- Bulk transfer : Data are transmitted by bursts and arrive on a big buffer. They’re then checked by an error correction system and the sink will ask for retransmission if needed. The complete data are finally reconstructed (and clocked if needed) by the sink. At first sight, this solution is perfect for audio transfers; the data are guaranteed to arrive and the clocking is done only by the DAC, with no jitter. However, this solution has been widely rejected. Bulk transfer as it is implemented cannot offer any guarantee of timing and would require big buffers. It would raise the costs but also mean that the user would only be able to control his DAC with a few seconds of delay. Practically speaking, this means that bulk transfer has been reserved to printers and the like, that need large files to transmitted without errors but with little considerations of timing.
