Sony has announced a new optical mass storage solution for release by fall of this year. The technology comprises of cartridges which Sony dubs ODC1500R, each containing twelve optical discs which will be seen as one volume sized between 300GB and 1.5TB. 1.5TB is roughly the same size as 12 full capacity Blu-ray discs, so it doesn't look as though there has been any development in that respect, but rather Sony has found a way to make 12 discs read / writeable in a stack, which is no less impressive.

The cartridges will be released alongside compatible hardware in the form of the ODS-D55U USB 3.0 Optical Disc Archive. Sony notes that TDK has already signed up to manufacture discs under license, and also lists a number of companies that will be using the new technology, including BSkyB, CBS News, Time Warner Cable Sports, Fuji Television, and Tohokushinsha. There are a couple of things that aren't clear yet — first, what the price of the cartridges and hardware will be, and second, whether this technology will filter down to end users, or if it's intended solely for archivists, as a replacement to data tapes.