The Kodak Optical Storage System

The world's requirements for the storage of digitized information is increasing at a compound annual growth rate of 30 to 35% per year. Optical storage systems offer a logical alternative for many current and future applications in the scientific and business environments. A write-once optical recording system has been developed that offers both high capacity (6.8 gigabytes per disk) and high user data rate (maximum of 1.0 megabyte per second at the disk). The media is based on an organic dye/binder recording layer, coated on a 14-inch aluminum substrate and protected with a thin off-spaced cover sheet. The optical disk recorder is coupled with an intelligent controller that supports SCSI and IPI-3 interfaces. An overview of Eastman Kodak Company's approach to large optical recording systems will be discussed.