Battle of the Optical Media

From the old vinyl records, to cassette tapes, to CDs and DVDs and the promising Blu-ray Disc comes a new technology in optical media that will surely blow the geeks away -- the Holographic Versatile Disc.

Blu-Ray disc is derived from the blue-violet color of the laser that is used to read and write this type of disc.

Currently, Blue-Ray holds the record for the highest data that it can hold -- up to 25GB (more than half of my current harddrive).

Because of its shorter wavelength (405 nm), substantially more data can be stored on a Blu-ray Disc than on the DVD format, which uses a red, 650 nm laser.

Most of the Blu-Ray discs are used in High Definition movies. A 50GB Blu-Ray can hold up to 9 hours of HD movies or 23 hours of standard definition movies.

But how long will Blu-Ray hold up to the market?

With the coming of other competiting technologies like HD DVD, EVD, FVD and of course the Holographic Versatile Disc which is the proposed next generation disc after HD DVD and Blu-ray.

Or will the recent unlawful events be a calling for the HVD?