Why does the holographic image of Princess Leia come to mind? Why do the recent CNN holographic images, beamed directly into the studio, forecast the images of the future?

We should not get carried away with concepts verses what is truly realizable in term of sitting in our living rooms and viewing an entertainment device.

It all started in 1951. The first video tape recorder (VTR) was developed that captured live images from television cameras and converted this information into electrical impulses that were saved onto magnetic tape. In 1956, the first VTR was sold for $50,000. In less than two decades (1976), Sony was selling the videocassette recorder (VCR) for $1300. Today we have digital video disc (DVD) recorders selling for less than $100. There has been an information revolution in only 58 years. Through this information revolution, we have become desensitized to action, violence, sex and some of the most incredible special affects.

Recently, I saw a movie that was forty years old; it was amateur in terms of the acting and the filming techniques. Possibly, the movie, which in its time was popular and the latest in technological advancements, was not as good as I once remembered it to be. Possibly, my reaction to this old movie highlighted how I have changed through decades of viewing. I am a product of the information revolution and my changes in entertainment enjoyment are a result of the enhanced sensory bombardment (ESB) of today.

Certainly the progression of our entertainment media from magnetic tapes, to video discs to VHS then to laserdiscs and to DVD and now High Density DVD and Blue-ray - has shown a trend in increasing the amount of information per area; basically, an increase in the density of information onto some sort of medium. This medium or solid state material has had to evolve over time to handle the larger and larger information densities. As our entertainment becomes higher in definition, so is the amount of information that must be processed, saved and replayed. We are viewing better and more sophisticated visuals for longer playing times at lesser costs.

So what is next?

If we look at the relatively recent advances in laser technology, we see a progression through the electromagnetic spectrum. It started with red lasers (CD and DVD), then it went to blue (HD DVD and Blu-ray) so the next stop, the ultraviolet. Each of these progression represents a move to shorter wavelengths of laser beam. This enables the packing of more information onto a disc. Unfortunately, the talk of ultraviolet or let’s say violet-ray has not been topical for a number of years.

So let’s return to where we began – holograms. Holographic storage uses lasers to store information in multiple dimensional space rather than just the two dimensions of current optical discs. In theory, the capacity of this technology could see one trillion bits of information in a cubic centimeter of storage material. In 2005, there was a demonstration of this technology, but that was in 2005 and now in 2009 – we still have not seen this technology developed further. Possilbly, the holodisc will be the disc of the future.

In conclusion, the initial images that came to mind might be the way into the future, but there is always choice. We can decide to get off the technological conveyor belt into the future and just pick up a book. Our minds and our ability to create imagery is still unbeatable, and it is free.