Sony has announced that it is developing a next generation video archive storage system, which includes a cartridge that houses 12 optical discs and a specialised drive unit.
Currently in the research and development stage, the Disc Archive Storage System will be introduced to the market in 2012.
Compared to the tape systems used by movie studios, broadcasting networks and production houses over the past few decades, Sony's Disk Archive Storage System offers a lower total cost of ownership through the use of long-life media, and includes inter-generational compatibility based on the same optical disc technology used in DVDs and Blu-rays. The archive solution puts 12 media discs in a firm cartridge enabling data to be handled on a per-file basis, by making the operating device recognise the system as a "single large volume storage unit" rather than by each individual disc. The cartridges are available in both a write-once format and a rewriteable format, with various capacity options from 300GB capacity up to 1.5TB.
Sony intends to work in an open platform environment with various component, middleware and software manufacturers, by disclosing the technical specifications of its Disc Archive Storage System.