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Blu-ray optical storage technology is the next
generation of optical disc format for the delivery
of high-definition video to the consumer electronics
marketplace, and for the delivery of high-density
data storage to the commercial marketplace.
Using
the same 120mm physical form factor as CD and DVD
media, storage capacities of current generation
Blu-ray media are 25GB per disc (single-layer) and
50GB per disc (dual-layer), on a single-sided medium,
and
are 100% backward read/write compatible with all
known CD and DVD formats. Storage capacity roadmaps include
increases to 100GB on a four-layer medium, and to
200GB on an eight-layer
medium, and will provide the same level of backward
compatibility to CD and DVD as the current generations
of Blu-ray drives.
In addition to the capacity increases
offered by Blu-ray technology, a significant advance
over CD
and DVD
media is the hard protective coating which protects
the media
surface against scratches, dust particles, and
other contaminants, ultimately providing much greater
longevity over CD and DVD. Likewise, Blu-ray media
is liquid
repellant and offers greater protection against
extreme temperature
and humidity, when compared to CD and DVD media.
For
archival-type data storage applications requiring
protection against deliberate or accidental modification
or destruction of data, Blu-ray media is available
in
a Write-Once format (BD-R), which stores data in
a non-rewritable non-erasable format to meet regulatory
requirements
for SEC 17a-4, HIPAA, and Sarbanes-Oxley, to name
a few.
For data storage applications that do NOT require
write-once properties, Blu-ray media is available
in a re-writeable
format. This format, known as BD-RE, allows deletions
of data and the ability to re-claim storage capacity
on the disc.
When choosing Blu-ray as a data storage/archive
medium, automated libraries offer capacities that
range from
2.2TB to over 34TB of archival storage in a single
library, and can be hosted by any Windows, UNIX,
or Linux operating
system.
Blu-ray libraries also offer the ability
to provide network access to collections of CD
and DVD discs
such as catalogues, encyclopedias, research databases,
and
software installation discs within the same library
as storage and archival media.
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