Blu-ray capacity expands

The prospect of additional layers means that Blu-ray capacity will no doubt over time continue to increase, but a new development from Sony and Panasonic could see the capacity of standard Blu-ray discs given a sizable bump.

Best of all, the new tech is accessible to owners of current Blu-ray players, including the PS3. A simple firmware update will be the only requirement.

Blu-ray.com reports that a new form of disc evaluation – a technique that tests individual discs for faults, consuming storage space in the process – will increase a disc’s standard capacity from the current 25GB to 33.4GB.

It is expected that the Blu-ray Disc Association will begin work on updating official Blu-ray specs to accommodate the advances some time later this year.