics within the media player assembly to selectively couple with and provide data access to at least a subset of the multiple storage cartridges without moving the subset of the multiple storage cartridges from the original position within the rack.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the actuation means include rails and actuation robotics for propelling the media player assembly relative to the rack.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the multiple storage cartridges are each accessible for user removal from a first side of the rack and accessed by the media player assembly from a second opposite side of the rack.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the media player assembly includes multiple media players adapted to move in unison relative to the storage cartridges in the rack.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the media player assembly includes multiple media players adapted to move independent of one another, each one of the media players including position-aware electronics for avoiding collisions with the other media players.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the media player assembly further includes:

actuation robotics adapted to move the media player assembly along a fixed plane parallel to a fixed subset of the storage cartridges in the rack to position the media player assembly for access to the storage cartridges of the subset.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the media player assembly is adapted to access each one of the multiple storage cartridges without moving the storage cartridge from a fixed position within the rack.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the media player assembly is configured to provide parallel access to the subset of the multiple storage cartridges.

9. A method comprising:

identifying a physical location of a target storage device identified by a data access command, the storage device residing in a rack including multiple storage devices; and

actuating a media player assembly that includes at least one media player along a plane relative to a fixed subset of the multiple storage devices to position the at least one media player for selective coupling with the target storage device within the rack without moving the target storage device from the physical location in the rack.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the media player assembly includes at least one set of read/write control electronics for accessing data stored on the multiple storage devices.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein actuating the media player assembly further comprises actuating the media player assembly along rails.

12. The method of claim 9 , removing the target storage device through a first side of the rack that is opposite a side of the rack from which the target storage drive is accessed by the media player assembly.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the media player assembly includes multiple media players and actuating the media player assembly further entails moving the multiple media players in unison relative to the multiple storage devices in the rack.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

providing parallel data access to at least two of the multiple storage devices.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein read/write control electronics on the media player assembly send actuator control signals to the target storage device.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the multiple storage devices are arranged in a drawer and the media player assembly actuates along a plane parallel to a base of the drawer.

17. One or more memory devices encoding computer executable instructions for executing a computer process comprising:

identifying a physical location of a target storage cartridge targeted by a data access command, the target storage cartridge residing on a rack including multiple storage cartridges;

actuating a media player assembly that includes at least one media player along a plane parallel to the rack and relative to a fixed subset of the multiple storage cartridges to position the at least one media player for selective coupling with the target storage cartridge without moving the target storage device from the physical location in the rack.

18. The one or more memory devices of claim 17 , wherein the computer process further comprises:

establishing a coupling between the media player and the target storage cartridge through a first side of the rack that is opposite a side of the rack from which the target storage cartridge is removably accessed by a user.

19. The one or more memory devices of claim 17 , wherein actuating the media player assembly further comprises actuating the media player assembly along rails.

20. The one or more memory devices of claim 19 , wherein the rails extend along the base of a drawer storing the multiple storage cartridges.