Posted on 07/07/2008 9:02:28 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
July 7, 2008, Tokyo
Pioneer Corporation
July 7, 2008, Tokyo, Japan - Pioneer Corporation has succeeded in developing a 16-layer read-only optical disc with a capacity of 400 gigabytes for the first time in the world*1. Its per-layer capacity is 25 gigabytes, which is the same as that of a Blu-ray Disc (BD). This multilayer technology will also be applicable to multilayer recordable discs. This development has bolstered Pioneer's confidence in the feasibility of a large-capacity optical disc, which is expected to become necessary in the near future.
For multilayer optical discs, it has been difficult to obtain clear signals from each recording layer in a stable manner due to crosstalk from adjacent layers and transmission loss. Utilizing the optical disc production technology that it has developed in the DVD field, Pioneer solved these problems by, among other things, using a disc structure that can reduce crosstalk from adjacent layers, resulting in a 16-layer optical disc that can playback high-quality signals from every layer.
As for the read-out system, Pioneer achieved stability in the playback of recorded signals by employing a wide-range spherical aberration compensator and light-receiving element that can read out weak signals at a high signal-to-noise ratio in the optical pick-up mechanism. Since the optical specifications of the objective lens, such as NA (Numerical Aperture)*2, are the same as those for the existing BD discs, it is possible to maintain compatibility between the new 16-layer optical disc and the BD discs.
The 16-layer optical disc technology, capable of storing much more data than the conventional discs on one disc, will greatly reduce the number of discs to be used and therefore contribute to the conservation of resources.
Pioneer will present the details of this research at the International Symposium on Optical Memory and Optical Data Storage 2008 (ISOM/ODS2008) to be held in Hawaii from July 13.
Photo 1: 16-layer optical disc
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Layer 0 | Layer 8 | Layer 15 |
Photo 2: Eye-pattern signals obtained from the layers
Pioneer better be careful. If this succeeds, the company could be subject to a windfall profits tax.....
Small messup on the legend for the photos at the bottom....
The Hard Drive Coffee Table top is an original 26″ diameter hard drive platter from an early storage device (circa 1970). The center hub of the platter is solid aluminum. The custom-created pedestal is also solid aluminum; a cylinder measuring 5.9″ in diameter and 18.5″ in length. It has a machined top and bottom to fit into the hard drive hub and base, respectively. The base is a solid aluminum 12″ diameter, 1.75″ high round obtained from a now-defunct government laboratory. Four bolts are screwed into tapped holes in the pedestal in order to secure the hard drive platter and the pedestal is press-fit into the base. It is covered with standard 1/4″ table glass. The completed design measures 19.5″ high and weighs 64 pounds.
I loved those things. Along with the blinking lights, they are what attracted me into engineering.
How much monthly rent did IBM charge on each of those?
I have no idea about the rent. The father of a girl I dated in college had a biz that was an entire floor of a skycraper filled with those things. I hope he sold out at the right time.
Is that the 1970 version of a 3.5” floppy?
Come back to me when they can fit a terrabyte on a single disc. /sarc
I need one of those....
Why the sarcasm tag? It’s just a matter of time—especially with advances like this.
Where can I get one of those?
Seriously. If the price is right it would be great for the office.
At first I thought that coffee table was made from an old Burroughs Medium System platter, but a trip to Google says I’m wrong. That is evidently made from a 26 inch platter from a 1967 Control Data Corporation 6603 Disk File Controller, which held a whopping 53 MB.
Thanks for that info....now a one Terabyte 3.5” Disk can be bought for your home PC for less than $200.00.
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