Express Computer gives an overview of Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD). It’s a successor to Blu-ray/HD-DVD that can transfer data at 1Gb per second, and is currently in development. It’ll also have gobs of storage space, great for HDTV content.

The technology behind these disks is called collinear holography wherein two lasers, one red and the other blue or green, are used. The red laser reads servo information from normal or regular CDs. The servo information is used to monitor the position of the read head over the disk. The blue or green laser reads data encoded as laser interference fringes from the holographic layer. A Dichroic Mirror layer between holographic data and servo data reflects the blue or green laser while allowing the red laser to pass through.

More than a dozen companies including Konica Minolta and Fuji Photo Film have come together to form the HVD alliance to provide a forum for testing and technical discussions, and to design and manufacture HVDs.

For more, see the article, of course.

Express Computer - Holographic Versatile Disk (HVD)