Pioneer shows off 16-layer 400GB Blu-ray Disc, affirms compatibility with current players

When Pioneer first introduced its unicorn-like 16-layer 400GB Blu-ray Disc, we weren't sure if the thing would make it beyond the drawing board, let alone be compatible with existing BD decks. Over at the IT Month Fair in Taipei, Pioneer showed up to showcase the capacious disc, and better still, a DigiTimes report asserts that these are indeed compatible with Blu-ray readers already on the market. Currently, the 400GB disc is slated to hit mass production sometime between now and 2010, while rewritable versions won't hit until 2010 to 2012. Not like it really matters though -- a 1TB disc is on track for 2013, and you know you'll be waiting for the latest and greatest.

[Lucretius @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:42AM]

Seriously getting tired of the pathetic models-holding-new-technology strategy. What ever happened to just using a whitescreen background?

[J. Baker @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:44AM]

But if you show her a 400gb blu-ray disc she'll sleep with you.

[wodheila @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:46AM]

She makes me thick.

[Samboini @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:54AM]

wodhelia, skipping school made you thick, don't kid yourself.

[Kamokazi @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:04AM]

It's mostly the Asian press shots that do that, although it is getting more popular stateside.

[tekd @ Dec 3rd 2008 1:41AM]

Oh come on, you know it's mostly a male audience that cares about crap like 400GB BluRay discs. Like what's the likely ratio of guys to girls even buying a BluRay player (for themselves-whining until your girl buys you a BluRay player doesn't count).

[mousekopf @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:41AM]

Man, we've come a long way since the floppy...

[)law( @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:43AM]

Nothing in that pic makes me think floppy...

[Flashpoint @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:07AM]

"but HD-DVD will win cause it costs less to manufacture than Blu Ray..."

-some dummy on Engadget

[Metamorphic @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:06AM]

More like hard disk...

[superhobo @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:31AM]

WHERE IS YOUR 360 NOW??? HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Also, predict a rise in PS3 sales if these things become cheaper. And PS3 firmware is updated to support 4320p video playback.

[Hackettman @ Dec 2nd 2008 12:24PM]

We've come a long way since data tape....... I think I have some in my "archival" storage...... It still blows my mind how my phone has more computing power than my first computer I bought with my own money.....

Cant believe one day someone will laugh about using up terabytes of information.......

[Zach @ Dec 2nd 2008 1:25PM]

"Nothing in that pic makes me think floppy..."

I don't know, a disk in a casing reminds me of something... Oh yea! A floppy.

[OneLove @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:09PM]

So that's what pioneer looks like.

[EatingPie @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:22PM]

This is fail posting in comments, but I'm doing it anyway.

Data BDs... w00t!!

-Pie

[)law( @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:42AM]

Well let me get the ball rolling on this...damn engadget more hot Asian girls. I am loving it. Also nice more blu ray storage spec news

[Samboini @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:57AM]

Jesus, if she is hot I'd hate to see your ugly. Look at the painful smile for a start. Now I'm not saying she is ugly, but she definitely isn't hot. Think average!

[TheWakeUpCall @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:35AM]

lol that girl is proper ugly... what are you talking about!?

[JZ @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:18AM]

Avarage.. to ugly, let me guess you compare her to the pr0n pics you got in your basement?

That said, rather amusing that whatever is being showed off by some goodlooking girl who most likely has no clue what she is holding. Marketing seems sometimes so often, grab a good looking chick, put product X in a shiney box ... profit!

[bangladeshiluv @ Dec 2nd 2008 12:35PM]

think dog

[Pretol @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:47AM]

When is the digital delivery revolution gonna happen? I don't want another dumb disc type... Hurry up and make my internet faster, so I can keep my movies in my locker online, instead of walking around like a dumbass with a disc in my hand...

Just try to say this without sounding retarded "I have a disc in my hand"...

You CAN'T DO IT!

[inflames @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:45AM]

The real question is when is the digital detachable penis revolution going to happen? I'm sick of having it itch and would like to upload and download it at will.

[Marcela @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:47AM]

Yeah..because nothing is more hot then a guy showing a girl a disc

[NickNick @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:49AM]

scratch the disc, girl alone will do :)

[Deeznuts420 @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:11AM]

i think you misspelled something...

[Jon Nelson @ Dec 2nd 2008 12:26PM]

What are you talking about? I can't keep my girlfriend off me when I show her my different storage capabilities

[Marcela @ Dec 2nd 2008 1:11PM]

Cash, credit card and loans capability?

[Tonio @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:49AM]

...she's hot...? Lee Hyori is hot, Mina is hot, my filipina ex-girlfriend is hot.

Get out more.

[adam @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:21AM]

That's totallly unfair to compare a Korean girl (Lee Hyori) to a chinese girl (like the model with a terrible smile)
any chinese girl, can't hold a candle to any korean girl out there.

[pat1202003 @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:50AM]

Huh? What disc?

[Arran @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:54AM]

She has NO idea what she is holding.

[CJ @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:05AM]

Not if you're in the room.

[Vianon @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:35AM]

That's probably what she said too...

[strider_mt2k @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:55AM]

Love the photo.

Who's Polaroid did they borrow for that shot?

[Ghen @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:11PM]

They touched it up too around her face, didn't do good enough though.

[Imran @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:01AM]

Holy crap!

[Shela Monster @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:05AM]

With this much space, I could record the next year of my life on one disc.
In SD of course.

[)law( @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:18AM]

Just so long as you edit out the going to the bathroom or engading in illegal activites parts you should be ok

[Samboini @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:25AM]

Technically smearing treacle over my naked body then fellating a hot dog isn't illegal, although I wouldn't want that included on the footage either.

[Chuck @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:15AM]

"a DigiTimes report asserts that these are indeed compatible with Blu-ray readers already on the market"

Does that mean the whole 400GB is accessible with current players? Or only the 50 some gigabytes of it?

[Andy @ Dec 2nd 2008 11:09AM]

Most likely all of it. I have never heard of compatible discs that can only be read for a few layers.

Imagine the whole Bond series on 1 disc. Or all LOTR extended version in 1 disc...

[skyzbig @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:17AM]

Wow, think of all the porn you could put on a 1TB disc....wicked!

[Peter @ Dec 3rd 2008 3:28PM]

About 1TB's worth.

[GenBanks @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:19AM]

So basically blu-ray has the potential to be around for a very long time... far beyond the lifespan of the 1080p standard I'm assuming. With 1tb (or even just 200gb) of storage on a disc, I'm assuming that you could have much higher native resolution films.
Just too bad that current players, even if compatible with a 200gb disc, can't output more than 1080p...

[sam @ Dec 2nd 2008 5:47PM]

Also it's too bad that your eyes can't actually see more than 1080p...

(Unless you are sitting two inches away from a giant screen.)

I assume the intended use of this is computer data, not video. Although it would certainly make the 'full season box set' rather smaller.

Incidentally I don't really believe the discs will work in existing players, or else not all of them... let's wait and see, if they ever release it...

[GenBanks @ Dec 2nd 2008 5:53PM]

I don't know about that... I'm thinking it would be pretty cool to have a film that is native to the native resolution of say, a 30" computer monitor (2560x1600)...
And sure there are diminishing returns for each increase in resolution (meaning you'd have to add a lot more pixels to get the same impact if you were going above 1080p compared to going from 480p to 1080p) but if you increase the resolution far enough above 1080p it would still be noticeable, no?

[Dave Chappelle @ Dec 3rd 2008 12:19AM]

"Also it's too bad that your eyes can't actually see more than 1080p..."

Sam not this shit again.

When we get 70+ inch OLED's in our home's (we are talking 2013 here) THEN U WILL SEE A DIFFERENCE FuK FACE!! GO DIE IN A FIRE.

what are you a Standard Definition fanboy?

[Daza @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:23AM]

I wonder what we could put on a 400GB disc? I mean, I'm not saying "Oh, we'll never use this!" but in the next few years -- what do you seriously put on a 400GB disc?

For personal use, it's too risky to backup data on a 400GB drive. Even though Blu-ray is less susceptible to disc rot than DVDs are, I can't trust myself to keep it in the right conditions. Maybe corporate users would like it as an archiving medium, and I imagine they would keep it in a proper, safe environment..

[dale1v @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:37AM]

I can see our UK government using this to safely and securely back up the country's child benefit information. Oh wait. ¬_¬

[DrXym @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:48AM]

Daza, I can't see much consumer level use for this product. But it would be great if you're archiving stuff, and possibly for uses such as digital cinema too.