10-layer DVD to trump HD-DVD and BluRay
Have a strong opinions regarding HD-DVD vs. BluRay debate? UK-based New Medium Enterprises, true to its name, developed a new medium - a 10-layer DVD capable of storing a variety of formats and encodings on its multiple layers: “The production costs of a multi-layer DVD using the new NME technology are estimated to be around 9 cents, compared with the 6 cents for a standard single-layer play-back DVD, according to Dutch company ODMS, one of the world’s leading makers of production lines for optical disks. This 50 percent cost increase compares favorably with the current generation of multi-layer recordable DVD disks which cost 3 to 5 times as much to produce than a single layer disk, due to low yields.” According to the company:
Presently, all optical laser devices such as DVD operate on red laser technology, have a frequency or wavelength of 650Nm (nanometres), and deliver Standard Definition (SD) quality pictures. New technology has since emerged using blue laser, an inferior wavelength or frequency of 405Nm that can store more information .The downside of this technology is that manufacturing production lines of drives and discs will have to be dismantled and changed entirely, naturally incurring significant costs to the producers, which in turn will trickle to the consumer.