G.E. Breakthrough - 100 DVDs On A Single Disc

General Electric is said to have created a technology in it's labs that enables the company to hold the equivalent of 100 DVDs on a standard-sized disc. “This could be the next generation of low-cost storage,” says Richard Doherty, an analyst at Envisioneering, a technology research firm. G.E.'s work is in the field of holographic storage, making use of an optical process that stores not only three-dimensional images but the 1’s and 0’s of digital data like traditional storage devices. According to the New York Times "Holographic storage has the potential to pack data far more densely than conventional optical technology, used in DVDs and the newer, high-capacity Blu-ray discs, in which information is stored as a pattern of laser-etched marks across the surface of a disc. The potential of holographic technology has long been known. The first research papers were published in the early 1960s." If G.E. is able to mass produce the technology it will be a big leap forward for low-cost storage.

Another Blow To The Video Rental Store Model

In January Apple turned on movie rentals from within it's iTunes store. Today the service has gotten a little better with an announcement that new movie titles will be released for rental or purchase on the same day as their DVD release. Previously the service had to wait 30 days after the DVD release date to add a title to its catalog. This can be seen as a big blow to traditional retailers as it removes one of the big advantages that brick-and-mortar retailers like Blockbuster had on the online downloading alternative. As ars technica puts it "...customers get new titles on the spur of the moment without having to leave the house." With competition from the likes of Apple and Netflix, it's not looking great for the likes of Blockbuster, Rogers, Jumbo Video , or insert your neighborhood video retailer here.

A Futurama movie?

According to Lev Grossman at Time Magazine's Nerd World blog, there will be a Futurama movie released on DVD in time for the holidays! Check out the trailer... then Buy it!, Buy it!, Buy it!

firefly

After hearing much about the short lived firefly tv series from 2002, I happened upon the 4 disc set on the shelf of the local Future Shop and as luck would have it, it was marked down. I'm only 5 episodes in and already I'm hooked! If you are a Star Wars, Star Trek, or Battle Star Galactica fan you'll love this show. It reminds me of the old westerns that I watched as a child and that was the intention of the shows creator, Josh Whedon, I'm sure. It doesn't rely on a great deal of FX, has great story lines, and elements of humour. The thing that sets this show apart from the others mentioned above is the notable absence of alien races and droids, at least in the episodes I've viewed thus far. The set comes with all 14 series episodes, some audio commentary, deleted scenes, gag reel, and 3 never-aired episodes. If you are a sci-fi fan and can get your hands on this dvd set it's well worth the investment. I'll be on the lookout for the follow up movie of 2005 - Serenity.