300GB Holographic discs will go on sale towards the end of 2006, analysts predict.
Hitachi and InPhase Technologies are jointly developing the technology – which could even be developed to store a whopping 1.6TB of data.
The holographic storage systems use laser-light interference to store data into a light sensitive crystal material. They can also offer read/write speeds of up to 120 Mbits / sec.
Holographic storage works by splitting light from a single laser beam into two: the signal beam to carry the data and the reference beam. The hologram is formed where these two beams intersect causing a chemical reaction in the recording medium. By varying the reference beam angle, wavelength, or media position many different holograms can be recorded in the same volume of material.
Could this be the breakthrough that the industry needs to improve performance, capacity and cost? It certainly sounds like it. Could Blu-ray and HD-DVD be doomed before they've taken off? Only time will tell…