Comment Re:Sounds neat, but.... (Score 2) 68
"But what about dust and scratches from which we all suffer with the current CDs? "
CD's currently have error protection such that if 600 bits in a row are miss-read the corrected stream is still correct. (If I recall correctly.) This is why radial scratches on a CD do not harm the data. (They tell you to clean them by rubbing from the hub outwards with a soft cloth.) However, scratches going the other way destroy data.
By using higher order codes you can make the biggest corrected miss-read sequences longer. However, this drops the effective storage density. You could still have an external disc based on this technology - but most of the data on the disc will have to be there to remove the errors produced by dust on the surface...
Floppy discs originally had the same problem - but when they are put into self-cleaning jackets it went away.
These new discs will probably have to be protected inside some form of cartridge if they will be removable.
CD's currently have error protection such that if 600 bits in a row are miss-read the corrected stream is still correct. (If I recall correctly.) This is why radial scratches on a CD do not harm the data. (They tell you to clean them by rubbing from the hub outwards with a soft cloth.) However, scratches going the other way destroy data.
By using higher order codes you can make the biggest corrected miss-read sequences longer. However, this drops the effective storage density. You could still have an external disc based on this technology - but most of the data on the disc will have to be there to remove the errors produced by dust on the surface...
Floppy discs originally had the same problem - but when they are put into self-cleaning jackets it went away.
These new discs will probably have to be protected inside some form of cartridge if they will be removable.
