128GB BDXL Blu-ray - Extra Large, Extra Incompatible

[admin]

On Friday the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) announced the finalization and release of the specifications for BDXL, the new multi-layer recordable Blu-ray Disc format with up to 128GB of capacity. Rather than a new movie format, it is targeting commercial segments such as broadcasting, medical and document imaging enterprises with significant archival needs. BDXL will be offered as write-once and rewritable 100GB (triple-layer) discs, and write-once 128GB (quadruple-layer) discs.


Discuss "128GB BDXL Blu-ray - Extra Large, Extra Incompatible" here. Read the article.

[thomaco]

Most of us in the IT industry consider hard drives, and particularly solid-state drives, as being far more fragile than optical storage. That is the reason companies are investing so much into developing high density optical storage.

[mredhorsey]

There have been several media reports about the potential for an EMP attack, or an EMP burst caused by a massive solar flare. In either case, the potential exists to destroy sensitive electronics like hard drives. I recently purchased a blu-ray burner that can burn these 128 GB discs. One of the main reasons was so that I can back up critical files to optical storage that is impervious to damage from EMP incidents. It may be months or years after an EMP incident before I could get a blu-ray reader that could read the backup disks, but at least it would be a possibility. Those who have relied exclusively on magnetic storage may be out of luck and they could lose everything. I'll wait for the prices to come down on the discs before I buy them, but I will eventually purchase about 10 of them to backup our critical files, home movies, documents, etc.

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum!

You could also store your back-up hard drives in a Faraday cage to protect them against an EMP. Places sell "EMP bags" that look like antistatic bags, but I don't know if those actually work.

[jinjuku]

You can also get EMP paint. But it all has to be tied to ground.

[mredhorsey]

Welcome to the forum!

You could also store your back-up hard drives in a Faraday cage to protect them against an EMP. Places sell "EMP bags" that look like antistatic bags, but I don't know if those actually work.

Adam,
Thanks for the welcome and for the Faraday cage zip log bag suggestion. At this point I've seen no real evidence that these bags can actually protect against a real EMP. The main concern I have about them is that the EMP can still get to the item inside through the plastic zip lock seal. It is my understanding that in order for any Faraday cage to work, it must completely seal whatever is inside it. The FAQ sections of where these bags are sold do not address this obvious concern.

The second concern is that virtually every test of these bags that I've found so far use cell phone rings, microwave ovens or stun guns. None of these are EMPs so the tests are completely useless as far as I'm concerned to prove they actually protect against an EMP. I think you're onto something in terms of using a Faraday cage to protect a USB hard drive with, but the jury is still out in my mind as to whether or not these zip lock bags can actually do the job.

There is also the question that even if they do provide some EMP protection, is it enough? I've seen conflicting information about that too. Until I see one of these bags protect a real electronic device that we know will be damaged by EMP, being used in a real EMP machine that can generate the levels of EMP we'd expect in a massive solar flare or nuclear incident, I won't buy them because I don't trust them. I'll research other Faraday cage options that have been proven. Thanks anyway for the suggestion, though.

[Adam]

Agreed on the bags - it was a side note. A true Faraday cage will work. Well, not against a nuclear incident if it's close enough.

[lsiberian]

Agreed on the bags - it was a side note. A true Faraday cage will work. Well, not against a nuclear incident if it's close enough.

Yeah one bad night at taco bell and the cage idea backfires.

[TLS Guy]

Us Docs using nature's DNA will beat the magnetic and optical storage. Look what my colleagues are up to at Harvard!

I think magnetic and optical storage are lousy. My wife had critical data from her hard drive saved to DVD. Well when the hard drive failed the DVD's were full of errors and most of the info lost. We now the DVDs worked when created.

My son who designs solid state devices and has had a lot to do with SD drives, says to expect SD drives to be the least durable of all and says nothing critical should be archived on an SD drive. Go DNA.

[Adam]

Thank goodness DNA never gets corrupted.