A firm which makes a disc that can hold 60 times more data than a DVD said it is ready to release the product next year.

InPhase Technologies, based in Colorado, has developed a commercially viable version of a holographic disc which can hold 300 gigabytes of data and can be used to read and write data 10 times faster than a normal DVD.

InPhase Technologies spokesperson Liz Murphy said that unlike other technologies that record one data bit at a time, holography allows a million bits of data to be written and read in parallel with a single flash of light. This enables transfer rates significantly higher than current optical storage device.

The discs, are 13 centimetres across and a little wider than normal DVDs. They store data in a light-sensitive crystal material using the interference of laser light. A single light beam is split and passed through a semi-transparent material. This acts like a filter, changing different parts of the beam to encode bits of information.

The altered beam and the reference beam are then recombined in the light-sensitive material and their pattern of interference provides a record of the encoded information.

More in the New Scientist, here.


Source : TheInquirer/New Scientist

so .. is this for real ?
it sounds like it was taken out of a back to the future movie .. ;)
ha ha ..
anyways .. whats next ? holographic tv's ? ha ha ..

(in reply to SiliconFreak)

exactly.....next to come are holographic tv's....then much much more....future has lots of hidden potential you know....

(in reply to major9686)

..premium technology for premium users. Technically impressive, however. But commercialization is far away, if decided. Do you remember Calimetrics' Multi-level recording ?

(in reply to SiliconFreak)

quote:

ORIGINAL: SiliconFreak

exactly.....next to come are holographic tv's....then much much more....future has lots of hidden potential you know....

I know .. virtual babes ;) ha ha ..

(in reply to SiliconFreak)