JVC intros first dual-layer, single sided DVD-RW

JVC on Friday released the world's first rewritable disc to feature dual layers on a single side, mimicking some movie DVDs and allowing users to write up to 8.5GB of uninterrupted data. The breakthrough brings the physical size of a dual-layer DVD in line with single-layer counterparts while permitting as many as 1000 complete burns. A new hard-coating technique will also apply to every disc to protect them against flaws that frequently ruin ordinary DVDs: the new method is 150 times tougher than normal discs and essentially guarantees resistance against typical scratches, smudges, and even static electricity, JVC says. Current DVDs can be recorded at 2X speed.

No mention has been made of when the discs will be in stores, though JVC notes that writing to the single-sided 8.5GB storage will require DVD drives that fit the DVD-RW for DL 2.0 spec, which are coming soon to the market but aren't yet available.