The industrial giant revealed this week that they're working on a new kind of data compression technique that would, if successful, let them put about 100 DVDs worth of information onto a single standard disc.
According to online reports, this is only a "laboratory breakthrough" and will need more work before it can be used in a practical setting.
But the technology involved bears the aura of science fiction. Writing for the New York Times, analyst Steve Lohr said that GE is tapping into the next generation of data storage.
"The data is encoded in light patterns that are stored in light-sensitive material," he said. "The holograms act like microscopic mirrors that refract light patterns when a laser shines on them, and so each hologram's recorded data can then be retrieved and deciphered."
Carl Borowitz, CEO of Big Sister Media, told XBIZ that seeing as how his company produces 50-70 new scenes every week, they'll be looking forward to this new innovation.
"Well, it should be definitely interesting in terms of backing up the content," he said.
Playboy Partner Manager Derek Meklir told XBIZ that the popularity of this new storage system would, of course, depend on what it costs.
"Advances in technology and decreases in [prices] of existing technology always help move the business forward," he said. "Being able to store 500GB on to one disc would be great for backup purposes and for quick transfers. [But] if the pricepoint for the disc reader or blank discs are too high, many would just stick with the low-cost removable drives."
