TDK Creates 200GB Blu-Ray Disc

WingaWinga MrSouth Africa Icrontian
edited September 2006 in Science & Tech
TDK a maker of recordable media, has announced the prototype of a 200GB Blu-ray laser disc.

The company was the first to develop a prototype 100GB recordable Blu-ray disc, and has again achieved a landmark in creating a 200GB disc, with the capacity to store approximately 18 hours of high definition video encoded at 24M bps.
The initial Blu-ray discs allowed for 25GB single-layer and 50GB dual-layer. However, a recent signal processing innovation stretches the physical limits of optical media, realizing 33.3GB capacity for each of the disc's six layers.

Traditional single-layer DVDs allow consumers to watch movies in 720x480 (NTSC) or 720x576 (PAL) resolution with Dolby Digital audio. The blue-laser discs will provide consumers 1920x1080 resolution as well as DTS or Dolby Digital Plus audio along with some additional interactive features.

Presently HD DVD discs can store up to 15GB on a single layer and up to 30GB on two layers. The new 200GB Blue-ray prototype has the capacity to fit in the entire Lord of the Rings Extended Edition trilogy, along with bonus discs and still have more space left to spare.

The ultra-ambitious technology roadmap for Blu-ray has now been confirmed as realistic, with landmarks such as this proving the long-term value of the format against its rivals. The HD DVD is pushed aggressively by Toshiba and NEC whereas Blu-ray is backed by Sony and Panasonic, which are among the world’s largest makers of electronics.

While the cost of these next-gen optical drives are not yet commercially viable, for businesses looking at alternative backup solutions, a single disc being able to hold a behemoth 200GB might be a perfect fit. There is a possibility that these 200GB discs will not function in existing Blu-ray drives, meaning it could be several months before it hits retail stores.

Comments

  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    Yeah 200GB at how much per disc? if they even follow the current trend, it might not be worth it... Now this could also be a huge smack in the face for HD-DVD.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    I just can't get excited about Blu Ray or HD-DVD until it's much less expensive than conventional hard drives. BIG YAWN. Heck, you can get hard drive storage for for around $.33/Gigabyte. OK, so you want portability? Put that cheap HDD in an external USB 2 enclosure for only $30.
  • airbornflghtairbornflght Houston, TX Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    But if you follow that mentality, why even bother with optical media? The main reason it is still around is because of movies/CD's. Otherwise, Optical media is really inferior to hard drives, which I see as being getting replaced by flash storage in the future.

    What I'm saying is, I have a 320Gig seagate in an enclosure, which I keep all of my stuff on, and I dont find myself burning discs anymore unless I am backing up a movie, or burning a CD for my car.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    Sure, you've got a good point. I burn CDs all the time to transfer or give away data, but they are only about 25 cents each or less when purchased in bulk. DVDs are also becoming relatively inexpensive. I imagine I'll change my tune about ultra dense storage media when it is cheap enough to give away or throw away.
  • drasnordrasnor Starship Operator Hawthorne, CA Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    Winga wrote:
    While the cost of these next-gen optical drives are not yet commercially viable, for businesses looking at alternative backup solutions, a single disc being able to hold a behemoth 200GB might be a perfect fit. There is a possibility that these 200GB discs will not function in existing Blu-ray drives, meaning it could be several months before it hits retail stores.
    These customers are willing to spend a whole lot of money on backup solutions; just think about how much a rack full of tape libraries costs and you'll know what I mean. Last I checked, BD-ROM disc prices are comparable with that of tapes and MO cartridges of similar capacity (OfficeDepot still wants beaucoups of money for those tapes and MO cartridges have to be special-ordered for all but Iomega drives) so anybody that isn't already committed to one solution will probably be asking themselves why not on BD.

    It's useful to remember that These Customers Are More Important Than Us Because They Have More Money Than Us And Money Is The Object Of The Game, As They Say.

    -drasnor :fold:
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