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The 'Microholas project' crams 500GB onto a single disc

7 July 2007 16:56 by James "Dela" Delahunty | 25 comments

The University of Berlin, partnered with Budapest University of Technology and Economics and Universita Politecnica delle Marche in Italy, have worked out how to cram 500GB of data onto Blu-ray or HD DVD discs, saying that 1TB of data is the aim. The Microholas project created a microholographic recording technique that uses nanostructures inside the disc instead of on the surface.

Using this method, storage capacities can be achieved that make today's available storage by optical disc look pretty weak. A single layer Blu-ray disc can store 25GB of data and a dual layer BD disc holds 50GB. Single-layer and dual-layer HD DVD discs store 15GB and 30GB of data respectively.

The 500GB prototype contains 50 data-storage layers. Professor Susanna Orlic explained to German site Pressetext that applying wavelength multiplexing techniques to multi-layer disc structures, you can achieve very high densities. The goal of this high-storage media would not be to distribute movies or games, but would be more geared toward long-term data storage instead.

Source:
The Register

Permalink to this article

GE introduces micro-holographic disc with 500GB capacity (28 April 2009)

DVD sized disc with 1TB - 5TB of data (4 September 2007)

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Discuss this article!
killaklan (Member) 7 July 2007 17:09
sounds expensive [ + quote]
limelight (Member) 7 July 2007 17:11
50 layers??!! I cant even imagine the headache burning one of those! [ + quote]
AXT (Member) 7 July 2007 17:12
Originally posted by killaklan: sounds expensive indeed! [ + quote]
AXT (Member) 7 July 2007 17:12
Originally posted by killaklan: sounds expensive indeed! [ + quote]
muccione (Newbie) 7 July 2007 17:17
Originally posted by limelight: 50 layers??!! I cant even imagine the headache burning one of those! DVD shrink is working on a program as we type... [ + quote]
kingjoker (Newbie) 7 July 2007 18:51
50 layers i wonder if it would fit in my pocket. [ + quote]
spydah (Junior Member) 7 July 2007 19:46
it probably will be like $200 per disc and if it is that price i better be able to get my whole dvd collection on one of those. [ + quote]
WierdName (Inactive) 7 July 2007 21:49
I wonder how many hours that takes to fully write. [ + quote]
scott2k7 (Senior Member) 7 July 2007 23:59
gotta get a reader first [ + quote]
Kraut1 (Newbie) 8 July 2007 3:22
Wow! finally I can store all my hate mail on one disc. [ + quote]
CKhaleel (Senior Member) 8 July 2007 4:55
Imangine if the PS4 would have this. The price: $2,500. [ + quote]
mbatiri (Newbie) 8 July 2007 5:01
*Fa Tabarekallaho Ahsanol Khalegin.* [ + quote]
Riotard (Inactive) 8 July 2007 6:52
So apart from the stupid price of just oen disc, because its 50 layers, then the reader and writer, WHO TEH HELL WOULD NEED THIS! MY HHD IS 500GB ITS MORE THEN ENOUGH! [ + quote]
club42 (Member) 8 July 2007 8:14
I think they should focus on flash media instead. Why would you use any type of dvd for long term data storage? [ + quote]
sandeep14 (Newbie) 8 July 2007 10:00
its a good discovery, but what about when the disc gets scratched? HDDs are better, only drawback of Hard drives are that they may be bigger and heavier (physical space consuming). However, like someone said above, they can focus on flash meia, USBs and Memory cards, so they should focus on developing those, since they are already popular methods of data storage. [ + quote] This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 8 July 2007 10:01
Pop_Smith (Senior Member) 8 July 2007 10:01
Quote: DVD shrink is working on a program as we type... Although it doesn't say anything on DVD Shink.org I have read a few places on this board that says the individual who created DVD Shrink is (and has been for sometime) employed by Nero. This is why DVD Shrink hasn't been updated for a long time. So, no DVD Shrink's creator will not be making a program to make these burnable. Heck, regular (i.e. single layer) HD DVD or Blu-ray PC burners are still pretty expensive. On the article, yeah 500GB is a lot. However, Hitachi has just come out with a pretty-affordable 1TB HDD for consumer use. That is if you call $370 for a single HDD reasonable. So yes, the need for a 500GB (or bigger!) optical disk is going to be needed in the near future in my opinion. Peace [ + quote]
sandeep14 (Newbie) 8 July 2007 10:04
i jus want loads of HD memory capacity for my desktop pc, for all my songssssssssssss. cant live without music. all these mixtapes comin out regularly, need to download em, keep up 2 date, with everything, by downloading! oh yes! [ + quote]
muccione (Newbie) 8 July 2007 11:16
Quote: Originally posted by limelight: 50 layers??!! I cant even imagine the headache burning one of those! DVD shrink is working on a program as we type... Just so everyone knows this was a joke and only a joke [ + quote]
Yraen (Inactive) 8 July 2007 14:20
At the moment, this is lab-work. You won't be trotting out to the store to buy a 500GB holo-disc for a good while yet... But as Pop_Smith stated, with drives moving into the terabyte range, it's only a matter of time before 500 gigs doesn't seem so unreasonable. Not so long ago, everyone was amazed at the cost of DVD burners and media, now you can pick a decent burner up for less than it costs to take your girlfriend (or boyfriend) to the movies, and the media itself is so cheap that most people buy them in cakeboxes of 30 to 50 a pack. Those DVDs we burn hold more information than many of this sites readers first hard drives did, and write it all in a matter of minutes. Scoffers might want to keep in mind that technology doesn't stand still, a fact for which I am quite thankful. When BR or HD-DVD (whichever chokes out the other) finally wins out, takes over the market, and comes down in price enough for the average consumer to purchase like DVD burners did, I'll happily buy one--and eagerly wait for holo-burners to appear on the market. I just hope my new holo-burner doesn't fudge DVD burns for my modded XBox... Although I suppose by then I'll have moved on to a modded Xbox360 or XBox1080 ;-) [ + quote]
madman91 (Junior Member) 12 July 2007 17:15
In 100 years storage media will be obsolete. Everything will be on the internet.. Files will not be saved but in a constant transport between networks :-) I know I'm crazy. But seriously, why do 50 layers when you can get 2 right? Most of the dvd's consumers burn are single layered.. Cmon now, slow down. [ + quote]
mrleftnut (Newbie) 12 July 2007 18:39
i look forward to playing the elderscrolls X on a holo-disk with a 500 GB world that has more surface area than than the real world. [ + quote]
borhan9 (AfterDawn Addict) 15 July 2007 4:34
the issue here is why would you want that much space on your disc. Hard drives are becomming cheaper by the day so why bother. [ + quote]
rdxtreme (Member) 18 July 2007 12:47
HEY WHATS THAT SOUND oh , its a dead horse being beat to death. [ + quote]
maryjayne (Junior Member) 19 July 2007 5:37
*Quote:* the issue here is why would you want that much space on your disc. Hard drives are becomming cheaper by the day so why bother. Same thing happened with floppy discs. They became cheaper as they became obsolete. I currently have two 200GB drives and both are frequently being filled by storing DVDs on them. Eventually HD DVD or Blu-Ray will take over as the dominant format and we will be storing 15-50GB per disc instead of 8.5GB. I am sure we will need some sort of huge storage device once the 1000 inch TV hits the market! [ + quote]
maryjayne (Junior Member) 19 July 2007 5:37
*Quote:* the issue here is why would you want that much space on your disc. Hard drives are becomming cheaper by the day so why bother. Same thing happened with floppy discs. They became cheaper as they became obsolete. I currently have two 200GB drives and both are frequently being filled by storing DVDs on them. Eventually HD DVD or Blu-Ray will take over as the dominant format and we will be storing 15-50GB per disc instead of 8.5GB. I am sure we will need some sort of huge storage device once the 1000 inch TV hits the market! [ + quote]