100GB Blu-ray Disc Hints at 4K Playback

Singulus Technologies, a manufacturer of optical disc production lines, has completed tests for 100GB Blu-ray discs, suggesting that a new Ultra HD disc standard might be forthcoming.

With the recent influx of Ultra HD TV news and price reductions, many consumers have been wondering when we'll finally hear word about an actual physical disc medium for 4K playback. Well, we may now have our first indications that an announcement could be on the way.

Singulus Technologies, a maker of optical disc production lines, has developed a method to produce triple-layer 100GB Blu-ray discs using a new line of production machines called BLULINE III. Currently, all Blu-ray discs used for movies are either single-layer (25GB) or dual-layer (50GB), which has been adequate for HD playback, but UHD content requires greater storage space. According to Singulus, this new 100GB option is ideally suited for 4K video.

"Just in time for the market introduction of the new ultra-high definition television technology (4K or Ultra-HD), we completed the development of the production technology for the new triple-layer Blu-ray Discs with 100 GB storage capacity,” said Dr.-Ing. Stefan Rinck, Chief Executive Officer of the Singulus Technologies AG.

Though the existence of triple layer Blu-rays is nothing new, the mass manufacturing potential of Singulus' new BLULINE III machines points to a possible consumer application. With that said, there is still no official word from the BDA about an update or revision to the Blu-ray standard that would support 4K video, but with the recently revealed HDMI 2.0 spec and the continued push for Ultra HD adoption from television manufacturers, an announcement seems likely. Until then, the only major source for 4K content remains Sony's FMP-X1 4K Ultra HD Media Player.

Source: Singulus Technologies via CNET