Nils Luehrmann
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2001
- Messages
- 3,513
If you have not heard yet, there is a battle going on for what format standard the next generation DVD will be.
At first HD-DVD looked to be the front runner even though it offered the smallest increase of maximum storage capability (30GB) over standard DVD (9GB), but then Blu-Ray came around and decided to support WMV and so with its larger storage capacity (50GB – with future plans of 100GB discs) it appeared to take the lead – at least in performance.
Well HVD now appears ready to obliterate both of these formats, at least in regards to performance.
How so? Well to start HVD discs have already been demonstrated with 200GB storage capacity, with 1TB discs expected to be developed very shortly. (that is equivalent to 100 dual layer DVDs, 35 HD-DVDs, and 20 Blu-Ray DVDs) On top of its massive storage capacity, HVD also offers transfer speeds greater than 1GB per second – 40 times that of standard DVD. It doesn’t end there. There are already plans for a 4TB disc which would be enough storage capacity to have nearly 1000 movies in 480p, or about 200 movies in HD on one disc.
So what is HVD and how does it differ from the other optical discs?
HVD stands for Holographic Versatile Disc. The technology behind HVD is based on Optware's exclusive servo system and CHDSS (Collinear Holographic Data Storage System) which Hideyoshi Horimai, founder of Optware Corp., originally developed back in 1999.
Collinear holography combines a reference laser and signal laser on a single beam, creating a three-dimensional hologram composed of data fringes. This image is illuminated on the medium using a single objective.
HVD is the same size of a standard DVD (12cm):
If you look closely at the surface of a HVD disc you can see multiplexed holographic data patterns along the tracks:
The disc structure starts with a substrate with a pitted aluminum reflection top layer. A dichroic mirror is laid on top of that with a small gap between it and the next layer which is a photo polymer and where the data is recorded. The last layer is a protective substrate.
Now for those that think this is only vaporware, make no mistake about it – this is a very real technology with working models being demonstrated over the last few months. The first demonstration of both a recording and playback of a HVD disc was back in August of last year.
To further emphasize how real this technology is, back in January the Ecma created a technical committee (TC44) to develop a standardization strategy for Holographic Information Storage (HIS) systems and HVD.
Just this week six major companies announced that they had formally created the HVD Alliance in order to advance the development of HVD and promote it throughout the marketplace.
The companies that currently make up the HVD Alliance are:
That is a different “HVD”.
You are referring to "High-definition Digital Video" one of the many competing formats in China created to circumvent having to pay expensive DVD royalties. Despite being called "High-definition" it is very similar to standard DVD regarding its core technology.
The HVD discussed here is "Holographic Versatile Disc" and except for its size and that it is an optical disc, it shares almost no core technological similarities to any of these other DVD based formats.
The other popular format in China created to avoid paying DVD royalties is EVD (Enhanced Versatile Disc) and now Taiwan is adding to the format war with their upcoming FVD (Forward Versatile Disc).
(Many folks are bent out of shape about just the two format war here between Blu-ray and HD DVD, but in reality the world market is looking at a format war for the next generation of DVD that includes no fewer than six competing formats – none of which come even remotely close the current specs for HVD (Holographic Versatile Disc.)
At first HD-DVD looked to be the front runner even though it offered the smallest increase of maximum storage capability (30GB) over standard DVD (9GB), but then Blu-Ray came around and decided to support WMV and so with its larger storage capacity (50GB – with future plans of 100GB discs) it appeared to take the lead – at least in performance.
Well HVD now appears ready to obliterate both of these formats, at least in regards to performance.
How so? Well to start HVD discs have already been demonstrated with 200GB storage capacity, with 1TB discs expected to be developed very shortly. (that is equivalent to 100 dual layer DVDs, 35 HD-DVDs, and 20 Blu-Ray DVDs) On top of its massive storage capacity, HVD also offers transfer speeds greater than 1GB per second – 40 times that of standard DVD. It doesn’t end there. There are already plans for a 4TB disc which would be enough storage capacity to have nearly 1000 movies in 480p, or about 200 movies in HD on one disc.
So what is HVD and how does it differ from the other optical discs?
HVD stands for Holographic Versatile Disc. The technology behind HVD is based on Optware's exclusive servo system and CHDSS (Collinear Holographic Data Storage System) which Hideyoshi Horimai, founder of Optware Corp., originally developed back in 1999.
Collinear holography combines a reference laser and signal laser on a single beam, creating a three-dimensional hologram composed of data fringes. This image is illuminated on the medium using a single objective.
HVD is the same size of a standard DVD (12cm):
If you look closely at the surface of a HVD disc you can see multiplexed holographic data patterns along the tracks:
The disc structure starts with a substrate with a pitted aluminum reflection top layer. A dichroic mirror is laid on top of that with a small gap between it and the next layer which is a photo polymer and where the data is recorded. The last layer is a protective substrate.
Now for those that think this is only vaporware, make no mistake about it – this is a very real technology with working models being demonstrated over the last few months. The first demonstration of both a recording and playback of a HVD disc was back in August of last year.
To further emphasize how real this technology is, back in January the Ecma created a technical committee (TC44) to develop a standardization strategy for Holographic Information Storage (HIS) systems and HVD.
Just this week six major companies announced that they had formally created the HVD Alliance in order to advance the development of HVD and promote it throughout the marketplace.
The companies that currently make up the HVD Alliance are:
- Optware
- FujiFilm
- CMC Magnetics
- Nippon Paint
- Pulstec Industrial
- Toagosei
- Texas Instruments
- Micron Technology
- InPhase Technologies
- Konica
- Memory-Teck
- Aprillis
That is a different “HVD”.
You are referring to "High-definition Digital Video" one of the many competing formats in China created to circumvent having to pay expensive DVD royalties. Despite being called "High-definition" it is very similar to standard DVD regarding its core technology.
The HVD discussed here is "Holographic Versatile Disc" and except for its size and that it is an optical disc, it shares almost no core technological similarities to any of these other DVD based formats.
The other popular format in China created to avoid paying DVD royalties is EVD (Enhanced Versatile Disc) and now Taiwan is adding to the format war with their upcoming FVD (Forward Versatile Disc).
(Many folks are bent out of shape about just the two format war here between Blu-ray and HD DVD, but in reality the world market is looking at a format war for the next generation of DVD that includes no fewer than six competing formats – none of which come even remotely close the current specs for HVD (Holographic Versatile Disc.)