Sanyo announced today that it has developed a blue-violet semiconductor laser capable of outputting 450mW. According to the company's press release, the laser is capable of recording four layer Blu-ray Discs at speeds up to 12x. Sanyo also claims that a device equipped with the laser would be able to dub an entire two hour program in as little as ten minutes. Sadly, Sanyo's doesn't plan to put its new laser into mass production for another 2-3 years.
