Optical Storage: Seeking Your Perspectives
At the moment I'm researching and writing the first draft of my optical storage article for EDN's August 18th issue. It'll cover technology developments that have occurred subsequent to the publication of my August 7, 2003 cover story on the topic along with my how-it-works 'fundamentals' tutorial in that same issue.
Below you'll find the first few paragraphs from the editorial heads-up memo I recently sent relevent vendors. I'd also welcome your thoughts on the topic, by private email if absolutely necessary (let me know if I need to keep your identity anonymous, should I choose to quote you in my article) but preferably as a comment to this blog posting, so not only I but also your fellow readers can benefit from your insights. Thanks in advance!
They're combining forces. They're not. They're still thinking about it. Who knows for sure, until an agreement is signed and the ink is dry? While private back-room negotiation chess games may continue between the blue laser-based optical disc contenders, Blu-ray and HD-DVD, the competitors are playing a very public game of one-upsmanship, with the prize being the cubicles and livingrooms of end users' offices and homes.
Although blue laser-based storage is capturing much of the press attention at the moment, red laser-based technology is today's dominant approach and, judging from its continued evolution and innovation, has a long life ahead of it. Smaller form factors such as Sony's UMD are ramping into high volume production, as are hybrid schemes such as DualDisc, which aspires to learn from, and improve on, the underwhelming acceptance of its DVD-Audio and SACD predecessors. With the emergence of advanced video compression algorithms such as DivX, H.264 and WMV9/VC-1, in fact, movie studios may decide not to roll the dice on either blue laser-based contender but instead extend the red laser legacy, as EVD, FVD and VMD's backers propose.
Looking beyond blue lasers, holographic storage is slowly but surely edging out of the laboratory and towards initial production; the technology had an especially big splash at NAB this year. And let's not forget about the magnetic and semiconductor storage alternatives; perpendicular recording is ramping into production within hard drives, and Matrix has a particularly compelling story to tell with its one-time-programmable 3-D Memory. Oh yes, and there's tape too….
