Sony co-develops paper disc ... that holds 25GB

[simms]

Searched for Paper Disc, nothing, so bite me.
http://www.vnunet.com/News/1154434

Sony co-develops paper disc
By Robert Jaques [16-04-2004]
Blu-Ray optical format-based disc holds 25GB of data

Sony Electronics and Toppan Printing Company have co-developed a paper-based disc that can hold 25GB of data.
The material was developed by using paper pulp with plastic soaked into it. Over 51 per cent of the disc's weight is made up of paper, which can enable disc manufacturers to keep costs down.

The two companies jointly began this optical disc project, based on the Blu-Ray optical format, approximately a year ago.

Preserving data security when disposing of the paper disc would be easy because it can easily be cut by scissors, Toppan said.

Masanobu Yamamoto, senior general manager of Sony's optical system development group, said in a statement: "Since the Blu-Ray disc does not require laser light to travel through the substrate, we were able to develop this paper disc.

"By increasing the capacity of the disc we can decrease the amount of raw material used per unit of information."

The disc is still in development phase, but more details will be released next week at the Optical Data Storage Conference in California.

 

[ElFenix]

enabling disc makers to keep costs down by paying sony a $5 royalty

 

[FeathersMcGraw]

Possibly useful for secure/one-shot applications, but doesn't seem terribly practical for archival use, which is what most people want writable optical technology for.

 

[Anghang]

very cool

 

[Aharami]

i still think those 1" hitachi HDs that hold like 4gb are the coolest

 

[Tab]

We hear about all these new technolgies but we never see them! I want pics!

 

[Cuda1447]

what happens if it tears?

 

[Wallydraigle]

Originally posted by: Cuda1447
what happens if it tears?

You go give Sony $10 for another one?

 

[ViRGE]

Just reading about it, durability concerns me. I'm not worried so much about archival abilities as I am reading the disc: if it's made out of paper, then it probably can't be spun very fast, keeping data rates low.

 

[no0b]

I say we go back to punch cards, who is with me on this?

 

[Spencer278]

Originally posted by: no0b
I say we go back to punch cards, who is with me on this?

Only if sony can make a special punch card and charge twice as much for it.

 

[Nanotech]

Excellent, another reason to destroy our forests!:|