I have found over time that this dicussion group to be all-knowing and very useful. I have a DVD burner that will also do DVD-RAM.
I have tried to use this media and somehow, I can never get it to work right. Could someone please be so kind as to instruct me as how to use this feature. Many thanks for all the past help
1. What is your drive brand and model?
2. What brand of DVD-RAM disks are you using?
3. Please describe what you mean when you write "somehow, I can never get it to work right."? What problems are you having?
I have an LG drive, a GSA-4160B, and I have been using Panasonic preformatted (FAT32) bare DVD-RAM disks, and I have tried the Windows XP native support and also the Panasonic DVD=RAM drivers and also Nero InCD. Personally, I think they are a waste of time. I kept getting disk errors and they are were very slow.
DVD-RAM are designed for recording data, but they can record video as if it were data in a non-DVD format. That's why a DVD-RAM disc with video on it will not play in most DVD players (and only in some Panasonic players that recognize DVD-RAM discs.)
The RAM discs come with either UDF 1.5 data or UDF 2.0 video formats unless they are unformatted and require UDF formatting in the recorder or drive. Unlike DVD+/-R media with their single circular groove winding from the inside of the disc to the outside, DVD-RAM media have multiple concentric circular tracks with sector information molded into the substrate. The format design is for the fastest random access to any point--a characteristic necessary for data storage. Their proprietary video format keeps them from being popular, but they are excellent for data backup.
In my experience they are more susceptible to mechanical problems such as tilt, but their 7 layers of alloy and dielectric layers (thermal insulation of a sort) makes them nearly as durable as MO media and far superior to DVD+/-RW media. Standard DVD-RAM can be erased an estimated 100,000 times versus 1,000 for DVD+/-R without dielectric layers. The newer 8X and 12X DVD-RAM is only capable of 10,000 rewrites and overwrites because the alloys have to be much more sensitive to the laser power.
