Panasonic, Sony promise 67GB Blu-ray discs

updated 12:25 pm EST, Sat January 2, 2010

Blu-ray technique gives 33pc 'free' storage


Panasonic and Sony on Friday were revealed to have made a technology that could provide a third more space on a Blu-ray disc than existing technology. An evaluation technique known as i-MLSE (Maximum Likelihood Sequence Estimation) would better judge the optical quality when reading and writing discs, letting Blu-ray burners and readers work at up to a higher limit. The companies estimate that they could already produce 33.4GB per layer versus 25GB today and could result in a 66.8GB dual-layer disc.

Unlike some advanced Blu-ray developments, the new approach is primarily dependent on software and wouldn't need new lasers or settings to record the extra capacity, according to Tech-On. Some companies may need to upgrade the processing hardware inside their drives as the advanced correction needs extra performance to be handled in real time.

Sony is particularly hopeful that i-MLSE becomes a widespread standard and is likely to propose it to the Blu-ray Disc Association as part of the spec. The move would give Association members like Apple, Dell, LG and Samsung a new option for data backups and longer-running movies.


By Electronista Staff

toggle

Previous Comments

  1. TheAppleFreak

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 2009

    +1

    Apple's a member of the Association?

    Surprising... given their outright refusal to support Blu-ray on their Macs (asides from data usage), I'm a bit surprised to hear about this.

    This is good news, though. This could probably translate over to longer, more ridiculously hi-def movies than they already have.


  1. dmsimmer

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Feb 2005

    +2

    Back up

    What is the point of backing up to discs? By the time it was finished, it would be time to do it again.

    HDD is more economical.


  1. chirpy22

    Junior Member

    Joined: Jan 2006

    +4

    great...

    More room for more cr@ppy previews that you can't fast forward through because the disc won't let you.


  1. sixcolors

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 2001

    -3

    really

    I thought everyone quit investing in stupid plastic disks...


  1. coffeetime

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Nov 2006

    0

    This is war

    Oh, boy. The heat is on. The moment HD download contents are available, Sony just have to push it further for their Blue-ray invention.


  1. CmdrGampu

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2009

    +4

    Apple and downloads

    Apple is not just a member, it's been on the Blu-ray Disc Association's board of directors almost from the beginning.

    Good luck with HD downloads. If you think that the ISPs are going to sit and take it while everyone loads down their networks with multiple 10+ gigabyte downloads every month, you're dreaming. Either they're going to cap your bandwidth or they're going to raise your prices. Comcast is already paving the way.


  1. testudo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

    -1

    Re: great

    More room for more cr@ppy previews that you can't fast forward through because the disc won't let you.

    And if you think that, if downloads come into real usage, you're not going to have the same thing there, you're dreaming.


Login Here

Not a member of the MacNN forums? Register now for free.

 
close
Photo
toggle

Network Headlines

toggle

Most Popular

10 Most Read

Recent Reviews

Logitech Cube

The world of mice could often be described charitably as stagnant: it's an endless sea of ergonomic shapes that assume you're sitting ...

NewerTech and Targus USB Hubs For Gifts

A useful holiday present to resolve an ongoing frustration is a multi-port hub. Whether as a stocking stuffer, Chanukah present, or an ...

X-Rite ColorMunki Photo

Color calibration is the art of tweaking your monitor so that the colors represented on screen better match real life and your printer ...

toggle

Most Commented

10 Most Discussed

 
toggle

Popular News