Sony to increase Blu-ray capacity
33.4GB per disc layer, apparently.
Sony has come up with a way of ramming even more data onto a Blu-ray disc, according to a Japanese tech report.
Nikkei Electronics Asia (thanks GameSpot) has said that the new tech will allow for 33.4GB of data per single disc layer, compared to the existing 25GB.
What's more, this will even work on existing Blu-ray optics, suggesting that players like the PlayStation 3 will be able to adapt to cope, perhaps via firmware, without the trouble of a costly and divisive hardware upgrade.
Apparently this is all thanks to the use of partial response maximum likelihood signal processing. That old chestnut.
There's no word on when this might happen, but Nikkei Electronics Asia has noted that Sony plans to propose adoption of its new idea at the next Blu-ray Disc Association family picnic.