TDK Releasing 100GB BDXL Disc Soon

TDK plans to launch its first BDXL Blu-ray Disc this September.

Last week we reported that Sharp was introducing new Blu-ray media and recorders that support the BDXL format. It's first BDXL disc, the VR-100BR1, uses three layers to provide a whopping 100GB of storage space. Additionally, the company's BDXL-certified drive can both read and write up to 128GB of data--the capacity of the larger 4-layer BDXL Blu-ray media--and will be included in two upcoming standalone Blu-ray Disc Recorders.

Now TDK is apparently chiming in with the announcement that its upcoming "BRV100HCPWB1A" BD-R discs will also be BDXL-certified and offer 100GB of storage. The disc will support 2x and 4x writing, and will naturally require a BDXL-supporting writer/player. The media is expected to reach Japanese retail outlets in September, and may cost around $50.

According to a chart provided by TDK, this new media will obviously not work on the standard Blu-ray writer/player. However it seems that the new BDXL drives will be backwards-compatible, allowing users to play existing 50GB Blu-ray discs. So far Sharp is the only company that has announced a BDXL writer/player, however we expect that to change within the next few months.

Despite the promise of larger capacities with the new BDXL format, both Sharp and TDK have remained silent in regards to international release dates. There's no doubt that BDXL will land in the States--it's just a matter of when.