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

[PS3 News]

This weekend Engadget (linked above) 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.


More PlayStation 3 News...

[douglasbos]

"It only does EVERYTHING".....Well that's the second thing in a week that it won't/can't do... oh sony.

[skrapps]

That might explain the new model numbers for the slim units that were discovered..

[CodeKiller]

I see play-limited discs...

[Bouga]

Nothing planned for DEBUG too?

[zefie]

In one part it says you WILL need a new player then in another it says current players "WILL LIKELY", i wouldn't be surprised if the processors in the PS3 can control the laser voltage, and as such, just a firmware patch to increase the voltage. The question really is if the diode can handle it, not if the voltage can be increased.

[livpool]

hm well the way sony designed the console is to evolve over its life time (and ironically devolve) so i have confidence it could work with a FW update. surely they thought blu-ray would get more better over time, so i think they would of planned for this... i hope anyway, if not it doesnt matter because what movie or game is going to use this anyway? even the biggest of games only use like what, 40gb?

[Awayze]

Oh well, if it doesn't work with current PS3 Blu Ray drives, they'll put it in PS4 so we can have bigger and better games unlike the 360 which still uses a DVD player.

[dante489]

big deal! like the current blue-ray size is used probably? few few games are using double layers, so i think 50gb is really more than enough 4 this generation i even think it's overkill, maybe those bigger blue-rays find their way into the ps4!

[camperdarB]

Doesn't look like that big of a deal. Even in the article itself it states this new format is going to be targeted for special cases like archival purposes. I doubt there will be any kind of commercial release the PS3 would miss being able to read.