Sony and Panasonic release new standard for optical storage discs

Two of the Japan’s leading electronics companies have released a new standard for professional-use, next-generation optical discs.

Called Archival Disc, the new standard aims to expand the market for long-term digital data storage.

In a joint announcement, Sony and Panasonic say the optical discs have “excellent properties to protect themselves against the environment, such as dust-resistance and water-resistance, and can also withstand changes in temperature and humidity when stored”.

They say the new standard also allows inter-generational compatibility between different formats, ensuring that data can continue to be read even as formats evolve.

“This makes them robust media for long-term storage of content,” they say. “Recognizing that optical discs will need to accommodate much larger volumes of storage going forward, particularly given the anticipated future growth in the archive market, Sony and Panasonic have been engaged in the joint development of a standard for professional-use next-generation optical discs.”

Both Sony and Panasonic aim to launch systems with a recording capacity of 300 GB per disc from mid-2015 and both companies plan to leverage their respective technologies to further expand the recording capacity per disc to 500 GB and 1 TB.