Toshiba’s DTR Technology to Boost HDD Capacity

Toshiba Corporation has announced a prototype hard disk drive that uses the new Discrete Track Recording (DTR) technology to boost capacity to a record-breaking 120GB on a single 1.8-inch platter.

“The drive is the first in the world to apply DTR, a breakthrough technology that boost the areal density of a perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) by a full 50 percent. Toshiba plans to start mass production of HDDs integrating DTR technology in 2009,” the company’s press release says.

According to Toshiba, the DTR technology can be easily applied to small form factor HDDs, such as 1.8-inch and 2.5-inch drives, commonly used in notebooks, UMPCs and consumer electronic devices.