Andre Yoskowitz
6 Aug 2008 14:55
Just last month, we reported that Pioneer had developed a 400GB Blu-ray compatible disc. Today however, they have one-upped their previous announcement by announcing they have developed a 500GB disc that can be read by blue lasers and is technically compatible with Blu-ray.
The disc uses 20 layers at 25GB a piece to equal 500GB and has the capacity to store 10 times the amount of 1080p footage that current BD movies have.
"While Blu-ray discs (BD), offering both 25GB and 50GB, are sufficient for users' current demands, we envision the need for a technology that can support far greater capacities as HD streaming in particular becomes commonplace and users build larger files of digital content," said Pioneer multimedia division product manager Brendan Sheridan. "The multi-layered method is compatible with Blu-ray devices providing a long term future for the technology and is more easily produced when compared to competing technologies such as holographic storage."
Sheridan does note that the disc is only a research project prototype right now but that the company is in talks with the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) to formalize the standard.
When will the public see this disc? Two to four years, expects Sheridan.