What would you say if I told you that you could store 200 movies all on one disc? Think I’m crazy? I was surprised when I heard the news. Researchers from General Electric figured out mass data storage on one disc using holographic laser reading and writing. These standard-sized 5-inch discs could initially store up to 300 gigabytes of data–that’s more than most computers’ hard drives! Future versions are expected to hold as much as one terabyte, which could store 40 high-definition movies or 200 standard-definition movies. That could save some major shelf space!

So how does all of this work? With CDs and DVDs, information is stored as a pattern on the discs’ surfaces. With holographic laser writing, the data is “written” using patterns of light interference within the body of light-sensitive material to create three-dimensional holograms. This new technology allows for extremely high storage capacity. Even today’s leading high-capacity format, Blu-Ray, can currently only store up to 50 gigabytes on one disc. Read more about how holographic storageworks.

InPhase is one of the main companies offering the high-end system. The first discs, expected to hold 300 gigabytes, should be available in late 2009. They are planning to market the $18,000 machine and 300 gigabyte discs at $180 apiece. They are also planning a 1.6 terabyte version to hit the market in 2012. These discs do have a high cost, but InPhase expects a large demand, especially in video production, medical-imaging storage, and government.

But be very careful with these extremely valuable discs. You wouldn’t want to accidentally lose or damage one of these discs with nearly 300 gigabytes of data stored on it, so be sure to invest in premium quality DVD cases, or even its own customized package.