How to fit 300 DVDs on one disc (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

A new optical recording method could pave the way for data discs with 300 times the storage capacity of standard DVDs, Nature journal reports.

The researchers say this could see a whopping 1.6 terabytes of information fit on a DVD-sized disc.

They describe their method as "five-dimensional" optical recording and say it could be commercialised.

The technique employs nanometre-scale particles of gold as a recording medium.

Researchers at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia have exploited the particular properties of these gold "nano-rods" by manipulating the light pointed at them.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8060082.stm

[Towlie]

1. All that technology and it still has to have a mechanical motor to spin it? Pitiful.

[Cobalt-60]

2. perhaps its the ultimate spinner. It is pretty good

but I think the future is solid state.

[Orrex]

4. Maybe the disc remains motionless, while the player spins around it at a brazillion rpm?

[sofa king]

9. A French engine maker wants to talk to you.

http://www.animatedengines.com/gnome.shtml

[Orrex]

10. Never heard of that before. Very cool!

Thanks for the link!

[Ptah]

5. Or, a brilliant application for the simple

circle.

:shrug:

[sakabatou]

3. The big question is

How much is the end product gonna cost?

[Angleae]

11. Several thousand on release.

Dropping to about $1000 after 1 year
$500 after 2 years
$250 after 3 years
$100 after 4 years
and so forth until you can get them for $19.99.

[sakabatou]

12. I'll wait.

[Realityhack]

6. Hey cool... that means a scratch will whipe out several gigs of data. ;-) n/t

[FiveGoodMen]

7. The reject rate will be high and the MTBF will be low.

DVDs already fail way more than CDs.

You trade away reliability to get all that storage.

[Vidar]

13. Good point.

[TransitJohn]

8. Physical media is dead.

The sooner the content distributors realize this, the better. Just let me pay for the files i want, and use them how I want.

[caraher]

14. But your content distributor still needs a physical medium

I agree that the personal collection of discs (vinyl, CD, DVD, etc.) will become increasingly rare, but that doesn't much reduce the technological imperative at work (it just changes the market away from individual consumers).