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{{refimprove|date=August 2012}}
{{short description|Proprietary optical disc format developed by Sony for storing digital video}}
{{Infobox media
| name          = Professional Disc
| logo          = 
| image         = [[Image:Sony PFD23 20060615.jpg|150px]]
| caption       =
| type          = [[Optical disc]]
| encoding      = 
| capacity      = 23 [[giga byte|GB]] per layer
| read          = 
| write         = 
| standard      = 
| owner         = [[Sony]]
| use           = Data storage
| extended from = 
| extended to   = 
| released      = {{Start date and age|2003}}
}}
{{Optical disc authoring}}

'''Professional Disc''' ('''PFD''') is a [[digital recording]] [[optical disc]] format introduced by [[Sony]] in 2003 primarily for [[XDCAM]], its [[tapeless camcorder]] system. It was one of the first optical formats to utilize a [[blue laser]], which allowed for a higher density of data to be stored on optical media compared to infrared laser technology used in the [[CD]] and red laser technology used in the [[DVD]] format.

==Technology==

PFD uses a 405 [[nanometer|nm]] wavelength and a [[numerical aperture]] (NA) of 0.85 for the laser, allowing 23 [[gigabyte|GB]] of data to be stored on one 12&nbsp;cm disc – the equivalent to nearly five single-layer DVDs, and a 1x speed data transfer rate of 88 [[Megabit per second|Mbit/s]] for reading and 72&nbsp;Mbit/s for writing. After the 23&nbsp;GB disc was released, a dual-layer 50&nbsp;GB was developed and released.

This format is sometimes confused with the [[Blu-ray Disc]] format, another optical disc format using blue-violet lasers and supported by Sony. Even the PFD's caddy and Blu-ray's original caddy (later dropped) looked very similar. Capabilities differ; single-layer PFD discs have a capacity of 23&nbsp;GB whereas Blu-ray discs can store 25&nbsp;GB. However, Blu-ray discs currently allow a 2x data transfer rate of 72&nbsp;Mbit/s – lower than PFD. This is because PFD discs use much higher quality media and drives use higher quality components, making them prohibitively expensive for the consumer segment to which Blu-ray is aimed. PFD discs can have a capacity of up to 100&nbsp;GB for rewritable discs, and 128&nbsp;GB for write-once discs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pro.sony/en_GB/products/professional-disc/professional-disc|title=Professional Disc (Single, Dual, Triple & Quad Layer) - Sony Pro|website=pro.sony}}</ref>

== Disc Sizes ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Disc Size (GB) !! Disc Color !! Layers of Disc !! Storage Time (minutes record using HD422 {{nowrap|50 Mbit/s)}} !! Properties
|-
|  23 || Black  || Single ||  45 || Rewritable
|-
|  50 || Red    || Dual   ||  90 || Rewritable
|-
| 100 || Yellow || Triple || 180 || Rewritable
|-
| 128 || White  || Quad   || 240 || Write once
|}

==Applications/products==
[[File:Fuji TV (5712870769).jpg|thumb|[[19-inch rack]]s of Professional Disc decks at [[Fuji TV]]]]
{{CSS image crop
|Image = ETTV Sony PDW-510 face at Shiow Meei Industrial booth 20201101.jpg
|bSize = 400
|cWidth = 320
|cHeight = 200
|oTop = 40
|oLeft = 75
|Location = right
|Description = Professional Disc camcorder Sony PDW-510
}}
=== XDCAM video system ===
The PFD format is used as the recording medium in Sony's [[XDCAM]] professional video devices, both for standard definition and high definition applications.

=== Professional Disc for Data (PDD) ===
'''Professional Disc for DATA''' ('''PDD''' or '''ProDATA''') was a general-use recording media variant of PFD, aimed primarily at small and medium-sized enterprise for data archival and [[backup]]. PDD drives and media became available in mid-2004. The BW-RS101 external [[SCSI-3]] drive originally retailed in the [[United Kingdom|UK]] at £2,344 (excl. [[VAT]]) directly from Sony, and 23&nbsp;GB write-once and re-writeable media retailed for £30 each. Two other drives – the BW-F101/A internal [[SCSI]] drive and the BW-RU101 external [[USB 2.0]] drive also became available around the same time.

On March 31, 2007, Professional Disc for DATA reached their "[[End-of-life (product)|end of life]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sony.net/Products/MO-Drive/ProDATA/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050531222353/http://www.sony.net/Products/MO-Drive/ProDATA/|url-status=dead|title=Sony Global - Professional Disc for DATA|archive-date=May 31, 2005}}</ref> PFD are still being manufactured and used in Sony XDCAM devices. Sony states that PDD and PFD media are not compatible,{{cn|date=March 2016}} but does not specify the exact differences between products.

Sony's PDW-U1 Professional Disc drive is an external drive that connects via USB 2.0 to Windows or Mac OS X computers using the included free software from Sony. In a firmware and software upgrade in late July 2009, Sony added the ability for computer users to store any computer files on the Professional Disc into the dedicated "User Data" folder.{{citation needed|date=July 2012}}

==See also==
* [[Blu-ray]]
* [[HD DVD]]
* [[Ultra Density Optical]]
* [[Optical disc]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050817220245/http://www.sony.net/Products/MO-Drive/ProDATA/index.html Sony Global - Professional Disc for DATA]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050826005600/http://www.sonyburners.com/prodata/index.php Sony Storage Solutions - ProData]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090923231248/http://b2b.sony.com/Solutions/subcategory/recordable-media/professional-media/professional-disc Sony b2b - Professional Disk]

{{Video storage formats}}
{{Optical storage media}}

[[Category:Audiovisual introductions in 2003]]
[[Category:Optical computer storage media]]