Toshiba 1.8-inch HDD capacity goes up to 120 GB

TOSHIBA announced a new prototype of a hard disk drive using new technology it called Discrete Track Recording (DTR) that increases perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) areal density by 50 per cent over current PMR recording methods. The prototype is a 1.8 inch diameter single platter HDD capable of storing 120 GB, for a PMR areal density of 333 Gb per square inch. The maximum capacity of existing 1.8-inch HDDs is 80 GB with PMR areal densities of 222 Gb per square inch. DTR increases recording density by inscribing grooves in the storage medium. The grooves reduce signal interference, increasing the signal to noise ratio and allowing track pitch to be reduced. DTR is based on research developed by the "Nanoscale Optical High Density Disk Storage System" programme supported by the Japanese government. Toshiba plans to mass produce HDDs based on DTR technology in 2009.

source & image:
theinquirer.net