| Holographic storage ships next month. The | | | | $18,000 for this device, but as the prices drop I think |
| technology was in the works for decades before | | | | that this kind of technology will be something that |
| becoming a reality. Every now and then I read about | | | | consumers need. You can buy a half-terabyte drive |
| something and go "wow - that's the future!". I | | | | at your local Wal-Mart now for $100. I think it's great |
| remember when I was a kid in the 80's and my day | | | | to be able to back up all of our digital pictures and |
| telling me about computer storage and memory | | | | music on an external drive for our home network. |
| doubling nearly every six months. He also told me | | | | But as time goes on I will need multiple ones, and |
| "someday you'll be able to carry your 30 albums or | | | | eventually some will fail - and eventually I'll lose some |
| your entire record collection on a small postage | | | | really cherished memories. I think that's why a lot of |
| stamp sized chip in your pocket." It seemed like | | | | people I know print out so many digital pictures on |
| something out of the movies back then, and yet my | | | | photo paper - they know that if somehow the digital |
| 4GB SD Flash card for my digital camera can hold | | | | copy is lost, the printed version should last a lifetime. |
| about 1,000 songs which I guess is about 75-80 CD's | | | | If InPhase eventually created a consumer version |
| (and it's about the size of a postage stamp). | | | | holographic storage drive, wouldn't you buy one? I |
| We've all seen a holograph in a sci-fi movie. A | | | | mean come on, you could store you family digital |
| holograph is a projected image that, if you moved | | | | photos knowing that the media would be good up to |
| around it, would actually have perspective form | | | | 100 years. I know of no other storage technology |
| different angles. A holograph is a true "3D image". So, | | | | other than printed photos themselves that could give |
| how do you turn a holograph into storage? | | | | you that kind of piece of mind. |
| Technically a holograph IS storage, because it stores | | | | Think about the industry uses this could bring. Movie |
| information about the image to be projected. A | | | | theaters could ship out their blockbusters to the |
| hologram uses 2 laser beams. A reference and | | | | theaters on these disks knowing the quality wouldn't |
| illumination beam create an interference pattern on | | | | diminish no matter how many times they were |
| photo sensitive media. Shine a laser on that reference | | | | rented out. Web hosts could practically offer |
| pattern and get an image in 3D - simple as that. | | | | "uncorruptable backups". You may not know this, but |
| Robin Harris brings up to good points in that article, | | | | your local cable company usually has movies |
| the first being that a small fraction of the reference | | | | "downloaded" on their local server for the video "on |
| data can reconstruct the entire 3D images (you just | | | | demand" services you can watch. With holographic |
| can't move as far around it). This means that unlike a | | | | storage they could store tens of thousands of |
| CD or DVD, if the photo sensitive media is scratched | | | | movies for you to watch, and not just hundreds. |
| it doesn't (completely) destroy the data. Imagine | | | | Unbelievable amounts of data could be stored in black |
| data that can "reconstruct itself" from the remaining | | | | boxes of planes, trains, and automobiles. You could |
| bits. His other point was that the amount of storage | | | | possibly take your entire entertainment system from |
| is just about limitless. By changing the reference point | | | | your living room to your car on one disk. Entire |
| and illumination of the beams different holographs can | | | | textbooks could begin to be stored on disk |
| be produced - so hundreds (or more) could be stored | | | | cartridges to be read in standard readers and books |
| in the exact same space on the media. | | | | in schools and universities would not only be cheaper, |
| Oh - did I mention the fact that photographic media | | | | but the quality of the content would never diminish |
| has a lifespan of over 100 years, so holographic | | | | (just the hardware readers to view them). |
| storage has the longest lifespan of any media to | | | | So that's why I think holographic storage is a future |
| date. The company that created this holographic | | | | BluRay killer. How many years will that be? I don't |
| storage technology is "InPhase" and the first units will | | | | know. It took 20 years for holographic storage to |
| be shipped for $18,000 next month. One disk costs | | | | become a real piece of hardware you could buy. I |
| $180 and stores 300GB. | | | | don't think that it will be 20 more years before what |
| Why do we care? For the same reason that both CD | | | | I envision comes true, but it's certainly possible within |
| and DVD players were thousands when they first | | | | the next 5-10. But you never know, something might |
| came out. This is the future of technology. Movie | | | | just come along that's even better than this! Read |
| studios with long term storage needs will gladly pay | | | | Robin Harris' report on Holographic Storage at c|Net. |