Pioneer today revealed that it has already developed a major improvement on optical technology it created just last month. Having already established a 400GB disc, the company now says it has produced a disc read by blue lasers made up of 20 25GB layers, fitting exactly half a terabyte of data on a single-sided disc. The size and technology are described as technically compatible with Blu-ray and could be used in a future reader able to recognize that amount of data.
The technology isn't likely to be ready for mass production until two to four years from today but could prove essential for future storage, says Pioneer multimedia product chief Brendan Sheridan. A 500GB disc holds ten times more data than a dual-layer 50GB Blu-ray disc and would be large enough to hold multiple 1080p movies or back up much more content from a computer.
Using discs is also potentially less expensive than holographic storage, which is likely to be more expensive than using a readily adaptable laser technology.
Source: electronista
