PS3 Not Compatible with New BDXL Spec 128GB Blu-ray Discs

[6souls]

This weekend Engadget reported that unlike going 3D this summer, Sony's PS3 entertainment system won't be able to read the upcoming 128GB BDXL Spec Blu-ray discs with just a PlayStation 3 Firmware update... a new player will likely be required.

To quote: "The Blu-ray Disc Association's rolling out a new BDXL format capable of holding up to 128GB (write-once) or 100GB (rewriteable).

Before you get too excited, you should know that you'll need a new player to access these - even a firmware update won't save the PS3 this time - since they go up to three or four layers deep and will likely need a more powerful laser."

Press Release:

Blu-ray Disc Association Announces Additional Format Enhancements

LOS ANGELES (Business Wire) Apr 03, 2010 The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) today announced two new media specifications that use Blu-ray Disc technology to provide targeted functionality for commercial and consumer applications. The specifications for BDXL? (High Capacity Recordable and Rewritable discs) and IH-BD (Intra-Hybrid discs) are expected in the next few months.

The BDXL specification, which is targeted primarily at commercial segments such as broadcasting, medical and document imaging enterprises with significant archiving needs, will provide customers with write-once options on 100GB and 128GB capacity discs and rewritable capability on 100GB discs.

The discs reach these capacities by incorporating three to four recordable layers. A consumer version of BDXL is also expected, particularly in those regions where BD recorders have achieved broad consumer acceptance.

"Professional industries have expressed a desire to find optical disc solutions that enable them to transition away from magnetic media for their archiving needs," said Victor Matsuda, Blu-ray Disc Association Global Promotions Committee chair.

"Leveraging Blu-ray Disc to meet this need provides professional enterprises with a compact, stable and long term solution for archiving large amounts of sensitive data, video and graphic images using a proven and widely accepted optical technology."

The Intra-Hybrid Blu-ray Disc (IH-BD) incorporates a single BD-ROM layer and a single BD-RE layer so as to enable the user to view, but not overwrite, critical published data while providing the flexibility to include relevant personal data on the same physical disc.

This allows for consumer specific applications where combining published content with related user data on a convenient, single volume is desirable. Both the ROM and the RE layers on IH-BD discs provide 25GB of capacity.

Because both BDXL and IH-BD are specially designed formats with specific market segments in mind, newly-designed hardware is required to play back or record BDXL or IH-BD media. However, because the new media specifications are extensions of current Blu-ray Disc technology, future BDXL and IH-BD devices can be designed to support existing 25GB and 50GB Blu-ray Discs.

http://www.ps3news.com/forums/playst...cs-110454.html
http://www.engadget.com

[Minions]

By the time anyone decided to mass produce anything on those 128GB discs the PS4 is likely to be out. They can already do 3D movies without changing to this new format, and am actually curious whether 2 bluray discs would be cheaper than 1 of these new ones.

[Calina]

By the time anyone decided to mass produce anything on those 128GB discs the PS4 is likely to be out. They can already do 3D movies without changing to this new format, and am actually curious whether 2 bluray discs would be cheaper than 1 of these new ones.

prolly will be cheaper to use 2 disc's for at least a few years iam betting lol

[Kaisha]

I'd rather move on to HVDs at that rate rather than just making a larger capacity BluRay to which there's no real need for in this current time (especially if all existing players are incompatible with it), just like that 25-layer some 500gb BluRay disc that was prototyped a couple years back.

[Tymon]

Okay, dual layer blu-rays, essentially.

I'm sure that there will be a game that large eventually but until then we just have the plausible possibility of multiple disc PS3 games, maybe you could install both discs and just run disc 1 to play the whole game?

Or, the obvious, PS4 compatibility will be almost certain.

[Shojin]

I very much doubt we'll see a game larger than 50gb this gen, so PS3 laser is fine. PS3 will be able to read i-MLSE though via a firmware update once work on the i-MLSE is complete, which lets it play high capacity discs that are 35gb (70gb dual-layer) instead of 25gb (50gb dual-layer).

[Dmitry]

Worst case scenario: Sony somehow implements a firmware that allows those new discs to be read, and a laser swap would be the fix? Or is that not possible? I'm not very familiar with the PS3 hardware or Bluray software.

[kuronosan]

Further proof that Sony no longer gives a fuck.

[6souls]

I very much doubt we'll see a game larger than 50gb this gen, so PS3 laser is fine.

yeah, I think the highest space eating game so far is GoW3 at 34gb. They have a little ways to go.

[Tyche]

PS3 is futureproof*

Honestly though, I don't have a 3D TV. I don't yet plan on buying a 3D TV. My PS3 will be fine how it is. I think probably worst case scenario is that sony offers to switch the laser for set cost. PS3 still has, or is said to have, over 6 more years of shelf-life. I can't imagine them making it obsolete half-way in.

[Shojin]

BDXL isn't needed for 3D, PS3 will be able to play 3D games and blu-ray movies with a firmware update coming in June.

[Pharaun]

yeah, I think the highest space eating game so far is GoW3 at 34gb. They have a little ways to go.

I thought MGS4 used the full 50 or damn near it, and was one of the reasons they haven't considered porting it to 360, but that's beside the point. After reading this article it seems like the BDXL format isn't even intended for movies or games. They state that it's target primarily is companies that need large amounts of backup storage and could be used to replace magnetic tapes or hard drives. This seems like a total non-issue for the ps3.

[Kaisha]

I thought MGS4 used the full 50 or damn near it, and was one of the reasons they haven't considered porting it to 360, but that's beside the point.

MGS4 took 31gb of space, granted the majority of the game content was compressed, hence the need for to do an installation every act.

FFXIII is the largest at 37gb I believe it was, granted more than 24gb of that was just 1080p FMVs.

After reading this article it seems like the BDXL format isn't even intended for movies or games. They state that it's target primarily is companies that need large amounts of backup storage and could be used to replace magnetic tapes or hard drives. This seems like a total non-issue for the ps3.

I couldn't begin to fathom how much the Blu-Ray laser would cost that's capable of burning the amount of data one of them could hold across 4 layers. Unless the cost per BDXL disc was low (last I checked single layer BD-Rs were $15 each), I don't see any company replacing hard-drives over those any year soon.

[Pikarya]

This won't affect the PS3. And if it does, it will be years down the road as companies further develop the technology.

Current games don't even hit 50% of the cap yet. So theres nothing to worry about.

[Kaisha]

Well, majority of current games are multi-platform, and limit themselves to the lowest-common-denominator, which would be the 360's disc size in this case.
(which is what, 6.8gb of usable space per dual-layered disc on licensed titles?)

[Norellicus]

This won't affect the PS3. And if it does, it will be years down the road as companies further develop the technology.

Current games don't even hit 50% of the cap yet. So theres nothing to worry about.

MGS4 did, they delayed release by a month because they had to reoptimize their data layout to actually fit.

[Equitas]

can't wait to see the day of 3D games, sadly i already wear glass's so a 2nd pair will suck <insert 6 eye comment here>.