Researchers tout 500GB optical discs

[VampDude]

Via: engadget.com (http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/06/researchers-tout-500gb-optical-discs/)

Posted Jul 6th 2007 8:29PM by Donald Melanson (http://www.engadget.com/bloggers/donald-melanson)



Compared to some of the recent optical disc advances we've seen, 500GB may not seem like all that much, but according to the researchers behind the so-called "Microholas" project, they've found a means to cram that amount onto "regular" HD DVD or Blu-ray discs. The key, it seems, is a new microholographic recording technique that makes use of nanostructures inside the disc to squeeze in as much data as possible. They're apparently not quite satisfied with the results just yet though, saying that they expect the technology to one day let them store a full terabyte of data on a single disc, which they assure us will not be used to "stash away a thousand movies," but instead be used for "secure long-term storage."

[Man]

PPPfffftttt ya and they will cost 800$ a peace.

[VampDude]

PPPfffftttt ya and they will cost 800$ a peace.

$800 for a 500 GB disc, when you can get 2 250 GB Ext.HD's for almost half the price. I have 580 GB on 3 External HD's and it only cost £220 for all of them (@$450).


Blank media prices are stupid, I mean I can get 100 blank DVD's for £15 (yeah 470GB) and 2 blank 8.5GB DVD's for £16 (a sad 17GB).

[Man]

Ya it pissed me off when i bought 2 Dual layer disks for 30$, but i bought 100 plain DVDs for the same price.

[VampDude]

People who buy in bulk are the only people who benefit from buying blank media discs as they get all the mega discounts

[parkermauney]

That doesn't impress me as much as fitting 60gb on a piece of printer paper!

[gamerremag]

^lol, thats sad, you would be impressed with only 60gigs......

its horrible that people set their standards so low.

[scarph]

storage astounds me. i love the new flash drive computers that are slowly coming out. they boot in like half a second and obviously access data real fast. plus theyre durable as hell. I dont know why flash storage is different than hard drive storage though.

[SSaxdude]

Ya it pissed me off when i bought 2 Dual layer disks for 30$, but i bought 100 plain DVDs for the same price.

Man you have been getting ripped off. I saw 15 DVD9s for $20, or 100 DVD5s for $25 at Best Buy.

[cataphrax]

Well to be fair, I don't think they were thinking of the average consumer when they did this project. I'm pretty sure mass storage on a disc like that is for people who's profession it is to deal with Hi definition television or photos and whatnot. I mean, were it an actual consumer product it would be absolutely ridiculous considering all the better and cheaper ways to do it, but if your a professional and need to carry around alot of hi def media and cant just carry around two external hard drives, I think they made a perfectly viable product.

Or something like that

[Xtreme2damax]

Thats awesome, I wouldn't mind paying the extra $$ if discs like this ended up in retail. Have hard drive like storage capacity on one optical disc sounds like a good idea, only thing I'd be afraid of is losing one of those discs after filling it with data and information;)

[Man]

I hear ya, but the only problem would be making it re writeable or else you would have to have 500GB of storage, before you could fill it up.

[VampDude]

I hear ya, but the only problem would be making it re writeable or else you would have to have 500GB of storage, before you could fill it up.

I could easily fill up 500GB from downloading music videos open source movies and animé, one of the reasons why I have 2x250GB Ext.HD's and a 80GB Ext.HD with my PC's 180GB HD :D But I would never get a 500GB DVD-R thou, cause I don't look after CD's properly :(

[erix2006]

Amazing where technology is nowdays. :)

[Man]

I could easily fill up 500GB from downloading music videos open source movies and animé, one of the reasons why I have 2x250GB Ext.HD's and a 80GB Ext.HD with my PC's 180GB HD :D But I would never get a 500GB DVD-R thou, cause I don't look after CD's properly :(

It would take me close to 12 years to fill a 500GB Disk, with my download speeds, unless i just converted the s**t load of DVDs i have, dam you vampdue, and your crazy high speed internet!

[VampDude]

It would take me close to 12 years to fill a 500GB Disk, with my download speeds, unless i just converted the s**t load of DVDs i have, dam you vampdude, and your crazy high speed internet!

lol, I only have a speed of 54.0 Mbps on my wireless (broadband) network. Which I don't think is a high speed, but it's a big step from what I had a few years ago :)

[Man]

Lol as soon as i have the "resources" to be able to download at that speed, then well be in business, my dad wants to get an 80mb dedicated line, for his business server, and also he wants to build a media server in our house, im thinking of just staying here for the rest of my life, they make it too pleasant to move out ! :D

[parkermauney]

54mbps ~ 6.75 MBps ~ Downloading an entire os in about a minute and a half.

[VampDude]

Lol as soon as i have the "resources" to be able to download at that speed, then well be in business, my dad wants to get an 80mb dedicated line, for his business server, and also he wants to build a media server in our house, im thinking of just staying here for the rest of my life, they make it too pleasant to move out ! :D

lol, you will move out eventually :D