Sony, Panasonic unveil Archival Disc format for massive long-term storage needs

The optical disc is not dead yet.

Sony and Panasonic have unveiled their new Archival Disc format aimed at users who need long-term storage, with disc capacities ranging from 300GB to 1TB per disc.

Says Sony: "Optical discs have excellent properties to protect themselves against the environment, such as dust-resistance and water-resistance, and can also withstand changes in temperature and humidity when stored. They also allow inter-generational compatibility between different formats, ensuring that data can continue to be read even as formats evolve. This makes them robust media for long-term storage of content. Recognizing that optical discs will need to accommodate much larger volumes of storage going forward, particularly given the anticipated future growth in the archive market, Sony and Panasonic have been engaged in the joint development of a standard for professional-use next-generation optical discs."

The companies had originally announced the development of the discs, last summer, but have now unveiled the technology roadmap and specs, along with the new logo.

Both companies will launch systems with writing capabilities of 300GB per disc starting in the summer of 2015, with eventually capacity reaching 1TB. The discs are dual-sided and triple layer.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 10 Mar 2014 21:35

biglo30

Wow thats crazy, I think remember when 50GB seem to be pushing the limits of optical discs.

10.3.2014 23:57 #1

ivymike

Sounds pointless when you consider that there is already a format with twice to three times the capacity (Holographic Versatile Disc).

11.3.2014 00:02 #2

Interestx

Originally posted by biglo30: Wow thats crazy, I think remember when 50GB seem to be pushing the limits of optical discs. Multiple layers (beyond 2) have been promised for quite a while but I seem to recall lots of comment about them being problematic.

Given that they are saying these discs are for professional long-term data storage (which I'm reading as expensive) I wonder how they have solved the issues and whether any of this might carry over to the consumer market?

The BD XL (100gb & 128gb) already exists but I've never actually seen it and I don't know anyone using one.

Hard drives seem to have won this battle as the cost/size equation is hands-down better.
People talk about reliability but whilst being a mechanical device HDDs must eventually fail they are so cheap (and get increasingly larger) that backing up to a new bigger drive every year or 2 is a practical option for many if not most....and it's not as if burnt discs are always 100% reliable
(I haven't burnt a disc in ages but used to always use good quality Verbatim discs & I have had a few become unreadable after 4 or 5 yrs).

11.3.2014 10:40 #3

joebloe12

Originally posted by ivymike: Sounds pointless when you consider that there is already a format with twice to three times the capacity (Holographic Versatile Disc). I was thinking the same thing! The Holographic disks start at 1 TB going up to 6 TB per DISK! Compared to these disks, these new disks seem puny in their size!

11.3.2014 20:30 #4

hearme0

Originally posted by ivymike: Sounds pointless when you consider that there is already a format with twice to three times the capacity (Holographic Versatile Disc). From Wikipedia so you point is null.......at this time. Try again later son.

"Standards for 100 GB read-only holographic discs and 200 GB recordable cartridges were published by ECMA in 2007,[2][3] but no holographic disc product has appeared in the market. A number of release dates were announced, all since passed."

Optical tech increases are much more practical and cheaper to develop on. While that medium is dying out ULTIMATELY.........it still has another 2 decades minimum left.

Now.......at these price points for BDXL discs etc...we are all better off buying a 500GB SSD for 250 now (Crucial M500s are cheap as Hell like most others nowadays) and storing those away.
[

14.3.2014 02:07 #5

xtago

I'd say this is just blueray.

Seeing as they have done 500gig disks before it properly came out, and 1 tb was the current limit.

The blue laser is small but it can be adjusted by the drive so it's a finer point on the disk thus holds more data.

so new drives may not be needed. the limiting factor could be the disks

14.3.2014 10:46 #6

dbminter

I don't like the idea they decided to make them double sided discs. Anyone with a double sided DVD knows how easily they can be dirtied or damaged. Hence why most companies have finally mostly stopped releasing movies on them. If you've ever tried checking out a DVD from your local library that is double sided, you've probably experienced the problem.

14.3.2014 12:19 #7

s_c47

Originally posted by hearme0: Originally posted by ivymike: Sounds pointless when you consider that there is already a format with twice to three times the capacity (Holographic Versatile Disc). From Wikipedia so you point is null.......at this time. Try again later son.

"Standards for 100 GB read-only holographic discs and 200 GB recordable cartridges were published by ECMA in 2007,[2][3] but no holographic disc product has appeared in the market. A number of release dates were announced, all since passed."

Optical tech increases are much more practical and cheaper to develop on. While that medium is dying out ULTIMATELY.........it still has another 2 decades minimum left.

Now.......at these price points for BDXL discs etc...we are all better off buying a 500GB SSD for 250 now (Crucial M500s are cheap as Hell like most others nowadays) and storing those away.
[ You're calling someone out while citing Wikipedia? I think it's you who should try again.

Someone told me once that theres a right and wrong, and that punishment would come to those
who dare to cross the line.
But it must not be true for jerk-offs like you.
Maybe it takes longer to catch a total asshole.

1.4.2014 02:46 #8

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