Skip to main content

The disc is dead, long live the disc: Panasonic and Sony to create next-gen optical format

dvd-player
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Like cassette tapes and floppy disks, there are many who believe optical discs are on their way out. As flash memory is now abundant and continuously increasing in size while decreasing in price, they’ve become an easy, quick, and efficient way to store files. Consumers have embraced digital music downloads over buying music on CDs, while DVDs could face a similar situation as more people are streaming and downloading movies; Blu-ray discs aren’t exactly flying off store shelves, either. Then you have Apple – often the bellwether in how computers will look – which is getting rid of the optical drive from its machines altogether.

Of course, whether the optical disc is dying or not depends on whom you ask. Some will point out that consumers are still buying DVDs for their movies fix, as it’s still a faster, cleaner solution to watching flicks at home. In the same argument, many will point out that limited bandwidth coupled with large file sizes are still hurdles in the entertainment experience if you want to download a movie or video game quickly to enjoy. Although that could soon change as well, one area that Sony and Panasonic sees the optical disc thriving is in the archival business, which is why the two electronics giants have announced they will jointly develop the next-generation optical disc standard that could hold at least 300GB of data. The companies hope to achieve this by the end of 2015.

Sony and Panasonic are both pioneers in optical disc technologies, and they see the format’s next evolution in the increasing need for large-capacity professional/business data storage. Citing durability, the companies say the optical disc is an ideal medium for long-term content storage. “Both Sony and Panasonic recognized that optical discs will need to accommodate much larger volumes of storage in years to come given the expected future growth in the archive market, and responded by formulating this agreement,” the companies said in a joint statement.

Sony and Panasonic will further the work they have already independently started: Sony created a file-based optical disc archive system that houses twelve optical discs within one cartridge, while Panasonic has a system that uses a 20.8mm magazine that contains 100GB optical discs. The goal, of course, is not to create a system that reads cartridges of multiple discs, but a single disc with large capacity.

Although hard disk and flash drives are getting cheaper by the day, optical discs are attractive in that they are relatively cheap and robust. But for things that demand high capacity – whether it’s archival storage, data center backups, or video production of uncompressed high-definition files, for example – today’s optical discs have limited capacities. For these pro uses, a super-high-capacity disc offers advantages, but consumers could benefit as well: data hungry content like video games and higher-definition movies will still need a viable delivery system.

Topics
Les Shu
Former Digital Trends Contributor
I am formerly a senior editor at Digital Trends. I bring with me more than a decade of tech and lifestyle journalism…
Best Surface Laptop and Surface Pro deals: From $450
Microsoft Surface Go 3 sitting on table.

If you want a thin and light laptop that's similar to the MacBook Air but not in the Apple ecosystem, then the Microsoft Surface lineup of laptops is absolutely the way to go. In fact, if you've seen the recent unwrapping of the business version of the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6, you might be fired up and ready to grab your own surface. Unfortunately, the Surface lineup can be quite expensive, which is why we've gone out and scoured the retailers for the best deals we could find and collected them below. So, be sure to check out everything, as well as some of these other great laptop deals if you aren't fully committed to the Microsoft Surface lineup.
Microsoft Surface Go 3 -- $450, was $550

Functioning as a 2-in-1 laptop that can switch between tablet mode and laptop mode, the Microsoft Surface Go 3 won't have trouble dealing with basic tasks as it's equipped with the Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y processor and 8GB of RAM. The 10.5-inch touchscreen with 1920 x 1080 resolution is bright and colorful, and its 128GB SSD is more than enough for your documents. The Microsoft Surface Go 3 ships with Windows 11 Home in Mode, so you can start using it as soon as you unbox it. The device also promises up to 11 hours of battery life before requiring a recharge.

Read more
Best GPU deals: MSI, XFX, EVGA
An AMD graphics card in an external GPU enclosure.

If you're building a new PC from scratch, or upgrading an old one, then a new GPU is probably one of the biggest upgrades you can make, at least if you're looking for great gaming performance. Unfortunately, the last generation of RTX 40-series cards really amped the prices up, and even if you're going for AMD, you're going to be paying a pretty penny to get your hands on a good GPU. That said, there are some good deals to be had; whether you want something budget-friendly or high-end, you can always put that extra money you save into more RAM or a better CPU. Also, be sure to check out some of these gaming PC deals if you'd rather just grab something already pre-built.
MSI AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT Mech 2X 4GB GDDR6 -- $175, was $190

If you're looking for something that is ultra-budget, then this RX 6500 XT is a good option in the lower range and should let you handle at least some of the main free-to-play games like CS:GO and Rocket League, although you will have to play with graphical compromises. It should also handle indie and casual games, especially older ones like the ones you might find on emulators, so it's also a good option for that sort of budget build. the 4GB of VRAM is not a lot, but again, if you're not planning to play any modern AAA or AA games, then this isn't a bad option.

Read more
Horizon Forbidden West is a marvel — if your PC can handle the heat
Aloy shooting a bow in Horizon Forbidden West.

More than two years after its release on PS5, Horizon Forbidden West is now available on PC. The original game, Horizon Zero Dawn, has become a mainstay for performance testing on PC, and it's one of the pillars of our GPU reviews. The sequel ups the ante in a big way with more graphics options and a more demanding world overall.

I've been playing the game over the past week, drilling down on the best settings, comparing DLSS, FSR, and XeSS, and testing the bounds of performance. Horizon Forbidden West lives up to the standard set by the original release, though weaker GPUs with only 8GB of memory will struggle with high graphics settings and resolutions.
Best settings for Horizon Forbidden West PC

Read more