Hitachi's 100GB quad layer disc to be PS3 compatible via Firmware update

298w ago - Hitachi has reportedly confirmed that its new 100GB quad layer Blu-ray disc will be compatible with the PS3 and existing Blu-ray players after a firmware update has been installed. This is promising news for all early adopters as they can sleep safe in the knowledge that they won't get left behind. The 100GB disc will also give Sony and its partners huge bragging rights over the HD-DVD camp who have been touting a 51GB capacity disc.

From the article: Hitachi is now working on improving the signal quality of its quad-layer technology so that it will be ready for market. The company also said that it is working on an eight-layer variant of the technology, which would yield a Blu-ray Disc capable of holding 200GB.

Although no new hardware may be required to read the additional layers of Hitachi's Blu-ray Disc, it is still unclear what costs, if any, would be added onto the manufacturing side of the equation. Should expensive equipment be required to manufacture the discs, movie studios may opt to release their titles across two Blu-ray Discs rather than cram Movie and special feature data onto a single disc.

While the Blu-ray camp has its hopes in Hitachi's multi-layer disc technology, the HD DVD group recently approved a triple-layer disc that is capable of holding 51GB. In order to reach a dual-layer Blu-ray Disc-besting capacity, an extra 2GB per layer was squeezed in, for a total of 51GB. Toshiba states that continued improvement in disc mastering technology has achieved further minimization in the recording pit, allowing for the boost in capacity to 17GB in single layer and a full 51GB on a single-sided triple-layer disc.