Data to be stored on paper disc!

NEW DELHI: Sony Corporation has announced that it has successfully developed a 25GB paper disc based on Blu-ray Disc technology. The paper discs, which marks a new phase in the Blu-ray disc technology, has been developed jointly by Sony and Toppan Printing Co Ltd.

According to a Sony press release, the two companies have been working on for about a year on printing data onto Blu-ray discs made mostly of paper. The companies are aiming to produce lower-cost discs and expand the use of the technology.



The discs will be able to store more than two hours of high-definition video. The companies plan to share more details about the new product at the Optical Data Storage conference beginning April 18, 2004 at Monterey, California.

The Blu-ray Disc format uses blue laser light and is considered a successor to today's red-laser DVD drives. The discs that can store more than five times the capacity of current DVDs was introduced last year in Japan by Sony. The company is part of a group called the Blu-ray Disc Founders that promote the format.

Talking about the paper discs, Toppan’s MD and head of corporate R&D division, Hideaki Kawai claimed that the use of printing technology on paper allows high level of artistic label printing on the optical disc, besides adding a level of security in some cases. "Since a paper disc can be cut by scissors easily, it is simple to preserve data security when disposing off the disc," he said.

Sony claimed that the two companies were able to develop the paper discs by exploiting the fact that the Blu-ray Disc did not require laser light to travel through the substrate. Sony Corporation senior general manager of optical system development group Masanobu Yamamoto further said that it was also possible to decrease the amount of raw material used per unit of information by increasing the capacity of the disc.

The worldwide production of optical discs is approximately 20 billion per year and optical discs are being adopted widely. The combination of paper material and printing technology is also expected to lead to a reduction in cost per disc and will expand usage. The Sony press release also said that the company would continue to work with Toppan towards developing the disc for practical usage.

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