Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 08 July 2008 16:38
Opinion and Analysis
Page 2 of 3
Pioneer explains that it “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.”
Now I’m no scientist but it’s clear they found a way to filter out the noise from the other layers, thus preserving each layer’s integrity and making such a multi-layer disc a reality.
As previously noted, Pioneer also expect to be able to record multi-layer discs, too, and because the “optical specifications of the objective lens are the same as those for the existing BD discs”, 16-layer compatible players and future recorders should be able to read today’s Blu-ray discs, too.
One thing they’ll need to figure out, however, is how to speed up the recording process. Already recording a Blu-ray disc today can take some time, and if things aren’t sped up you could conceivably have to wait for a day or longer to have 400GB burnt to a disc.
That’s obviously unacceptable for most consumers, but given that the scientists and engineers have figured out how to increase the burn speed of CDs, DVDs and even Blu-ray discs, they’ll figure out how to do it for these new 16-layer discs too. Eventually.
Pioneer also claim that a 16-layer disc will “contribute in the conservation of resources” because a 16-layer disc means “greatly reducing the number of discs to be used” when compared with conventional disc technology.
Although you could say that for any more capacious storage medium – a 4.7GB DVD stores the equivalent of around 6 CDs, a 1TB hard drive stores the equivalent of 10x 100GB hard drives, etc.
Give us large storage mediums, however, and I can guarantee that humans will find ways of filling it, just as building more roads simply means more cars on the road, not less!
Continued on page 3.
