Sony and Pioneer said that is enough capacity to record 2.5 hours of high-definition television, an application for which they think the new system will first catch on when commercialized. The companies, which are working together on the research and development, bought a blue laser for the recorder from Nichia Chemical Industries, one of only two companies in Japan that is capable of producing such a device.
Commercial production is a ways off.
The prototype was such a recent development that few details were available, and staff from Pioneer said that up until last week they were even unsure whether the prototype would be finished in time.