The What: At InfoComm 2016, Sony is showing the second generation of its modular, scalable Optical Disc Archive System which adopts new, high-capacity optical media, rated with a 100-year shelf life with double the transfer rate and double the capacity of a single cartridge at 3.3 TB.
The What Else: The Generation 2 Optical Disc Archive System also introduces an eight-channel optical drive unit, doubling the read/write speeds of the previous generation, helping to meet the data needs of real-time 4K production.
Support for this system widely used by broadcasters, sports organizations, corporations, schools, and production companies is growing, with current customers including the Fox Station Group, Alabama Public TV, and WRAL/Capitol Broadcasting, among the 42 companies that have announced their support for Optical Disc Archive.
The Bottom Line: Optical Disc Archive technology is designed for use as a near-line, deep-archive storage, or disaster recovery systems, ranging from large scalable robotics down to stand-alone archive systems. Sony is also embracing an open platform approach for broad compatibility, providing technologies and support to encourage other manufacturers to develop complementary products for the technology.
