Whilst we wait for dual layer media to tumble in price, we can satisfy our craving by contemplating this news release from PC World. According to this article, Sony has cast caution to the wind and developed an 8 layer 200 gigabyte Blu-ray disc. Although they have not decided whether to commercialize such a product, they are saying a 4 layer 100 gigabyte version is expected to hit the consumer market within the next 2 years.
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"The advantage of Blu-ray over DVD is definitely capacity, and we are extending our multilayer performance. The 8-layer is a technology demonstration. We haven't decided when we are going to commercialize it yet," Takamine says. The development is the fourth recent boost for the format as it competes with high-deifinition DVD to replace conventional DVDs in coming years. Both Sony and Matsushita Electric Industrial, better known for its Panasonic brand, sell blu-ray players. But the players are expensive. A mass market will not develop for either of the new formats until major Hollywood studios are convinced that they can protect their content against piracy, according to analysts and industry watchers. |
Or they may become popular once that DVD recorder sales are maxed out and the market shows even the slihtest signs of slowing down. Then to heck with Hollywood, bring on the Blu-ray at bargain prices. Anyway, let's hope it isn't true that a handful of movie moguls can hold back the progress of optical storage!
Source: PC World
