TDK develops 1TB capacity optical disc

It looks like TDK Corp is the current front-runner in the quest to create the largest capacity optical disc. At the Ceatec Japan 2010 trade show last week, the company unveiled a disc that is capable of recording up to 1 terabyte of data.

The 1TB disc is two-sided with sixteen 32GB layers on each side. That’s a major step in design when compared to the largest current Blu-ray discs which have a maximum of four layers.

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TDK achieved the innovation by constructing the disc of material which is capable of “high light transmittance” and is able to use the same type of laser beam that reads today’s Blu-ray discs. The read-time speed on the 1TB disc is also the same as Blu-ray, and it is reported to be durable with an acceptable error rate.

Unfortunately, there is one huge hurdle TDK must overcome before sending their new creation to mass production: It is more than twice the thickness than Blu-ray players will accommodate.

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"According to the specifications of the Blu-ray Disc, the thickness of a recording layer has to be 100μm or less," TDK said. "But the recording layer of the new disc is 260μm in thickness. And it causes the aberration of an optical lens."

Despite this fact, TDK is planning on working with the industry to try to bring the 1TB disc to home users in the future. There is, however, no time-frame or pricing information available.

It’s likely at least a few years off, but the technology is impressive and higher-capacity discs would likely be preferable to most consumers than Hitatchi LG’s 1TB cartridges, which hold eight 128GB discs to equal the full capacity. And that’s if flash doesn’t overtake Blu-ray as the dominant storage medium.

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