Snynet Solution Logo
MON - SUN: 10 AM - 6 PM
+60 11 5624 8319

Blog

Sony patents mysterious disc storage technology that’s definitely not for the PS5

Image Description

In its continued bid to resuscitate the use of high capacity Blu-ray discs and give them a second life in data centers, scientists at Sony have devised an innovative new disc storage device.

The patent, which has recently been assigned to Sony, details a new equipment for the long-term storage yet easy retrieval of high capacity optical media, such as Blu-ray. 

 As per the present patent, Sony had earlier proposed a disc storage apparatus, capable of storing up to 64 discs, in four rows of 16 discs each. There was however one big flaw in the design - while the apparatus made it easier for conveying robots to take out and mount the discs back again, tilting it during use would cause the discs to jump out and scatter.

Under lock and key

The present patent looks to overcome this flaw with some modifications to the design of the storage mechanism. It now sports a cover that’s configured to slide from the rear end of the case to cover the opening and works in conjunction with a new locking mechanism. 

The locking mechanism could include a lever close to the rear end of the case that can be used to engage a locking jaw to hold the discs in place.

The patent argues that this new design will make it possible to handle a larger number of discs more efficiently, making it viable for use by conveying robots in a data center. 

Date

28 Oct 2020

Sources

Share

Other Blog

  • Chromebooks were more popular than Macs for the first time last year

    Chrome OS devices outsold Macs and stole a significant share of sales from Windows.

    Read More

  • Microsoft's new security chip will not lock devices to Windows 11 as feared

    New PCs released this year that ship with Microsoft's Pluton security chip will still be able to run other operating systems besides Windows 11.

    While it was initially feared by the open-source community and others that Pluton would serve as a means to lock equipment to the latest version of Windows, that isn't the case at all. Instead, in addition to being able to install Linux and BSD, PC makers and even users themselves will be able to turn off the feature entirely.

    The first Windows 11 PCs with Pluton built-in were shown off at CES 2022 and Intel, AMD and Qualcomm are all planning to embed Microsoft's security chip in their latest or upcoming microprocessors.

    Pluton itself can act as a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) or as a non-TPM security coprocessor according to a new report by The Register. Essentially the new security chip will serve as a way for Microsoft to show chipmakers how it wants TPM to be present in microprocessors going forward.

    Enabled or disabled

    PC makers have the option to ship their new Windows 11 PCs with Pluton either enabled or disabled though end users will also be able to reverse this decision if they want to.

    Microsoft's Pluton design was integrated into AMD's latest Ryzen 6000 chips but users will be able to disable the security chip on machines that follow the chipmaker's reference firmware. This can be done in the company's reference BIOS.

    The Register also learned from a Lenovo spokesperson that Pluton will be disabled by default on the company's new Z13, Z16, T14, T16, T14s, P16s and X13 ThinkPads that feature Ryzen 6000-series processors. However, users will be able to enable Pluton themselves.

    Meanwhile, Intel's latest Alder Lake processors will include a Pluton-equivalent called Intel Platform Trust Technology which is a TPM 2.0 compatible component.

    We've also rounded up the best business laptops, best workstations and best mobile workstations

    Via The Register

    Read More

  • Windows 11 is killing game performance for PCs with AMD processors

    Windows 11 has an issue with AMD processors, Team Red has confirmed, and it could have a substantial performance impact with some games.

    AMD made the warning via a support post on ‘Windows 11 performance variation in certain applications’, underlining that the issue is due to L3 cache latency potentially being around three times slower (cache is the small amount of very fast memory on-board the CPU).

    As you might imagine, that’s bad news for apps and games which are particularly sensitive to this cache access time, and AMD estimates that broadly, all supported Ryzen CPUs under Windows 11 (and some newer Athlon models, plus Epyc chips) could slow down by around 3% to 5% in affected apps.

    The rub is that slowdown could be worse with PC games, with around 10% to 15% of performance potentially being lost in what AMD calls ‘outliers’, specifically popular esports titles.

    The good news? There’s already a fix for the problem underway and it’ll come as a Windows update in October – which could mean the patch may arrive with the cumulative update due next week (October 12).

    A further issue highlighted by AMD is a performance flaw with UEFI CPPC2 (Collaborative Power and Performance Control 2) whereby that feature could fail to schedule threads successfully on the CPU’s fastest core (as it’s supposed to).

    This gremlin may also affect apps which are “sensitive to the performance of one or a few CPU threads”, driving performance down a little, and the problem may be more evident in processors with 8-cores or more and TDPs above 65W.

    Again, a solution is expected soon enough, and should be delivered at some point in October, also via a software update (presumably from AMD in this case, as Windows isn’t mentioned in the resolution to this second problem).

    Analysis: Windows 11 – is it still in (a very public) beta?

    This is a nasty volley of technical hitches for early adopters of Windows 11 who run AMD Ryzen chips, but it’s gamers who are mostly going to suffer here, of course. Performance drops of just a few percent in apps won’t be realistically noticeable, but a frame rate loss in double figures percentage-wise is obviously a big concern for gamers who might dabble in those particular titles. A 15% slowdown in a competitive esports title where every frame and millisecond of reaction time are vital is definitely a big problem.

    That said, those larger frame rate drops are in ‘outliers’ as AMD underlines – we’re guessing that could be high frame rate shooters, meaning those running CS:GO on massively high refresh rate monitors may be the most badly affected here – so some gamers may not see much difference overall.

    Even then, this clearly reinforces the perception that this initial release of Windows 11 was rushed out too early, given other issues already flagged up like the memory leak bug, and networking gremlins that could affect gamers too.

    We’ll repeat our previous advice on the topic of whether or not to upgrade from Windows 10 – don’t do it yet. It’ll take some time to iron out these issues by the sounds of things, so you’re likely best-off waiting until next month at least, for all the October patching to be done – and then tested to make sure it doesn’t break anything else as collateral damage (which has certainly happened in the past with Microsoft).

    Via Tom’s Hardware

    Read More

  • Windows 11’s best new feature comes with a big catch

    Microsoft has announced a powerful new feature for Windows 11 that can protect users from malicious apps and downloads – but to enable it, you’ll have to deal with a pretty big catch: a total reinstall of Windows 11.

    The Smart App Control feature aims to keep your PC protected from malicious apps, and as PCWorld reports, this “major enhancement to the Windows 11 security model,” as Microsoft calls it, will be baked into Windows 11, with every new app you run checked to see if it may be a virus – or worse.

    It appears to be based on similar tech to SmartScreen, which is included in the Edge web browser, but will go much further in checking apps you run on your PC, including ones you download using other browsers.

    This increased level of threat protection is great to have, and will be of particular use to businesses and enterprises that want to ensure their devices are protected. However, it comes with a pretty big caveat: existing Windows 11 users will need to reinstall Windows 11 completely. This means wiping your entire PC and starting again, and that could be a real pain for many users.

    Analysis: is it worth it?

    Angry man ripping out his hair in front of his laptop

    (Image credit: Shutterstock)

    As Microsoft explained when it announced the feature, “Devices running previous versions of Windows 11 will have to be reset and have a clean installation of Windows 11 to take advantage of this feature.”

    For new Windows 11 devices, this shouldn’t be an issue, as hopefully they'll ship with the latest version of the operating system which includes this feature. However, if you're already running Windows 11 you’ll be faced with a dilemma: do you wipe and reinstall Windows 11, or miss out on added security?

    Performing a fresh install of Windows 11 is not a minor task. Although it’s certainly easier than with previous versions of Windows, you’ll be erasing all your apps, documents and settings. You’ll need to make sure all your important documents are backed up before you do this, and then spend time re-downloading and installing your apps and games, and tweaking your settings.

    This is a time-consuming process on a single device, but for businesses that have a large number of Windows 11 PCs already it could cause major logistical issues.

    Despite this, it’s advisable for many people to perform the reinstall to get the new feature, as any additional protection against online threats is worth having, especially if that protection is baked-in at a system level, which should minimize any impact on performance.

    For people who download a lot of programs from the internet, and businesses for which the protection of devices and the data they hold is of the utmost importance, this is an inconvenience that's worth enduring – and the earlier you do it, the less impact it should have.

    Read More

Find Out More About Us

Want to hire best people for your project? Look no further you came to the right place!

Contact Us