New data disc format: HVD

[MidniteArrow]

I hadn't seen this before and thought it was neat. Still 2 years off. Basically a DVD that can store a terabyte.

http://www.tomshardware.com/business/20050616/dvd_standards-07.html#hvd

[Jafo]

2007, nice..

[blinx]

a terabyte would rock... but im sure it probably burns at real time... or like 2x...

they need to settle these format wars... really...

[Jafo]

$3000 is pretty steep for a HD.. heh..

[MidniteArrow]

Actually, if you read it there is a higher theoretical data recording rate since it does not spin the disc, but rather moves the laser. It's a pretty safe assumption that this would be done, not by moving the lasing element, but rather by some motive optics (like a mirror). Since the "moving object of interest" (the point where the laser intersects the HVD) is not an object at all, the physical device that moves will have to move much less, the theoretical limit for this motion would be much higher. Couple that with the fact that the current limitation is a limitation of the media, which has to be mass produced and very cheap, and the limit really jumps - likely to a question of how fast can you get the data to the device, rather than a physical limitation of the device. Of course, that's all bable without some data to back it up.

And did you notice that this splits the laser into a million beams and writes them all to a single "dot" at once. The stated expectations were storage of 100 GB to 1 TB with a data tranfer rate of 1 GB/sec. I'd expect the transfer rate to increase (assuming there's a need to do so) as the technology matures, although capacities probably won't as they are likely a function of the media which should be set in stone.

It's a cool technology to babble about though, although it's still startrekware (vaporware) in my mind. Just one more step towards crystal storage.

And yeah, 3k for a drive is insane. I wouldn't be surprised if that number is driven by capability rather than R&D or production costs. I have a terabyte of storage at home, it cost me:

$160 - 8 port RAID card
$150 x 5 SATA Maxtor 200 GB

That's about a $900. It was actually more than this because I wanted RAID 5, but that's not applicable here, so I tweaked the figures for RAID 0. It provides similar capability except that the data on the HVD would be a removable disc, easily copied, and much more suited to regular backups and off-site storage of data. Early markets will be server backups, which this price point makes sense for.

[LynxFX]

Now they are saying 2007? A few weeks ago they said within 6-12 months. This along with C3D have been in vaporware hell for the past 5 years. It would be great to finally see one of them materialize. They won't be competing against Blu-ray or HD-DVD as a video format, but the uses in the PC world will be great.

The pricetag seems a bit much. In 2000 C3D said their tech would cost less than a blank CD-R. They never mentioned the drive price.

[SKooT]

The pricetag seems a bit much. In 2000 C3D said their tech would cost less than a blank CD-R. They never mentioned the drive price.

Its the same with with their similar technology, the HVC (Holographic Versitile Card).

"HEY! this card right here, it's the size of a credit card! And it can hold 30 GB! But wait, it gets better! This will only cost you $1!!! But the reader costs $2000..."

http://www.popgadget.net/2005/06/holographic-versatile-card.html

[blinx]

blu ray and HD-DVD will be enough for the future... honestly...who besides huge corporations have terabytes of data?

[Shoua]

blu ray and HD-DVD will be enough for the future... honestly...who besides huge corporations have terabytes of data?


funny you should say that......i have collected a lot of porn over the years...... :D

[MidniteArrow]

Terabytes fill up FAST when you start recording HDTV.