Right now, putting 4,7Gb on a single (sided) disc sounds quite cool. Due to fast internet connections, MP3 collections are growing and growing so the numbers of CDR's being used increase all the time. Making use of DVD-ROM's could solve this problem a little bit... but... why not put even more on a disc?
Some Japanese scientists combined their knowledge with Sharp & TDK to find a way to put more information on a disc. And guess what: they succeeded.
By making use of another laser type (a laser with a different wavelength), a blue laser, this has been possible for quite some time. But since these laser units are really expensive and red lasers are still being used everywhere, they where looking for a way to put more on a disc with a red laser. As you all probably know, a CD/DVD is created by making little gaps in the disc. This new technique makes gaps smaller so there can fit more gaps on a single disc!
The regular gaps (CD) are 400nm, these "new" gaps are just 85nm (sounds better huh?). This still means that you need new hardware for writing and reading this type of disc, but as stated, the parts shouldn't be more expensive then regular parts.
For those who wonder what technology is being used (without making use of a different laserunit) in order to get smaller gaps... the secret is in the heat the laser produces on the disc. By putting an extra layer on a disc they can adjust the heat being produced. To affect this heat they can adjust the rotation speed of the disc and the thickness of the extra layer.
But... they are just in a very early stage of this technology. Theoretically it should be possible to put about 200Gb on such a disc with making use of a red laser. With making use of a blue laser, this could be quite some times higher...
Expected is that this technology will hit the streets in about 4 years...
And after all this, there's just one thing I keep wondering: what happened to the FMD-ROM?
Source: Webwereld
