High-powered lasers will allow burning dual-layer Blu-ray at 10x
Once the realm of mighty giants with huge pocketbooks, burning a dual-layer Blu-ray (or HD DVD) disc might be yours at ten times normal speed starting in 2008, when Japanese firm Nichia Corp. will start production on a higher-powered laser diode for use in recorders. The diode emits pulsed light at a higher output than current models, and is stable enough for 1,000 hours of operation, which we estimate should net you around 5,000 two-hour burns... of data, of course! It will also allow for 2x burning of up to four layers. We're still waiting for word on how fast it will burn those ten-layered discs.
