TDK Creates 320GB Disc With Blu-ray Technology
TDK has always been one to push the limits. Back in August, we heard that the company's roadmap included 960GB laptop drives and 3.2TB desktop drives. Now, we're also hearing that it's looking to push the same boundaries in the optical media realm. How does a 10-layer, 320GB disc sound? Sounds like Blu-ray whimpering.
Reportedly, the media storage company has already developed a 10-layer disc capable of holding a whopping 320GB, or 32GB per layer. Better still, it's possible to write and read data on and from the disc by using a blue-violet semiconductor laser with an oscillation wavelength of 405nm and an objective lens with a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.85. We know that's probably way over your head, but here's a simple way of thinking about it: that's the same stuff we already use on Blu-ray Discs, so the write/read technology is already out there in the mainstream.
The disc is structured as follows: there's a cover layer, a hard coat layer (which protects from scratches and such), recording layers and a Si-Cu alloy layer. The company has tested the disc and has found it to be reliable enough for commercial use; in fact, it's planning to showcase the disc at the CEATEC trade show in Japan next week. Who knows--maybe digital downloads won't be the death of Blu-ray after all. Sure sounds like it has way more familiar rivals to worry about.
Reportedly, the media storage company has already developed a 10-layer disc capable of holding a whopping 320GB, or 32GB per layer. Better still, it's possible to write and read data on and from the disc by using a blue-violet semiconductor laser with an oscillation wavelength of 405nm and an objective lens with a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.85. We know that's probably way over your head, but here's a simple way of thinking about it: that's the same stuff we already use on Blu-ray Discs, so the write/read technology is already out there in the mainstream.
The disc is structured as follows: there's a cover layer, a hard coat layer (which protects from scratches and such), recording layers and a Si-Cu alloy layer. The company has tested the disc and has found it to be reliable enough for commercial use; in fact, it's planning to showcase the disc at the CEATEC trade show in Japan next week. Who knows--maybe digital downloads won't be the death of Blu-ray after all. Sure sounds like it has way more familiar rivals to worry about.
