To store a large amount of diverse information, a disc with a big capacity is essential. The easiest way, but not smartest, is to increase the size of the disc.

One side of a standard 30cm laser disc, for instance, can store 60 minutes of analog graph. But a CDV, a CD derivative which uses the same storage system as a laser disc, can store just 5 minutes worth of image information.

At Toshiba we wanted to have our cake and eat it by achieving greater compactness and larger capacity. So, starting from scratch, we set out to create the spec of a new global standard. "How much capacity?" and "What diameter?" were the first questions we had to consider.