Will DVD-RAM catch on? Or will the technology be skipped?

[MachineMan]

Will DVD-RAM ever catch on in the US like it has in Asia? Or will it just be another passing technology node when the Blue Laser discs become widely avialible? The cartridge DVD-RAM discs seem like a good Idea except that few players or drives availible can play them.

[dafoe]

DVD-RAM discs seem like a good Idea except that few players or drives availible can play them.

You just hit the nail on the head. Why would anybody want a rewriteable disc that wont play on 95% of DVD players when DVDRW is very compatible?

Would you buy a DVD movie that only played on 5% of U.S. players?

DVDRAM should (and will) die

[Faustus]

Well it did come out before the others, if it didn't catch on before then there is no reason for it to now.

[energy80s]

I think that DVD-RAM is now an "also ran". It's a pity as it was the best of the lot, with lots of good features, basic in-built editing and disc protection with the caddy system - just like a big minidisc. I would certainly go for it over +R, but what's the point now if nothing will play the discs?

[MOVIEGEEK]

It's sad that DVD-RAM didn't catch on,as was stated earlier it was released first and is far superior to DVD/RW.AFAIK Panasonic is the only company still producing DVD-RAM writers,camcorders and players.

[vric]

DVD-RAM is very popular for data backup.. exactly like Tape backup, I don't think this format will die since it's a very good alternative to RW drive.

[vric]

It's sad that DVD-RAM didn't catch on,as was stated earlier it was released first and is far superior to DVD/RW.AFAIK Panasonic is the only company still producing DVD-RAM writers,camcorders and players.

LG/Hitashi/Golstar drive also write DVD-RAM

[txpharoah]

It has a niche in the pro market all locked up, but for the consumers: no way. It has more drawbacks than advantages when it comes to consumer uses.

Will it die? Nope, not anymore than Beta or tape backup units. Pros use it. You just never see it unless you work there.

[Philbiker]

It depends on what you mean by "catch on". As txpharoah has pointed out, it dominates in the pro market. It also is used very extensively in the backup market where it has huge advantages over tape.

For data backup IMO nothing compares, and anyone who is interested in using their PC DVD burner as a data backup/storage medium would be well served by DVD-RAM. I use it in that capacity and love it.

The wildcard is DVD set-top video recorders. Panasonic DVD set-top recorders have significant advantages when used with DVD-RAM.

To make a long story short, it's definitely well entrenched and will not go away. It will continue as a smaller, but steady and reliable, niche format much like MiniDisc and DAT tape in the audio world.

[Gil T Pleasure]

Why doesn't Panasonic make DVD-RAM disc (single sided, single layer) that is larger than 4.7Gb? It's not like making higher capacity disc is gonna cause reading problem with existing DVD-ROMs/Players as they are not compatible to begin with. Panasonic (and the DVD-RAM backers) could tout this as being another advantage of using DVD-RAM.

[MOVIEGEEK]

It's not like making higher capacity disc is gonna cause reading problem with existing DVD-ROMs/Players as they are not compatible to begin with. .

Lite-On,LG,Hitachi and Goldstar DVD-ROM drives will read DVD-RAM.

[Metaluna]

So what are the good drives and media to look at for DVD-RAM? I have some significant backup needs and I'm not sure I trust +/- R media for long term storage (too much emphasis on cheap media and nobody seems to care what happens to their discs a year from now). I have some good CD-R blanks that I trust (Kodak Gold Ultima) but I'm trying to save shelf space. I would consider DVD-RAM if it has a good track record for 2-3 year old discs. Also is there any roadmap for 4x media and beyond? Seems like it's stuck pretty much at 1-2x right now.

[Philbiker]

I can only speak from my experience. I have a Panasonic SW-9571-CYY OEM drive that works fine for me for DVD-R/-RW/-RAM. I have five Optodic DVD-RAMs and they work like a bog floppy drive. I recommend the DVD-RAMs that have a cartridge for long-term data storage.