GE has made a storage breakthrough reports the New York Times that allows a density on a single disc high enough to store 100 DVD movies. The disc itself is a standard CD or DVD size and is a success in the laboratory stage at this time. There is more work that needs to be done to get the technology into a form that can be mass produced affordably according to GE.

The breakthrough uses holographic storage processes that stores data in light patterns in a light-sensitive material. The tiny holograms made during the process act like microscopic mirrors according to the NYT to refract light patterns when a laser shines on them allowing the data on each hologram to be read.

Holographic storage techniques have been studied for a long time and some applications are being developed for commercial uses, but analysts report that the GE breakthrough may be the first step towards bringing holographic storage to the mainstream computer user.

Via NYT