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45GB Triple-Layer HD DVDs

Posted by timothy on from the my-laptop's-drive-now-feels-tiny dept.

m4c north writes "Toshiba has developed a new DVD-ROM: 45GB spread over 3 layers. From the press release (which has a few illustrations) the new discs have the ability "to record twelve hours of high-definition movies on a single disc." They've also added a "dual-layer hybrid ROM disc comprised of a dual-layer HD DVD-ROM side and a dual-layer DVD-ROM side." Japan Today's article adds, "The huge capacity means that a single disk can store a Hollywood movie trilogy." Do I smell yet another Star Wars re-re-release? Toshiba will take the wraps off the new DVDs at the Media-Tech Expo 2005 in Las Vegas. The HD DVD Promotion group offers the press release in PDF."

24 of 334 comments (clear)

  1. In Search of a Standard... by TripMaster+Monkey · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...the new discs have the ability "to record twelve hours of high-definition movies on a single disc.

    It's a shame that the DVD community doesn't have the ability to decide on a standard...

    --
    ____

    ~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey

    1. Re:In Search of a Standard... by Walt+Dismal · · Score: 4, Funny

      45 GB and a 55 gallon drum of Astroglide... I'll be set for life!

    2. Re:In Search of a Standard... by Mr+Smidge · · Score: 5, Interesting


      Personally, I hope the one with the least restrictive DRM becomes the standard.

      HD-DVD's AACS is just disgusting.

    3. Re:In Search of a Standard... by 0x461FAB0BD7D2 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's not like the community can.

      Both Sony and Toshiba have their reasons to capture the High-def DVD market with their technology. And there hasn't been any actual products any of these formats for the market to decide which is better.

      To many, there's no point in deciding now, as it would reduce any incentive for these companies to improve on their products and there is really no criteria on which to decide (except storage space, which is not a good measuring rod at all).

      When products which use these technologies are released, the market will be able to choose. And one just hopes they choose wisely.

  2. Fine. Whatever. by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Insightful
    When everyone finally jumps off the fence and starts manufacturing, distributing and fully supporting what technology they all settle on, drop me a line.

    I'm sure Star Wars re-re-re-released on HD DVD will be stunning, but I'm rather skeptical about when I'll actually have a HD TV to watch it on. As it is, the set I just got is pretty damn good when viewed on a non-CRT screen (no black lines.) A couple years ago Philips had the TV/Monitor to watch HD on, but it was $18,000. I'm certain that kind of quality hasn't come down far enough in price, nor shall it in the next 3 years for me to even consider buying one (probably only when I get HD Soccer on FSC or such.) Meanwhile, as we saw the other day, someone has nanotubes which may make some really great screens, but probably won't actually hit consumer markets, priced attactively (gotta pay off that investment in research.)

    Heck, I'm only moving to a 64bit CPU at home because 32bit motherboards aren't being innovated anymore and I need a new mobo. It'll probably be a burned out monitor that forces me to get the nanotube screen and a few really good movie titles which convince me to upgrade to a new DVD (only because non HD players aren't made at that point.)

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    1. Re:Fine. Whatever. by TripMaster+Monkey · · Score: 3, Insightful


      "Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate, so we can buy shit we don't need."

      - Tyler Durden, Fight Club

      --
      ____

      ~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey

    2. Re:Fine. Whatever. by dr.badass · · Score: 4, Funny

      I had a roommate in 96/97 that refused to buy CD's because something better might come out.

      Something better did come out in in 1998. It was called Napster.

      --
      Don't become a regular here -- you will become retarded.
  3. Great! by Gr33nNight · · Score: 3, Funny

    Now it will only take 20 of these to backup my porn!

  4. Big deal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Blu-Ray has had 8 layer 200gb discs for almost a year now: http://www.digitmag.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=44 30

    1. Re:Big deal by Wesley+Felter · · Score: 3, Informative

      Those 8-layer discs are just prototypes; they're not included in the spec and Blu-ray players won't play them.

  5. Arg! by Enigma_Man · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Just imagine how many different models of CD(or whatever)-ROMs we're going to need now, and how many sub-versions (a-la DVD-R, DVD+R) we'll have.

    The packaging on burners will look something like this:
    16x4x16x DVD+RW / 12x4x16x DVD-RW / 5x DVD+R DL / 4x HD DVD+R / 32X HD3-DVD1-R+RW / etc / etc

    -Jesse

    --
    Nothing says "unprofessional job" like wrinkles in your duct tape.
  6. Sweet. by solios · · Score: 4, Interesting

    With something like this I'll be able to backup my workstation with ten pieces of media, instead of the seventy or so DVDs it would take to do a Full Backup.

    Seriously, it's about time offline media started catching up with hard drive capacities.

  7. Need More Cheetos by lbmouse · · Score: 3, Funny

    Twelve hours of high-definition pr0n on a single disc.

    1. Re:Need More Cheetos by JudgeFurious · · Score: 4, Funny

      Cheetos?
      WTF do you do when you're watching porn?

      C'mon, start talking. The rest of us want to know whether or not to be afraid.

      --
      Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.
    2. Re:Need More Cheetos by saider · · Score: 4, Funny


      A man walks into the doctor's office complaining of a discolored penis. Doctor gives him a pill and asks him to return in a week.

      He comes back the following week with the same condition. Doctor tries a stronger medication and again asks for a follow up.

      The third visit shows no improvement so the doctor asks what he's been doing with it lately.

      "Same thing I do every night. Come home from work, grab a beer and a bag of Cheetos(TM) and watch some porn."

      --


      Remember, You are unique...just like everyone else.
  8. Obligatory Quote by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "The nice thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from."
    - Andrew S. Tannenbaum

  9. Deja vu all over again by amliebsch · · Score: 3, Funny

    This is what, the 42nd new DVD format this week?

    --
    If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.
  10. Trilogy on one disk by Nf1nk · · Score: 4, Funny

    Not long ago I purchased the "Smokey and the Bandit" trilogy on DVD ($12.50 at Staples), and was suprised that it fit on one DVD.
    They used the trick of the double sided DVD to acomplish this mission.
    Since only Smokey and the Bandit 3 is on one side I can safely say that there at least one side with no quality data on it (how horrble must a script be for Burt Renolds to turn it down?)

    --
    I used to have a cool sig, back when I cared
  11. Still not enough. by ThePurpleBuffalo · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Back when I first bought a CD burner, I did it to archive. Back then, a "big" consumer harddrive was around 1.2G and a CD held about half of that. Not bad for the time.

    These days a "big" consumer harddrive is around 250G to 300G, and this "great new technology" (yet to be released) will allow for about one fifth of that.

    That's simply not enough for me to justify using it as a method of data archiving or backup. To backup a single 250G volume I'd need 5+ blanks.

    On the consumer side of the equation, I can't see people moving from DVD to this unless there is some justification better than "you'll have to swap discs one third as often".

    Now, on the topic of size, since most optical media is recorded radially, why not make the physical size of the discs bigger? Not as big as LDs, because those were a little unmanageable, but another inch or two in diameter would GREATLY increase the capacity of even a DVD-R. Some will point out that it would no longer fit in a 5.25" bay, but who cares. This is why we have firewire and USB2.

    Thoughts comments?

    1. Re:Still not enough. by Detritus · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Increasing the size of the disk also increases the workload on the servo system, the system that keeps the laser positioned over the track and at the right height. The larger the diameter, the larger the excursions side-to-side and up-and-down.

      --
      Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
    2. Re:Still not enough. by Heisenbug · · Score: 3, Insightful

      One reason I've heard for limiting the size is that the bigger the disk, the faster the outside edge is moving per RPM. When you're reading the inside edge at a suitable data rate, the outside edge will be shredding itself from the speed. I can't vouch for that being the reason, but it could be.

      Another reason I'd just as soon they didn't is that I have tons of ways to store CDs and DVDs, cases and racks and so on, and bigger disks wouldn't work with any of them. I imagine this is a much more serious problem further up the supply chain -- there's tons of ways that having identically-sized media saves money when moving to a new format.

      Oh, and I think bigger disks would be considered ugly by consumers, for whatever that's worth.

  12. Hmmm by nizo · · Score: 3, Interesting
    ...the new discs have the ability "to record twelve hours of high-definition movies on a single disc.

    Wow I need to get my calculator and see how many divix movies that is. Lets see, the whole battlestar galactica first season fit on 1 and a half regular (4GB?) dvds..... I could move my whole movie collection to a few mega-dvds, and my entire music collection to just one.

    --
    I Am My Own Worst Enemy
  13. Re:Another reason not to buy a DVD burner by GizmoToy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    DVD Burners are what, $50 max for an excellent Dual-Layer burner, and discs can be had for $0.30. How much cheaper can you get? You can barely get a CD burner for that!

  14. One drive to read them all by IPFreely · · Score: 4, Funny

    Three Drives for the Movie-kings who plunder and ply,
    Seven for the Hardware-lords all but clones,
    Nine for Portal Men doomed to buy
    One for the DRM Lord on his dark throne
    In the Land of Discs where the data lies.
    One Drive to read them all, One Drive to write them,
    One Drive to bring them all and with their lasers byte them
    In the Land of Discs where the data lies.

    --
    There is nothing so silly as other peoples traditions, and nothing so sacred as our own.