Slog
News & ArtsMonday, April 27, 2009
Tech Your Blu-Ray Player Just Became Obsolete
Posted by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee on Mon, Apr 27, 2009 at 2:58 PM
From the NYTimes:
General Electric says it has achieved a breakthrough in digital storage technology that will allow standard-size discs to hold the equivalent of 100 DVDs.The promising work by the G.E. researchers is in the field of holographic storage. Holography is an optical process that stores not only three-dimensional images like the ones placed on many credit cards for security purposes, but the 1’s and 0’s of digital data as well.
In G.E.’s approach, the holograms are scattered across a disc in a way that is similar to the formats used in today’s CDs, conventional DVDs and Blu-ray discs. So a player that could read microholographic storage discs could also read CD, DVD and Blu-ray discs. But holographic discs, with the technology G.E. has attained, could hold 500 gigabytes of data. Blu-ray is available in 25-gigabyte and 50-gigabyte discs, and a standard DVD holds 5 gigabytes.
What will this massive technological advancement mean for mankind?
2
To heck with the memory of discs. Increase the capacity of my brain! I can't recall anything anymore.
3
It'll be a few years (maybe longer than that) before the technology actually makes its way into the hands of consumers, but...
I'm really glad I haven't dived into the blu-ray craze. Money saved.
I'm really glad I haven't dived into the blu-ray craze. Money saved.
5
The cut Kryten's line: "Sigmund Freud, eat your heart out!"
Series seven, in general, less funny than most.
Series seven, in general, less funny than most.
6
It was some company in Taiwan back in 2004 came out with a way to shove 1TB in a single disk
http://www.physorg.com/news1333.html
It's because of capitalism that it's taking so long, it wouldn't be profitable for someone to make a DVD that would contain 1TB of information, you'd have no need for anything else ever with the kind of compression technology we have.
http://www.physorg.com/news1333.html
It's because of capitalism that it's taking so long, it wouldn't be profitable for someone to make a DVD that would contain 1TB of information, you'd have no need for anything else ever with the kind of compression technology we have.
7
Someone that can see that video please tell me it was of Princess Leia asking for help from Obi-Wan. Cause it really should be.
9
It actually means nothing. You can already put a movie with tons of special features in the best possible quality on a blu-ray disc. Why would you need to put 10 movies on one disc?
This will be possibly be useful for backing up large amounts of data, but that's it.
Blu-ray is here to stay for the next 10-15 years, and is likely the last physical format we ever use for movies.
This will be possibly be useful for backing up large amounts of data, but that's it.
Blu-ray is here to stay for the next 10-15 years, and is likely the last physical format we ever use for movies.
11
@9 Ten to fifteen years!? You must work for Sony. Content "On Demand" is the next step and it's already pretty much here. Do you think content providers will ever want to sell you discs when it's easier for everybody all around to stream content over the network? Not to mention that this keeps content in the hands of the provider, which makes clear sense from their standpoint. If blu-ray sees even half of the success that DVD had, I'd be fucking shocked.
12
Man, the Shinehardt Wig Company has been up to some serious business. What else do they have in store for their plans of global domination?
13
This is really meaningful for beyond highdef resolutions like 4k used on the red camera. It would be quite useful for digital cinemas and eventual home theaters once 4k res is on televisions.
14
@11
Streaming isn't anywhere close to realistic right now. The streaming services like Netflix don't even stream DVD quality. Even the "HD" streaming is sent at a lower bit rate than DVD. To stream blu-ray quality you need at least 25 Mb/s and it supports up to 48 Mb/s. I don't know about you, but my Internet speed isn't close to that. And that's not to mention the ridiculous bandwidth caps the ISPs are rolling out. If I have a 250 GB cap, I can only download 10 movies a month. And that's assuming I don't use my internet connection for anything else. Sure I can get content on demand now, but until I can get 1080p video with a good bit rate and lossless surround sound, I'll take my discs.
Blu-ray is pretty close to following the same adoption rate that DVD did in the late 90's, which is amazing considering that DVD launched in a much better economy. I'm not saying that 15 years from now blu-ray will still be the dominant format for all movies (I'd guess by that time streaming probably will be), but it's still going to be a viable physical format for that long. I mean the just stopped making VHS this year for crying out loud.
Streaming isn't anywhere close to realistic right now. The streaming services like Netflix don't even stream DVD quality. Even the "HD" streaming is sent at a lower bit rate than DVD. To stream blu-ray quality you need at least 25 Mb/s and it supports up to 48 Mb/s. I don't know about you, but my Internet speed isn't close to that. And that's not to mention the ridiculous bandwidth caps the ISPs are rolling out. If I have a 250 GB cap, I can only download 10 movies a month. And that's assuming I don't use my internet connection for anything else. Sure I can get content on demand now, but until I can get 1080p video with a good bit rate and lossless surround sound, I'll take my discs.
Blu-ray is pretty close to following the same adoption rate that DVD did in the late 90's, which is amazing considering that DVD launched in a much better economy. I'm not saying that 15 years from now blu-ray will still be the dominant format for all movies (I'd guess by that time streaming probably will be), but it's still going to be a viable physical format for that long. I mean the just stopped making VHS this year for crying out loud.
15
I like the undercurrent of this story: the compact disc form factor lives!
People have been claiming that digital downloads and other media delivery vehicles will kill CD/DVD/BluRay for quite some time now. While downloads like OnDemand have made inroads, there is a certain set of consumer laws at work here.
When people pay money, they like to get something tangible in return. This is why we steal soap & shit from hotels. The size and hand fit of the tangible item is also key. We steal ashtrays because they will fit into the suitcase better than the pillows.
The size and durability of the compact disc has been market proven to be a winner. It fits almost everyone's hand (LaserDisc!), lasts a long time (vinyl/tape), and is convenient to store & transport.
It's amazing that these obvious points of consumerism are so frequently ignored by marketeers!
People have been claiming that digital downloads and other media delivery vehicles will kill CD/DVD/BluRay for quite some time now. While downloads like OnDemand have made inroads, there is a certain set of consumer laws at work here.
When people pay money, they like to get something tangible in return. This is why we steal soap & shit from hotels. The size and hand fit of the tangible item is also key. We steal ashtrays because they will fit into the suitcase better than the pillows.
The size and durability of the compact disc has been market proven to be a winner. It fits almost everyone's hand (LaserDisc!), lasts a long time (vinyl/tape), and is convenient to store & transport.
It's amazing that these obvious points of consumerism are so frequently ignored by marketeers!
16
What does it mean?
it means those of us who bought Wii consoles and haven't shelled out for HDTV sets and bought a new player for them were correct - and saved tons of cash by waiting.
Wii 2 with GE hologram drives FTW! (caveat: i own 800 shares of GE directly)
it means those of us who bought Wii consoles and haven't shelled out for HDTV sets and bought a new player for them were correct - and saved tons of cash by waiting.
Wii 2 with GE hologram drives FTW! (caveat: i own 800 shares of GE directly)
17
@3, If you are constantly waiting to get the newest technology, you'll never end up buying anything. When (or if) this actually hits the mainstream some years down the road, there will be even newer technology waiting in the wings. If watching movies at home in HD is something you want to do, it would not be a dumb choice to buy a Blu-ray player now or in the near future.
@16, Your post makes absolutely no sense.
@16, Your post makes absolutely no sense.
18
Just because you bought a new HDTV set and a PS3 with Blu-Ray cause they told you they have to, doesn't mean you needed to, another Andy.
If you had just waited, you could have bought the same HDTV set for Xmas 2009 for half price and the Wii console with the new GE drives as well that gives you 40 times the game playing capability.
If you had just waited, you could have bought the same HDTV set for Xmas 2009 for half price and the Wii console with the new GE drives as well that gives you 40 times the game playing capability.
19
@18, if you wait another 10 years, you can buy a Wii in someone's yard sale along with all five games in its library for about 10 bucks (or whatever we're using for money by then).
20
@18, I don't have an HDTV or a PS3, but an HDTV would not be a bad purchase right now. I did buy a Wii for my parents though.
But your post still doesn't make any sense. I don't even know where to begin with that. What does the Wii have to do with anything? Why do you think they can play these prototype discs? How does that increase their "game-playing capability"? (People play games, not consoles.) I just don't get any of it, at all.
But your post still doesn't make any sense. I don't even know where to begin with that. What does the Wii have to do with anything? Why do you think they can play these prototype discs? How does that increase their "game-playing capability"? (People play games, not consoles.) I just don't get any of it, at all.
21
An HDTV does make sense. A PS3... not so much. For me at least. I had one for two weeks and was like "This is it?" Maybe I don't have the visual acuity to appreciate it?
I don't want to start a console war, so I'll keep my thought on the Wii and XBOX 360 to myself.
I don't want to start a console war, so I'll keep my thought on the Wii and XBOX 360 to myself.
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