51GB HD DVD-ROM missing in action

HDDVDTripleLayer51GB HD DVD-ROM triple layer approved… just kidding!

Well there has certainly been some interesting news circulating around the web while I’ve been down and out. It seems that multiple websites were reporting that the 51 GB HD DVD specification had been submitted to the DVD Forum for approval. Well, apparently that is not the case! No one knows how this rumor started exactly, but PCWorld got to the bottom of the issue by contacting a Toshiba representative.
“We’re puzzled ourself by where these reports came from,” said Junko Furuta, a spokeswoman for the company in Tokyo. She said Toshiba hasn’t made any further announcements about the disc since CES, and it wasn’t submitted to any steering committees during this week’s DVD Forum meetings in Tokyo.

51 Gigs in fantasy land
So at this point, the triple layer, 51GB HD DVD is still just a proof of concept. Until this format is submitted and approved by the DVD Forum, there is really no further point in making a fuss about the theoretical disc. We have also seen TDK demo engineering sample quad layer Blu-ray discs with a capacity of 100GB, but that does not mean such a disc will ever be affordable or useful to consumers. The reality is, a 17GB per layer HD DVD disc has the possibility of never making it to the market… Only time will tell if it actually survives.

About Wes Novack

Wesley Novack is a Technologist working in the software industry, with extensive experience building and managing highly available applications, services, and systems in the public cloud. He has a breadth of experience in online publishing, the consumer electronics industry, and building internet communities. Wes enjoys hanging with his family, skateboarding, hiking, the vegan lifestyle, and a good cup of tea. You can find him on Twitter @WesleyTech.

View all posts by Wes Novack →

3 Comments on “51GB HD DVD-ROM missing in action”

  1. 51 GB discs, I could not believe it when I heard it. It is good to hear the real story. If the DVD Forum has not had it for approval, it certainly can’t be close to being market ready. But who knows what is around the corner the way technology it moving .
    Thank you Wesley for the great job, a very informative website.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *