100 DVDs, 1 Disc(overy).

“‘If this can really be done, then G.E.’s work promises to be a huge advantage in commercializing holographic storage technology,’ said Bert Hesselink, a professor at Stanford and an expert in the field.” Scientists at GE develop a way to compress 500 gigs of information onto a standard disc, equivalent to 100 DVDs or 20 Blu-Rays. That should free up some shelf space. “The recent breakthrough by the team, working at the G.E. lab in Niskayuna, N.Y., north of Albany, was a 200-fold increase in the reflective power of their holograms, putting them at the bottom range of light reflections readable by current Blu-ray machines.

Blu-Ray Triumphant.

The 2005-2008 format war is over and the verdict is in: The winner is Sony’s Blu-Ray, and HD-DVD goes the way of Betamax. “Toshiba Corp…is planning to give up on its HD DVD format for high-definition video, conceding defeat to the competing Blu-Ray technology backed by Sony Corp .” (So much for the Total Hi Def compromise.) I stopped buying DVDs when the war started three years ago. Looks like it’s now safe to return to the fold.