Holographic-memory discs may put DVDs to shame

New Scientist magazine
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/...ch/dn8370.html

Holographic-memory discs may put DVDs to shame

A computer disc about the size of a DVD that can hold 60 times more
data is set to go on sale in 2006. The disc stores information through
the interference of light - a technique known as holographic memory.

The discs, developed by InPhase Technologies, based in Colorado, US,
hold 300 gigabytes of data and can be used to read and write data 10
times faster than a normal DVD. The company, along with Japanese
partner Hitachi Maxell announced earlier in November that they would
start selling the discs and compatible drives from the end of 2006.

"Unlike other technologies, that record one data bit at a time,
holography allows a million bits of data to be written and read in
parallel with a single flash of light," says Liz Murphy, of InPhase
Technologies. "This enables transfer rates significantly higher than
current optical storage devices."

The discs, at 13 centimetres across, are a little wider than
conventional DVDs, and slightly thicker. Normal DVDs record data by
measuring microscopic ridges on the surface of a spinning disc. Two
competing successors to the DVD format - Blu-ray and HD-DVD - use the
same technique but exploit shorter wavelengths of light to cram more
information onto a surface.
Beam-splitter

Holographic memory, by contrast, stores information in a
light-sensitive crystal material using the interference of laser
light. The process involves splitting a single light beam into two and
then passing one through a semi-transparent material. This is a grid
that acts like a filter, changing different parts of the beam to
encode bits of information.

The altered beam and the reference beam are then recombined in the
light-sensitive material and their pattern of interference provides a
record of the encoded information. Information can be recorded and
retrieved so rapidly because many bits of data can be recorded and
read in parallel.

InPhase says the technique could theoretically be used to store up to
1.6 terabytes of data on the same size of disc and to read data at 120
megabits per second. This is 340 times the capacity of an ordinary DVD
and 20 times the data rate.
High-speed streaming

Although holographic memory was first suggested in 1963, it has failed
to find commercial success so far. However, Hans Coufal, an expert in
the technology at IBM's Almaden Laboratory in California, says the
holographic memory could challenge formats such as Blu-ray and HD-DVD.

As well as offering greater storage, Coufal says the main benefit is
speed of data access. The discs developed so far by InPhase can
already stream a movie recorded in high definition television (HDTV)
format.

However, Coufal notes that the technology must also stand up to
everyday use. "It is an open race right now," he told New Scientist.
"But you have to convince the customer that it is going to be
reliable."






--

"One must realize that the world is a network of real and virtual
combat zones where the stakes are high, struggle is the primary
mode of being and only total victory is acceptable.
-- Sun Tzu, "The Art Of War"

Bob

I'll believe it when I see it. These holographic discs have been due
"next year" for the last 20 years.

- Jordan

A friend of mine has seen them in action already...

So has Turner Broadcasting........

http://biz.gamedaily.com/features.as...=11193&filter=

In fact, Turner Entertainment, a subsidiary of Turner Broadcasting
System, has already turned to holographic tech, making it the first
television network to air content originating on holographic storage.
Turner has more than 200,000 movies as well as thousands of
commercials stored on digital tape. As the library grows, retrieval
time and maintaining the tapes becomes costly, especially as more HD
content is adopted.

"The holographic disk promises to retail for $100, and by 2010, it
will have capacity of 1.6TB each. That's pretty inexpensive," Ron
Tarasoff, vice president of broadcast technology and engineering at
Turner Entertainment told Computerworld.com. "Even this first version
can store 300GB per disk, and it has 160MB/sec. data throughput rates.
That's burning. Then combine it with random access, and it's the best
of all worlds."



On 28 Nov 2005 11:49:03 -0800, "Jordan" <> wrote:

>I'll believe it when I see it. These holographic discs have been due
>"next year" for the last 20 years.
>
>- Jordan







"Arguing with anonymous strangers on the Internet is a sucker's game
because they almost always turn out to be -- or to be indistinguishable from
-- self-righteous sixteen-year-olds possessing infinite amounts of free time."
- Neil Stephenson, _Cryptonomicon_

On Mon, 28 Nov 2005 15:44:25 -0500, Allan
<Spamstillsucks@buffyandkantica22arestillbrianlamb .org> wrote:

>In fact, Turner Entertainment, a subsidiary of Turner Broadcasting
>System, has already turned to holographic tech, making it the first
>television network to air content originating on holographic storage.

So holographic discs are in production, in use, and working well.
Let's hope this buries Blu-Ray.

This is why I ain't salivating at the prospect of buying a Blu-Ray or
HD-DVD player. DVD was a huge leap over VHS. The next format needs to
be a huge leap over DVD (which holographic discs may be), not an
evolution (which Blu-Ray, ect appears to be).

-beaumon (and I ain't buying ANYTHING that requires permanent
connection to a phone line)

On Mon, 28 Nov 2005 10:37:53 GMT, (Bob) wrote:

>New Scientist magazine
>http://www.newscientist.com/channel/...ch/dn8370.html
>
>Holographic-memory discs may put DVDs to shame
>
>A computer disc about the size of a DVD that can hold 60 times more
>data is set to go on sale in 2006. The disc stores information through
>the interference of light - a technique known as holographic memory.
>

Who the F--- is going to NEED 60x a DVDs data storage capacity?
Aside from a few companies and the government?
-Rich

Rich emailed this:
> Who the F--- is going to NEED 60x a DVDs data storage capacity?
> Aside from a few companies and the government?
> -Rich

Bell Gates --referencing the 640K base memory of MS-DOS and thereby of
Windows 3.xx which ran on top of MS-DOS-- once said: who would need more
than 640K.

60x a DVD is only 60 movies on one disk, my brother's MP3 player can hold
800 albums (I think, ish anyway).

On 28 Nov 2005 11:49:03 -0800, "Jordan" <> wrote:

>I'll believe it when I see it. These holographic discs have been due
>"next year" for the last 20 years.

I worked with a group that was doing electro-optic research and had
built a holograph device back in the late 1960s, early 1970s.

The guy showing it off put an image of a good-looking secretary in the
chip, which caught everyone's attention.


--

"One must realize that the world is a network of real and virtual
combat zones where the stakes are high, struggle is the primary
mode of being and only total victory is acceptable.
-- Sun Tzu, "The Art Of War"

On Mon, 28 Nov 2005 18:10:26 -0500, Rich <> wrote:

>Who the F--- is going to NEED 60x a DVDs data storage capacity?
>Aside from a few companies and the government?

I would like to put all the episodes for a TV series on one disc.


--

"One must realize that the world is a network of real and virtual
combat zones where the stakes are high, struggle is the primary
mode of being and only total victory is acceptable.
-- Sun Tzu, "The Art Of War"

On Mon, 28 Nov 2005 23:36:41 GMT, MS
<matthews@mailsnare.---nojunktakeout---.net> wrote:

>Bell Gates --referencing the 640K base memory of MS-DOS and thereby of
>Windows 3.xx which ran on top of MS-DOS-- once said: who would need more
>than 640K.

He uses at least 1 GB of RAM to keep track of his personal wealth.


--

"One must realize that the world is a network of real and virtual
combat zones where the stakes are high, struggle is the primary
mode of being and only total victory is acceptable.
-- Sun Tzu, "The Art Of War"