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| Sony to Phase Out Optical Disc Production Amid Shift to New Storage Technologies Image credit: Wikipedia |
Sony, a pioneer in digital storage, is phasing out its production of recordable discs, including Blu-rays, as it restructures its business to address declining performance and unmet market expectations for cold storage. Despite its groundbreaking history with optical media like the CD in 1982, the DVD in 1995, and the Blu-ray Disc in 2006, Sony is moving away from these older solutions.
Read Also | Sony to Cut 250 Jobs at Japan Plant Amid Decline in Recordable Media Demand
The decision follows Sony's earlier announcement of significant job cuts at its optical media plant in northeast Japan. The company acknowledged the need to review its business structure to improve profitability, as stated by a Sony Group spokesperson: "The growth of the cold storage market has not reached our expectations, and the performance of the storage media business as a whole continues to be in the red."
Sony's Optical Disc Archive Cartridges will also be affected by this move. The third-generation product, launched in 2020, offered 5.5TB capacity with double-sided discs and triple layers per side for write-once recording. This was a substantial improvement over the 3.3TB capacity of Generation 2 from 2016 and the 1.5TB maximum capacity of the initial release in 2013.
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| Sony Optical Disc Archive Cartridges Image credit: SONY |
While Sony plans to cease production of consumer optical storage, it will continue to sell B2B products from existing supplies. Consumers who rely on optical storage might consider stocking up now, as availability will diminish over time.
The decline of optical storage technology is paving the way for new forms of storage. Companies are exploring innovative solutions such as ceramic, Silica (quartz glass), and DNA-based storage to fill the gap left by the phasing out of traditional optical media.
In 2014, Sony, in collaboration with Panasonic, introduced the Archival Disc for professional use, which could store up to 300GB of data. Despite such advancements, the market dynamics have led to the current shift away from optical storage.
Sony's transition away from optical media underscores the evolving landscape of digital storage technology and the ongoing search for more efficient, higher-capacity solutions.
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