Why This New CD Could Change Storage

Summary

The video explores the history and evolution of compact discs (CDs), from their inception in the 1970s to their peak in the early 2000s. Despite being overtaken by digital and streaming technologies, a breakthrough in optical storage technology could revive CDs. Researchers have developed a 3D optical disc with a staggering 1.6 petabytes of storage capacity, equivalent to 200,000 DVDs. This new technology uses advanced materials and nanoscale techniques, making it suitable for data centers and long-term archival storage. However, challenges such as market adoption, writing speed, and cost remain significant hurdles.

Takeaways

• 😀 CDs were once a popular medium for music and data storage, offering a unique experience of flipping through discs and enjoying high-quality audio.
• 🚀 The concept of CDs dates back to the late 1970s, with Philips developing the technology for audio discs using laser reading, which was a futuristic idea at the time.
• 🔄 Philips and Sony collaborated to combine their expertise in laser technology and digital audio circuitry, leading to the creation of the CD and the establishment of standards in 'The Red Book'.
• 💿 The first commercial CD player was introduced by Philips in 1982, and CDs gained popularity due to their superior audio quality compared to vinyl records and tapes.
• 📈 CD sales peaked in the year 2000 but declined significantly due to the rise of digital file sharing, MP3 players, and streaming services.
• 🔄 Researchers have developed a 3D optical disc with an unprecedented storage capacity of 1.6 petabytes, which is a significant leap from traditional CDs.
• 📚 The new optical disc uses advanced materials and nanoscale data spots to achieve high-density data storage, overcoming the limitations of visible light wavelengths.
• 💡 The writing process for the new disc involves a complex laser technique, using green and red lasers for spot formation and writing control.
• 🔍 The reading process employs a blue and orange laser duo to accurately reveal the stored data on the disc's layers.
• 🏢 These ultra-high-capacity discs could be beneficial for data centers, offering a more compact and durable solution for long-term data storage compared to current technologies.
• 🚧 Despite the promising potential, there are significant challenges, including market adoption, slow writing speeds, high energy consumption, and the high cost of the required equipment.

Q & A

What was the original purpose of the technology that eventually led to the creation of CDs?

The original purpose of the technology was for video disc technology, which was inspired by the emerging technology of lasers that could read data without contact, starting research as early as 1957.

Why did the video disc project fail in the late 1970s?

The video disc project failed because the public was not interested in it at the time, despite the technology being ahead of its time.

What limitations did vinyl records and cassettes have that prompted the development of the CD?

Vinyl records required delicate turntables prone to skipping, while cassettes, despite being portable and re-recordable, lacked the audio quality of vinyl and tended to degrade with repeated use.

What was the name of the first audio disc system developed by Phillips?

The first audio disc system developed by Phillips was called Audio LongPlay, or ALP.

How did Sony and Phillips collaborate to create the CD?

Phillips had the expertise in creating a physical compact disc but lacked knowledge in digital audio recording. Sony had over a decade of experience in digital audio circuitry but lacked the expertise to create a physical disc. Their collaboration combined Phillips' knowledge of the laser technology with Sony's digital audio expertise.

What is the name of the standard established by Phillips and Sony for CDs?

The standard established by Phillips and Sony for CDs is called The Red Book.

What was the first commercially available CD and who introduced it?

The first commercially available CD was introduced by Phillips in April 1982, and the debut titles included Abba's album 'The Visitors' and a recording of Herbert von Karajan conducting Richard Strauss's 'The Alpine Symphony'.

What significant milestone did CD sales reach by 1988?

By 1988, 400 million CDs were produced by 50 pressing plants worldwide.

What caused the decline of CD sales between 2000 and 2007?

CD sales declined due to file sharing, the rise of MP3 players, and changing consumer preferences.

What is the capacity of the new 3D optical disc developed by researchers?

The new 3D optical disc developed by researchers at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology has a capacity of up to 1.6 petabytes.

How does the new 3D optical disc compare to current storage solutions like the Exodrive DC100 in terms of capacity and size?

The new 3D optical disc has a capacity of 1.6 petabytes, which is equivalent to 200 terabytes or 200,000 GB, and is about the same size as a normal DVD but holds 4,000 times as much as a Blu-ray. In contrast, the Exodrive DC100 offers 100 terabytes of storage but is much larger and more expensive.

What are the main challenges for the new 3D optical disc in terms of writing speed and efficiency?

The main challenges include the current prototypes' major limitations in writing speed and efficiency, with estimated energy consumption in the kilowatt range per terabyte of writing and a write speed of only megabytes per second.

What are the potential applications for the new 3D optical disc in terms of data storage?

The new 3D optical disc is well suited for data centers, as it could enable them to store exabytes of data in a much smaller physical space than current technologies, and is also ideal for long-term archival storage due to its longevity and durability.

What are the potential downsides and limitations of the new 3D optical disc technology?

The potential downsides and limitations include market adoption challenges, as physical media may be a tough sell against the convenience of cloud storage and streaming services; the current slow writing speed and high energy consumption; and the high cost of the specialized lasers required for the writing process.

Outlines

00:00

📀 The Evolution and Resurgence of CDs

This paragraph delves into the nostalgic era of CDs, their technological inception in the 1970s, and the collaborative efforts between Phillips and Sony that led to the creation of the compact disc. It highlights the initial skepticism from the public and record labels, the eventual rise in CD popularity, and the establishment of standards through 'The Red Book.' The paragraph also touches on the decline of CD sales due to digital formats and streaming services, setting the stage for the surprising potential resurgence of CDs through recent breakthroughs in data storage technology.

05:03

🔬 Revolutionary 3D Optical Disc Technology

The second paragraph introduces a groundbreaking development in optical storage: a 3D optical disc with an unprecedented 1.6 petabit storage capacity, capable of holding over 200,000 DVDs' worth of data. Researchers at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology have achieved this feat by stacking 100 layers of data within a disc the size of a standard DVD. The technology uses advanced materials and nanoscale spots to record data at a microscopic level, surpassing the limitations of traditional CDs and DVDs. The paragraph also compares this new storage capacity to existing solutions like the exod drive and highlights the potential applications in data centers and long-term archival storage.

10:03

🚀 The Future of Optical Storage and Its Challenges

The final paragraph discusses the potential future applications and significant challenges of the new 3D optical disc technology. While it offers massive storage capacity and is well-suited for data centers and archival storage due to its longevity and durability, the technology faces hurdles such as market adoption, slow writing speed, high energy consumption, and the high cost of the equipment required for data writing. The paragraph concludes by acknowledging the impressive nature of the research but also tempering expectations about its immediate commercial viability, suggesting that it may take many years for this technology to become a practical product, if at all.

Keywords

💡Compact Discs (CDs)

Compact Discs, or CDs, are optical discs used to store digital data, including audio recordings. They were invented in the late 1970s and became popular for music distribution due to their high-quality sound and durability compared to vinyl records and cassettes. In the video, CDs are discussed in the context of their historical significance and the potential for a new form of CD with vastly increased storage capacity.

💡Laser Technology

Laser technology is the use of lasers to read or write data. In the context of the video, it refers to the method by which CDs are read using a laser to scan the disc's surface, translating the physical bumps and flat areas into digital information. The script mentions that laser technology was crucial to the development of CDs and is also being used in the creation of the new 3D optical disc.

💡Storage Capacity

Storage capacity refers to the amount of data that can be held on a storage medium. The video discusses a breakthrough in CD technology that allows for a 3D optical disc with a storage capacity of 1.6 petabytes, which is a significant increase from traditional CDs and represents a massive leap in data storage potential.

💡Phillips and Sony

Phillips and Sony are two major electronics companies that collaborated to develop the CD technology. In the video, their partnership is highlighted as a key factor in the creation of the CD format, with Phillips focusing on the physical disc and Sony on the digital audio circuitry and error correction.

💡The Red Book

The Red Book is the informal name for the set of standards for audio CDs established by Phillips and Sony in 1980. It defined the technical specifications for CDs, including dimensions, capacity, and data encoding. The video mentions The Red Book as a foundational document in the history of CD development.

💡Data Centers

Data centers are large facilities used to store and process vast amounts of data. The video suggests that the new 3D optical disc technology could be beneficial for data centers due to its high storage capacity, potentially allowing for the storage of exabytes of data in a much smaller physical space.

💡Longevity and Durability

Longevity and durability refer to the expected lifespan and resistance to damage of a product. Optical discs, including CDs, are known for their longevity, meaning they can last a long time without degrading, and their durability, indicating they can withstand physical stress. The video highlights these attributes as advantages for the new 3D optical disc in applications such as long-term archival storage.

💡Electromagnetic Interference

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is a disturbance caused by electromagnetic radiation, which can affect the performance of electronic devices. The video mentions that CDs are robust against EMI, making them suitable for safeguarding critical data, as they are less likely to be corrupted by external electromagnetic fields.

💡Market Adoption

Market adoption refers to the process by which consumers and businesses begin to use a new product or technology. The video discusses the challenges of market adoption for the new 3D optical disc, as consumers have become accustomed to cloud storage and streaming services, and may be resistant to using physical media.

💡Writing Speed and Efficiency

Writing speed and efficiency are measures of how quickly and effectively data can be written to a storage medium. The video points out that the current prototypes of the 3D optical disc have limitations in terms of writing speed and efficiency, which could be a barrier to widespread adoption until these issues are addressed.

💡Cost

Cost refers to the expenses associated with producing or using a product or technology. The video mentions the high cost of the lasers used in the 3D optical disc writing process as a potential obstacle to commercial viability, suggesting that reducing costs will be necessary for the technology to be adopted more broadly.

Highlights

Compact discs (CDs), once a staple for music and data storage, have evolved with a new 3D optical disc boasting an unprecedented 1.6 petabits of storage capacity.

This breakthrough could potentially revolutionize data storage, offering over 200,000 DVDs' worth of data on a single disc.

The history of CDs dates back to the late 1970s, with Philips and Sony collaborating to develop the technology that would later become a global standard.

The Red Book, established in 1980 by Philips and Sony, set the standards for all future CDs, including dimensions, capacity, and data encoding.

In 1982, the first commercial CD player was introduced, and by 1985, CD sales began to skyrocket with Dire Straits' 'Brothers in Arms' becoming the first CD to sell over a million copies.

CDs reached their peak in global sales in the year 2000, but the advent of MP3 players and file sharing led to a significant decline in CD sales.

Researchers at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology developed a 3D optical disc capable of storing 1.6 petabytes of data, using advanced materials and nanoscale spots.

The new optical disc uses a green laser to initiate spot formation and a red laser to control the writing process, achieving precision on a nanoscale.

Reading data from the new disc involves a blue laser that makes the spots glow, followed by an orange light that reveals the data.

The manufacturing process for these ultra-high-capacity discs is relatively straightforward, taking about 6 minutes per disc and using similar methods to DVDs.

These new discs are well-suited for data centers and long-term archival storage due to their longevity, durability, and resistance to electromagnetic interference.

Despite the promising technology, there are significant challenges, including market adoption, slow writing speeds, high energy consumption, and the high cost of equipment.

The potential applications of this technology are vast, but the transition from research to commercial viability may take many years, if it happens at all.

Brilliant.org offers interactive lessons in various fields, including scientific thinking, providing an engaging way to learn about complex topics like the new optical storage method.

The video concludes by speculating on the future of CDs and whether this new technology could lead to a resurgence in optical disc usage for data storage.

The narrator, Toogo, invites viewers to share their thoughts on the potential of this new optical disc technology and its implications for the future of data storage.

Transcripts

this video is brought to you by

brilliant hi welcome to another episode

of Cold Fusion when was the last time

you used a CD or went to a physical

music store remember flipping through

the rows of shiny discs finding your

favorite album or discovering something

new unwrapping a new CD popping it into

your player and hearing that crisp clean

sound for the first time was a unique

experience but when you think about it

compact discs were actually pretty cool

a laser scanning a spinning disc to read

stored information delivering perfect

quality music or files for something

conceived in the 1970s compact discs

were pretty futuristic of course with

flash storage and now streaming and

cloud storage those colorful discs are

now the dinosaurs of Technology but what

if I told you that CDs could still be

the future incredibly researchers have

made a breakthrough they've developed a

3D optical disc with a staggering 1.6

pits of storage capacity that's over

200,000 DV d s on a single disc so today

we'll explore this incredible research

and the unlikely Return of the compact

disc how does it work will this ever see

the light of day it is exciting but

towards the end of the episode I'll get

to the drawbacks as always but before

all of that we'll take a fun trip down

memory lane and delve briefly into the

history of CDs it's quite an interesting

story so let's jump into

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it you are watching C Fusion TV

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the CD's Journey began in the late 1970s

when Phillips was working on video disc

technology this was inspired by the

emerging technology of lasers that could

read data without contact research on

video discs started all the way back in

1957 but it wasn't until the late '70s

where Laser Technology became practical

although it was ahead of its time the

video disc project failed as the public

ultimately weren't that interested I've

done a full episode on laser discs if

you're interested in that story but it

wasn't the end Phillips saw an

opportunity for using laser reading

technology in the audio Market final

records and tapes dominated at the time

but they both had their limitations

vinyl require delicate turntables prone

to skipping while cassettes though

portable and re-recordable lacked the

character of vinyl audio and tended to

degrade with repeated

use Phillips aimed to create a smaller

more portable disc that could hold at

least an eror of music after years of

research they developed audio longplay

or Alp an audio disc system

interestingly they initially considered

quadrophonic sound an early form of

surround sound but abandoned it due to

size limitations the name compact disc

was chosen to evoke the success of the

compact cassette in March 1979 Phillips

showcased the CD's audio quality however

they lacked expertise in digital audio

recording a crucial missing piece

engineers at Phillips didn't know how to

convert heard analog sound into digital

that have to turn to Japan to solve that

problem in Japan Sony was a master of

digital audio circuitry with over a

decade of experience refining the

encoding of sound waves into digital

signals however they lacked the

expertise to create a physical compact

disc this is where Phillips and Sony

converged the result was genius Philips

Engineers figured out how the laser

could zoom past time etched pits etched

into the disc surface and turned that

into ones and zeros while Sony

Specialists focused on the analog to

digital circuitry also creating an error

correcting code to maintain that

pristine audio I remember reading about

this in an encyclopedia when I was about

12 and I was amazed at how it worked

anyway in 1980 Phillips and Sony

produced The Red Book establishing all

the standards for compact discs from

then on they work separately on their

own C equipment but agreed to share

components in the early

stages in April of 1982 Phillips

introduced the first ever production CD

player the initial CDs were made in a

plant in Hanover Germany debut titles

included Abba's album The Visitors and a

recording of Herbert von karajan

conducting Richard strauss's the Alpine

Symphony in October of 1982 Sony CDP 101

made its debut in Japan Jaan alongside

the first run of CD albums led by Billy

Joel's 52nd Street Sony's device was

pricey around

$2,300 in today's currency initially us

record labels were skeptical about CDs

but one year later 1,000 different

titles were available in time the audio

quality began to speak for itself in

1985 di Strait's album brothers and arms

became the first CD to sell over a

million copies and it Remains the

world's most successful CD album by 1988

400 million CDs were produced by 50

pressing plants

worldwide in the year 2000 Global CD

sales peaked at 2.45 billion between

2000 and 2007 CD sales nearly halfed to

1.75 five billion and this was mainly

due to file sharing and MP3 players and

we all know the story from here

ultimately the rise of streaming

services and changing consumer

preferences led to the decline of CDs by

2021 CD sales had dropped by 95% since

their Peak currently at their lowest

levels since

1986 major artists like Adele Taylor

Swift and BTS caused a brief Resurgence

of CD sales in 2021 but the overall

trend remains very downward and the fall

of music CDs took CD ROMs and other

forms of optical media with it

so it's pretty much done that's it it's

certain CDs once dominated but now they

just occupy a nostalgic corner or do

they well as mentioned at the top of

this episode the life of the CD may not

be over so I was thrilled to see this

recent paper in nature about a new

optical storage method that could bring

dis memory into the petabyte range

petabytes that's 1,000 terabytes imagine

having to store around 6 billion web

pages so if you store this massive

amount of data on 1 terabyte hard drive

the device will cover the area about the

size of an average playground but with

this new technology the same amount of

data can be stored in the device the

size of a desktop computer researchers

at the University of Shanghai for

Science and Technology have developed a

3D optical disc with an astonishing

capacity it can store up to 1.6

petabytes of data they published their

study in nature and it's understandably

caused a bit of a buzz so 1.6 pbits what

is that that amount of data on a single

optical disc is amazing but without

context it's just a number so let's

break it down let's compare it to the

current champion of storage the exod

drive Eed ct100 is currently the largest

solid state drive available it offers a

staggering 100 tab of storage capacity

but the price well it's jaw-dropping

$40,000 or $400 per terabyte and you

thought Apple was bad but the thing is

to put that into perspective a 100 terab

is enough space for approximately 20

million songs 20,000 HD movies or 2,000

standard iPhones worth of data well that

is a lot well this disc has even more

capacity 1.6 pedits is equivalent to 200

terab or 200,000 GB the craziest thing

is this new disc is about the same size

as as a normal DVD but holds 4,000 times

as much as a

Blu-ray okay so you must be asking how

did the researchers do it here's a

simplified and brief explanation of it

the secret behind this massive storage

lies in layers traditional Optical discs

like CDs or DVDs typically have one or

two layers to store data sometimes they

can go up to four but this new disc is

like a skyscraper with 100 Floors each

layer holding precious information by

stacking these layers the researchers

have crammed in more data than ever

before next ultr transparent materials

and nanoscale spots to achieve this feat

they used Advanced Materials that allows

light to pass through with minimal

scattering now imagine tiny spots

microscopic dots on each layer these

spots are where the magic happens

researchers created a new material

called aggregation induced emission di

doped photoresist or a i e ddpr for

short it's a fancy and quite a mouthful

of a term but think of these spots as

data pixels the interesting thing here

is that they're smaller than the

wavelengths of visible light this was a

limitation of traditional optical

storage but now with this method they

can record data in sections as small as

1/10th the wavelength of visible light

this allows for the encoding of data on

those 100 layers it's like writing with

a super fine pen on an atomic

scale so how do you write data onto this

disc well it's like orchestrating a

laser ballet a green laser triggers spot

formation it's like a conductor raising

the battern then a red laser steps in

and switches off the writing process by

controlling the timing they made the

spots smaller than the waves of light

themselves it's akin to Precision

Machining with light on a nanoc scale to

read the data they employed another

laser Duo a blue beam makes the spots

glow then an orange light turns off the

glove and with that the data is revealed

according to the researchers their disk

with 100 layers spaced just a micrometer

apart can read and write data very

accurately to give you some imagery of

the accuracy here's a demonstration of

some layers being written on and

remember the scale is 5 micromet but the

journey to get here has been long and

arduous Professor mingu who led the

research explains how challenging it was

over the last 10 years to find the

perfect materials that could both handle

reading and writing data in such a small

space the plus side is manufacturing a

disc is also easy it takes about 6

minutes per disc and it uses a similar

method for those used in

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DVDs these new Ultra high-capacity discs

are well suited for data centers these

diss could enable data centers to store

exabytes of data in a much smaller

physical space than current Technologies

think a billion gbits of storage in a

room instead of a stadium also Optical

discs are known for their longevity and

durability so this makes them ideal for

long-term archival storage they're

portable and also robust against

electromagnetic interference so this

makes it suitable for safeguarding

critical

data but of course now the moment you've

all been waiting for the downsides and

limitations while the new Optical discs

hold a lot of promise there are some

severe limitations and challenges to

consider so obviously there's market

adoption apart from niche market

segments like data storage and archival

storage using physical media will be a

tough sell everyone's already used to

cloud storage and streaming services

they're not going to want to give up

their convenience physical media is just

an extra step and added friction and

next we come to one of the biggest

issues current prototypes have major

limitations in terms of writing speed

and efficiency the estimated energy

consumption would be in the kilowatt

range per terabyte of writing and the

right speed is only megabytes per second

researchers are working on improving

these aspects but who knows how long

that's going to take and next next we

have the cost a fosc laser similar to

one of the ones used in the setup costs

almost $50,000 and needs fans from an AC

outlet now that is a showstopper if I've

ever seen one lasers etching data on a

nano scale really is amazing isn't it

science as a whole is amazing but it can

be overwhelming to understand well

fortunately there's a fun and easy way

to learn about it with brilliant.org

brilliant is where you can learn by

doing with thousands of interactive

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a full 30 days visit brilliant.org

coldfusion or click on the link in the

description you'll also get 20% off an

annual premium subscription thanks now

back to the

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video so in conclusion it seems like CDs

wouldn't be making a comeback for the

average consumer anytime soon but with

such large amounts of storage in such a

small medium there could be new uses for

this technology perhaps data Sensers of

the future we'll be using pedit CDs But

ultimately realistically in the grand

scheme of things research is research

and for those of us interested in The

Cutting Edge it's very cool to gwk over

such Solutions but the reality is this

will take many years to become a product

if ever but I could be wrong and maybe

the researchers will continue to refine

the technology until it becomes

commercially viable and the market

responds positively but anyway what are

your thoughts on this would you like to

use such a beeroth of an optical disc

format let me know in the comment

section below so that is the story of

the compact disc and its surprising

possible fature okay so my name is toogo

and you've been watching cold fusion and

I'll catch you again soon for the next

episode if you did like this video feel

free to subscribe to Cold Fusion all

right cheers guys have a good one

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cold fusion it's new thinking