DVD-RAM

[bunnyfubbles]

I'm finding it hard to believe I've let something this cool slip by me, or perhaps its because it just sounds too good to be true now that I've finally looked into it. But now that I have looked into it, DVD-RAM just really makes so much sense to me over something like RW.

Perhaps it wasn't just me, but the fact that I've never really been given the choice...however, now that there are many DVD burners that support DVD-RAM, I've become interested in wtf DVD-RAM really is and if it really is as good as it sounds.

At first glance you might be interested; who cares if its only 5x, right? But there are so many advantages to it...

1. rewrite 10-100x more the RW is physically capable of doing (not that you want to sit through that many complete rewrites)
2. no burning software required, discs can be used and accessed much like a floppy or zip disc, or even a hard drive
3. fast access to smaller files on the disc
4. editing contents of disc without complete rewrites

Yeah, I guess there are disadvantages such as many DVD devices not support the format, but that would change if the format became wildly popular. It's also true that the discs are more expensive, however I think it would be well worth it because you simply wouldn't need multiple discs because of how easy it is write to and edit the contents of your disc. You could make a disc compilation and if (for whatever reason) you want to change it or a completley new one, you just change what you need and you're good to go.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but the technology sounds so cool and I think it's a shame that it is possible that it could die (at least for us Americans) before we ever really get a chance to enjoy it. I could easily see myself using it for vital information back up - and if products existed, some sort of media playback; immagine being able to keep a dynamic playlist you control on your PC updated on a DVD-RAM and being able to plug it into a car stereo. I've had experience with mp3 CDs and DVDs, and it just isn't as enjoyable as flash or HD based experiences because the content really isn't dynamice with CDs and DVDs, you're pretty much stuck with what you put on there until you completely rewrite it or get a whole new disc all together (which is the popular choice because RW isn't all too great as it is)

 

[Sunner]

Well, I'm by no means an expert on the subject, but a few drawbacks, past and current:
In the beginning, they were only available in cartridges, which needless to say isn't optimal for most situations.
DVD+/-RW(and CD-RW) already supports adding/deleting files "on the fly" through MtRainer, though not all drives support this.
Discs are more expensive, I guess this has a lot to do with the comparatively low volumes compared to the gazillions of DVD+/- discs made, but I believe they are more expensive to make as well.
At least in the beginning the burners were very slow, from what I've seen this is still the case, I have an LG burner for example, it handle DVD+/-R at 8x, but RAM at 2.4x.
WinXP doesn't support RAM out of the box, or at least didn't use to, the times I've used RAM discs, I've had to install a RAM driver.

And, DVD+/-R or RW does everything that most people will ever need.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Originally posted by: Sunner
Well, I'm by no means an expert on the subject, but a few drawbacks, past and current:
In the beginning, they were only available in cartridges, which needless to say isn't optimal for most situations.
DVD+/-RW(and CD-RW) already supports adding/deleting files "on the fly" through MtRainer, though not all drives support this.

But RW discs still are single track, even though you can simulate "on the fly", it still just isn't the same.

Discs are more expensive, I guess this has a lot to do with the comparatively low volumes compared to the gazillions of DVD+/- discs made, but I believe they are more expensive to make as well.

As I've already said, the price is worth it given the advantages, RW discs are just too much hassle

And, DVD+/-R or RW does everything that most people will ever need.

As a medium to store/playback audio/video files, they work out really well thanks to compatibility (although this is something DVD-RAM could have as well if it was widely adopted), and they're pretty cheap per disc. But if you aren't backing up / pirating movies and don't care about rewrites then a simple +/-R disc is all you need (cost effective as well). However, I've been in situations where I needed to backup/rescue a large amount of files (many small and a quite a few large) and ended up using 10 or so cheap +R discs to do the job, that?s about $2 of discs down the drain once the files were finally moved.

I guess there would have been other ways to do it, but my point is also about what could have been as opposed to what we can have now or even to look forward to. DVD-RAM might have taken off here had it caught on a year or two earlier, before things such a USB flash and micro disk drives really took off

The future doesn?t seem any better with recordable HD-DVD and BD to take the place of current DVD R solutions ? although I guess there could be a RAM version of such discs; however it might be doomed to the same fate.

At least in the beginning the burners were very slow, from what I've seen this is still the case, I have an LG burner for example, it handle DVD+/-R at 8x, but RAM at 2.4x.
WinXP doesn't support RAM out of the box, or at least didn't use to, the times I've used RAM discs, I've had to install a RAM driver.

Things do seem to be changing. As I?ve mentioned before, DVD-RAM is starting to pick up support in drives being sold here in America, and from what I understand, DVD-RAM is actually pretty popular in Japan, where they?re supposedly getting 12x and even 16x DVD-RAM.

 

[Sunner]

I don't see why it matters how MtRainer works, since it does work.
Very rarely do I have a use for it, but then times I've used it, it's worked just fine.

As for your example of the 10 DVD discs, aside from the fact that I would've just bought a cheapo USB HD for that job, what would have been different with 10 DVD-RAM discs? Aside from the fact that it would have been more expensive?
Basically, what I'm getting at is, for me, regular DVD's do everything I need at a very cheap price, with good backwards compatibility, etc etc.
I'd say the situation is the same for the vast majority of users out there, so why should we bother with DVD-RAM discs?

Any concrete examples of where it would do something for your average user, that a DVD+RW wouldn't?

 

[Oyeve]

I have a few DVD burners and havent even tried dual-layer yet. 🙂 I still use single cheap Ritek discs rated at 4x-8x. I havent even utilized any 16x media which some of my burners are capable of. I even still use the old Compusa branded 1x DVD-r discs that I bought a whole crap load a few years ago when at the time they were a buck a pop and that was a great price back then. I literally bought like 200 of them a coupla years back, not to mention everytime Newegg has a sale in Ritek spindles. I think I am set for life on blank DVDs. I even have a few DVD-RAM blanks that I never used yet.

 

[acole1]

Just because you would use it doesn't mean others would. Apparently it didn't catch on because the majority of people didn't need/want it. Market demand rules which technology lives, and which technology dies.