Blu-ray Discs expand to 128GB under new BDXL spec
By Richard Lawler 
posted April 3rd 2010 10:41AM
posted April 3rd 2010 10:41AM
Blu-ray Disc Association Announces Additional Format Enhancements
LOS ANGELES --(Business Wire)-- Apr 03, 2010 The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) today announced two new media specifications that use Blu-ray Disc technology to provide targeted functionality for commercial and consumer applications. The specifications for BDXL™ (High Capacity Recordable and Rewritable discs) and IH-BD (Intra-Hybrid discs) are expected in the next few months.
The BDXL specification, which is targeted primarily at commercial segments such as broadcasting, medical and document imaging enterprises with significant archiving needs, will provide customers with write-once options on 100GB and 128GB capacity discs and rewritable capability on 100GB discs. The discs reach these capacities by incorporating three to four recordable layers. A consumer version of BDXL is also expected, particularly in those regions where BD recorders have achieved broad consumer acceptance.
"Professional industries have expressed a desire to find optical disc solutions that enable them to transition away from magnetic media for their archiving needs," said Victor Matsuda, Blu-ray Disc Association Global Promotions Committee chair. "Leveraging Blu-ray Disc to meet this need provides professional enterprises with a compact, stable and long term solution for archiving large amounts of sensitive data, video and graphic images using a proven and widely accepted optical technology."
The Intra-Hybrid Blu-ray Disc (IH-BD) incorporates a single BD-ROM layer and a single BD-RE layer so as to enable the user to view, but not overwrite, critical published data while providing the flexibility to include relevant personal data on the same physical disc. This allows for consumer specific applications where combining published content with related user data on a convenient, single volume is desirable. Both the ROM and the RE layers on IH-BD discs provide 25GB of capacity.
Because both BDXL and IH-BD are specially designed formats with specific market segments in mind, newly-designed hardware is required to play back or record BDXL or IH-BD media. However, because the new media specifications are extensions of current Blu-ray Disc technology, future BDXL and IH-BD devices can be designed to support existing 25GB and 50GB Blu-ray Discs.
About Blu-ray DiscTM
Blu-ray DiscTM is the next-generation optical disc format for high definition audio-video and high-capacity data software applications. A single-layer Blu-ray Disc holds up to 25 gigabytes of data and a double-layer Blu-ray Disc holds up to 50 gigabytes of data.
About the Blu-ray Disc Association
The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) is responsible for promoting and developing business opportunities for Blu-ray Disc - the next-generation optical disc format for storing high-definition movies, games, photos and other digital content. The BDA has more than 170 members. Its Board of Directors consists of individuals affiliated with the following member companies: Apple Inc., Dell Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, Hitachi, Ltd., Intel Corporation, LG Electronics Inc., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, Pioneer Corporation, Royal Philips Electronics, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Sony Corporation, TDK Corporation, Technicolor, Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures and Television, and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
The Blu-ray DiscTM name and Blu-ray DiscTM logo are registered trademarks of the Blu-ray Disc Association.
BDXL™ is a trademark of the Blu-ray Disc Association.
LOS ANGELES --(Business Wire)-- Apr 03, 2010 The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) today announced two new media specifications that use Blu-ray Disc technology to provide targeted functionality for commercial and consumer applications. The specifications for BDXL™ (High Capacity Recordable and Rewritable discs) and IH-BD (Intra-Hybrid discs) are expected in the next few months.
The BDXL specification, which is targeted primarily at commercial segments such as broadcasting, medical and document imaging enterprises with significant archiving needs, will provide customers with write-once options on 100GB and 128GB capacity discs and rewritable capability on 100GB discs. The discs reach these capacities by incorporating three to four recordable layers. A consumer version of BDXL is also expected, particularly in those regions where BD recorders have achieved broad consumer acceptance.
"Professional industries have expressed a desire to find optical disc solutions that enable them to transition away from magnetic media for their archiving needs," said Victor Matsuda, Blu-ray Disc Association Global Promotions Committee chair. "Leveraging Blu-ray Disc to meet this need provides professional enterprises with a compact, stable and long term solution for archiving large amounts of sensitive data, video and graphic images using a proven and widely accepted optical technology."
The Intra-Hybrid Blu-ray Disc (IH-BD) incorporates a single BD-ROM layer and a single BD-RE layer so as to enable the user to view, but not overwrite, critical published data while providing the flexibility to include relevant personal data on the same physical disc. This allows for consumer specific applications where combining published content with related user data on a convenient, single volume is desirable. Both the ROM and the RE layers on IH-BD discs provide 25GB of capacity.
Because both BDXL and IH-BD are specially designed formats with specific market segments in mind, newly-designed hardware is required to play back or record BDXL or IH-BD media. However, because the new media specifications are extensions of current Blu-ray Disc technology, future BDXL and IH-BD devices can be designed to support existing 25GB and 50GB Blu-ray Discs.
About Blu-ray DiscTM
Blu-ray DiscTM is the next-generation optical disc format for high definition audio-video and high-capacity data software applications. A single-layer Blu-ray Disc holds up to 25 gigabytes of data and a double-layer Blu-ray Disc holds up to 50 gigabytes of data.
About the Blu-ray Disc Association
The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) is responsible for promoting and developing business opportunities for Blu-ray Disc - the next-generation optical disc format for storing high-definition movies, games, photos and other digital content. The BDA has more than 170 members. Its Board of Directors consists of individuals affiliated with the following member companies: Apple Inc., Dell Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, Hitachi, Ltd., Intel Corporation, LG Electronics Inc., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, Pioneer Corporation, Royal Philips Electronics, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation, Sony Corporation, TDK Corporation, Technicolor, Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures and Television, and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
The Blu-ray DiscTM name and Blu-ray DiscTM logo are registered trademarks of the Blu-ray Disc Association.
BDXL™ is a trademark of the Blu-ray Disc Association.
well shit.. ps4?
Wonder if thats enough for full 4K 3D movies???
@abedinthehouse
why isnt this breaking news?????
this is epic, i mean, i thought blu-ray couldnt be 'updated' but this is great!
Rather than increasing the density on a normal sized Blu Ray Disc, why don't they start making Micro Blu Rays that can be used in micro Blu Ray drives in netbooks?
@HoldenMccrotch Because Apple didn't do it.
@Christian Martin
haha, now weve said this its been given its righteous level of awesomeness with a 'breaking' tag :)
ty engadget :P
@allenade I love how thanks to Sony total control of the bluray format by having ridiculous prices and not even releasing recorders, they forced everyone to flash memory and their hard drives. Had this format war turned out different we would be still backing up to expensive optical media.
God save the Sony!
@allenade
Not so fast, it's extremely likely that is spec is derived from the Pioneer multi-layer spec, which WAS compatible with current PS3 with just a firmware update...
http://www.psu.com/400GB-Blu-ray-discs-coming-to-PS3-in-2010--a005584-p0.php
@spike99 from the press release "Because both BDXL and IH-BD are specially designed formats with specific market segments in mind, newly-designed hardware is required to play back or record BDXL or IH-BD media. "
@spike99
Agreed when the first 4 layer 100GB discs were announced to have been made in a lab the Blu-Ray alliance announced that most players at that time would be compatible with them with a firmware update.
@allenade I doubt it. I remember vividly Sony stating a few years ago around the PS3 launch that the LONG 'work in progress' "PS4" would have NO disc drive what-so-ever.
@Ridgecity Um, we've had Bluray recorders for years
@abedinthehouse
Forget 4K, we need higher framerates first.
@abedinthehouse
In theory they can store whatever they want on it but the bitrate would need to be adjusted down.
4k 3D does not exist currently (if you are watching a 3D movie you are watching 2 2k images, if you are watching a 2D digital movie you are watching either 2k or 4k images.)
@McKirf
Philips had a coin sized (3cm) blu-ray disc in 2002.It was abandoned because Sony was developing UMD.
Wow thats a lot of space.
@ksunnyv99 hell yes it is quite a storage space
BD WIN!
@ksunnyv99
I'm still waiting for HD DVD to make a comeback...
@psychoticgrape
As a matter of fact, I just received a new HD DVD release this week: Deadlands 2: Trapped this week.
Can't really claim a "comeback" with just one new release though.
@Popeye9000 I hadn't realized that actually ended up shipping after they said it wouldn't, thanks for the heads up.
@psychoticgrape I don't think it is making a comeback or if it ever started.
@ksunnyv99
I suppose. Now you -only- need 10 discs to back up your 1TB drive using a drive that costs more than it, on media that has no shelf life with some kinda geological write time and a unit price per disc equal to the 1TB drive in question.
Ma point is, disc is dead. Cause you'd be better placed buying more 1TB drives.
Looking at the price of BRay discs in AU$ the other day... you have to wonder why you wouldn't just use flash thumb drives.
@Cy Starkman I guess but are people really going to be buying movies that re on flash drives?
@psychoticgrape Why...? Blu Ray is much better, therefor no one needs HD DVD. It completely pointless. Everyone's buying Blu Ray now, even the regular DVDs are going to go off shelves in a few years.
How long will it take after the release of these bad boys before a PS3 BL laser is modded?
HOLY SHIT.......
That's A LOT of porn!
@Eternity
I'm holding out for BDXXXL
-jp
@Eternity Or one extremely high-res one! Super high-res boobs jiggling in slow-mo 3D please!
Holy Smokes!!!
And we care why? Optical media had its day in the sun and now its in the twilight of its life. Expanding storage and options on these discs only increases the price of these discs and doesn't increase the usability, performance, or usefulness of the format. SSD are increasing in size and decreasing in cost, and bus speeds have increased to fare exceed the abilities of any optical media out there. Its not a matter of time before digital storage exceeds optical, because it already has, its just how long does it take for the solid state and digital storage medias to come down in price to make it possible for the optical technology to be retired completely.
@3dpenguin Yeah, I've ripped any data stored on optical discs to hard drives, and have taken out my laptop's DVD drive to save weight. In 8 months, I've still not had the need to put it back.
@3dpenguin so when your hard drive crashes when you watch a movie your screwed. Most people still prefer to have something to touch. only reason mps took off is there so small and quick to download. Also a lot people are trash and steal the music.
@danhawk911
And a disc media brakes too, you're point is moot. Only persons who make the claims about disc media going no where because of "hard drive" problems are people who feel they've invested too much money in a particular format (Blu-ray) and are scared that they might have to start over. While the realists and pragmatists know the truth, optical formats are dying because of several reasons. First, their usefulness is limited, second, their competition is growing quicker than they can keep up, and third, its the way the industry is going. All the same reasons why Tape media has pretty much died.
@danhawk911
Easy have 2 hard drive
1 main hard drive and 1 back up hard drive, when 1 fails you got another hard drive with the same content
@3dpenguin "And a disc media brakes too, you're point is moot"
This is the worst English sentence I've seen in a while.
@3dpenguin:
No it's because people like to have something physical for their money. Streaming, HD, Flash - they have their strong points, but they pale in comparisson to optical media. If I'm going to spend $20 dollars on a movie, I want optical media that I can play anywhere that I so choose. Sure I'm still paying for the license to use it, but it can't be revoked or limited in any way. I don't want some file that I have to download, store, and worry about being able to use in the near future or where I want to use it.
I don't want my HD to crash and have to download all the terabytes of videos again.
I don't want a studio to decide they no longer want to allow people to watch a certain film and revoke the license because they hold the right to. My digital file will then not play, but they can't revoke the license on that optical disc.
Long live optical media.
@3dpenguin
Optical media is dying. Just not as fast as you think it is.
@3dpenguin Ripping/Copying all your media into a HDD is like putting all your eggs into one basket. Sure, its nice for convenience's sake, but if/when that drive fails, you have to rip/copy/download it all over again, which is a monster pain. Streaming and downloads just can't match the raw bit rate and capacity of physical media like Blu Ray. And with ISPs being as stingy as they are with bandwidth, its going to be a long time before streaming or legit downloads can surpass physical media. And now, that goal is another step further.
@SikSlayer
err, it's called a backup hdd
@psychoticgrape
And you're response doesn't make the position that Hard Drives fail any more valid in this situation, discs brake too, and more often than Hard Drives. Hard Drives and SSD have come a long way, Optical media is still less than 1/8" think and brakes in half at the touch of a child.
@cwalters74
Take out the already Blu-ray drive and replace it with the faster SSD.
@feepness
DVD Forum stated they saw the potential death of all Optical media by 2020 and a decline by 2015, they expected DVD not to last much past 2015 but thanks to another optical media being forced onto the consumers which supports DVD technology it will probably be around till Digital Solid State storage takes over.
@SikSlayer
"And with ISPs being as stingy as they are with bandwidth, its going to be a long time before streaming or legit downloads can surpass physical media. And now, that goal is another step further"
You are right with streaming but are completely and utterly wrong about downloads. 2k/4k theatres use content that has been downloaded onto high speed hard drives, not optical media. The bit rate is determined by maximum transfer rates, with a dedicated USB 2.0 bus it is possible to far exceed Blu-ray's maximum potential bit rate, even with a none dedicated bus with proper system set up you can exceed the bit rates offered by Blu-ray, yes it would take a long time using conventional distribution methods to transfer these movies, but with new technologies such as USB 3.0 and higher speed higher density USB devices that will change with the implementation of new distribution methods.
@Jordan
Check check the technology BDA uses. They use DRM on their discs and machines which through Firmware updates to your system can lock down the use of specific DVD and Blu-ray discs, they've been there for years. Also, I guess you've never used a media storage device for movie play back, they aren't that hard to move around, and they don't ear mark themselves to one system or TV, this is just the blu kool-aid Blu-ray supports have drank, and the great thing about a media storage device is I can carry 100s if not 1000s of movies around with me to play back where ever I like, while you and your 50GB or 100GB Blu-ray movies are stuck at places that have compatable players, so much for freedom of playback.
@3dpenguin Most theaters with digital projection get their movies shipped to them on (encrypted) hard drives; they don't download them.
Some do, but it's not commonplace yet. I only know of one in the Chicago area that downloads most (possibly all) of their movies, and it specializes in Bollywood movies.
@3dpenguin
Not everyone wants to take a thousand movies everywhere they go. Some of us have home theaters and are very happy with a Blu-ray disc sitting on our shelves that will not erase or become defective like all hard drives will eventually do. I had 100 or so movies on a Dish Network external drive that failed, and that was it. They don't allow for a backup. Most download services now in business will not let you transfer movies more than once. If your drive fails, you have to purchase the movie again (at least all of the sites I have seen deal that way). 24-hour rental periods, on-demand, so where are you going to get these thousand movies to keep transferring to different storage devices and what happens when your drive with the thousand movies fails?
For those who watch movies on the go, I am completely for movies on drives, but I guess I am happy with my Blu-rays at home in my home theater 150" screen, with the extras and the lossless audio on my 7.1 channel sound system, the only place I watch movies.
@3dpenguin Who cares what some high end theater is doing? Just because they have some insane fiber connect to get their content, doesn't mean a regular person does or will.
@3dpenguin:
I'm well aware that the BDA uses DRM on their discs.
But the DRM they use is a hell of a lot better than the DRM digitally distrbuted content uses.
@Gordon
Learn what the term download means before spouting off things... Download is another term for transfer, the hard drives are cloned from a source copy, thus I am right they are downloaded. Yes, the drives are encrypted and shipped and cannot be used outside of a specific play back system protocol.
@twister
Blu-tards defend the format with the "hard drive failure" define, similar to the "Chewbacca Defense" only not as funny. Optical media has an optimal life span, less than 50% of optical media (CD/DVD) is expected to survive more than 15 years, and a percentage doesn't even last 2 years, Blu-ray follows the same rules as CD and DVD media so without testing, which BDA will not allow to be released if it has been done, its hard to say but those movies aren't going to last forever. Hard drives don't fail as often as the Blu-ray supporters may think they do, I work with computers and out of the 100s of computers I've worked with I've only witnessed a hand full of hard drive failures in 10 years. Hard drive failures often happen because of an ID10T error, people don't know how to handle them and then they screw something up, like plugging them into an unprotected power source. And as for your love of having those movies at hand on Blu-ray, you do know that it is expected that Blu-ray will only reach 50%-60% of the population, in comparison to DVD which reached nearly 80%-90% of the population. Thus fewer movies will be released over the life of Blu-ray. Blu-ray is not a cheap media, and the format doesn't offer any performance value for the cost, same went for HD DVD, the HD media isn't destine to replace DVD, its destine to be the last mass produced optical media though.