Researchers tout 500GB optical discs

Compared to some of the recent optical disc advances we've seen, 500GB may not seem like all that much, but according to the researchers behind the so-called "Microholas" project, they've found a means to cram that amount onto "regular" HD DVD or Blu-ray discs. The key, it seems, is a new microholographic recording technique that makes use of nanostructures inside the disc to squeeze in as much data as possible. They're apparently not quite satisfied with the results just yet though, saying that they expect the technology to one day let them store a full terabyte of data on a single disc, which they assure us will not be used to "stash away a thousand movies," but instead be used for "secure long-term storage."