DVD-RAM vs DVD RW

[WaiWai]

DVD-RAM vs DVD RW

Hi.
I'm not sure which one I should choose.
I need a disc which store my regular backup and item collection.
The contents of the disc will be updated, say, quarterly or monthly.

The disc must be reliable and can keep the contents intact.

Q:
1) Which disc suits my need best? Any advice?

2) How reliable is DVD-RAM and DVD+/-RW?

3) What brand/model of DVD disc do you recommend?

Thank you.

 

[Auric]

DVD-RAM is the most reliable by far, especially for easy "drag-n-drop" useage. A cartridge type protects the disc (and thus yields longer lifespan claims) but if careful one of the more commonly available tray drives is fine. DVD+MRW (Mount Rainier +RW aka EasyWrite) would be a distant second with nothing else after that even worth considering since those are the only two hardware based standards. For a single session volume backup, +R or +RW are fine (and superior write strategies to -R/W) but I would avoid multi-session since it puts the previous backup at risk and ideally a few consecutive copies should be kept seperately. For DVD-RAM media there's no reason to stray from the top three: Hitachi-Maxell, Matsushita-Panasonic and Mitsubishi-Verbatim (the rest are prolly re-brands or not worth getting anyway). Checkout wikipedia and ramprg.org

 

[WaiWai]

If a DVD drive supports DVD-RAM, does it men it will support both cartridge-based and tray-based?

Does any DVD drive support DVD+MRW?
Is there such a tihng as DVD-MRW?

How do you compare between DVD-RAM and DVD+MRW?

If I wish to add something to a DVD RW (it is burned perviously), will my backup be at risk even if I choose to burn it in that session?

Sorry for my ignorance. What is "Hitachi-Maxell"?
They are 2 companies. Why combine together?

 

[Auric]

Originally posted by: WaiWai
If a DVD drive supports DVD-RAM, does it men it will support both cartridge-based and tray-based?

No, there are tray-only models (otherwise indistinguishable from other writers) which of course cannot accept a cartridge since it is larger than a bare disc.

Does any DVD drive support DVD+MRW?

Yes but they are relatively rare. Philips lists some on their site.

Is there such a tihng as DVD-MRW?

No. There is a software-based counterpart from the -RW camp called DRT-DM.

How do you compare between DVD-RAM and DVD+MRW?

Perhaps one way to look at it is DVD-RAM discs were expressly designed for the purpose (robust drag-n-drop) while +MRW works within the limitations of discs designed primarily for other purposes (and with lower cost and compatability in mind).

If I wish to add something to a DVD RW (it is burned perviously), will my backup be at risk even if I choose to burn it in that session?

I'm not sure I follow you. Once a session is burned, the options are to close it (finalize) or continue (add files and/or remove previous files from the new index). The risk may be small but it does not seem worth it if all previous backups could be lost through any combination of hardware, software or user error (or even a power failure).

Sorry for my ignorance. What is "Hitachi-Maxell"?
They are 2 companies. Why combine together?

Maxell is a subsidiary and brand for the parent company Hitachi, as with the other duos mentioned.

 

[WaiWai]

If I wish to add something to a DVD RW (it is burned perviously), will my backup be at risk even if I choose to burn it in that session?

I'm not sure I follow you. Once a session is burned, the options are to close it (finalize) or continue (add files and/or remove previous files from the new index). The risk may be small but it does not seem worth it if all previous backups could be lost through any combination of hardware, software or user error (or even a power failure).

When I first burn the DVD RW, I select open the multisession burning (File A & B).
Next time I need to update or add more data (File C), I will select contiune the multisession burning. Thus the result is (File A & B & C).

That's what I mean.

(PS: I might be wrong since I don't burn much)