DVD-RAM Questions: Most reliable, Best Picture quality etc.

[Cyrax9]

I'm getting ready to buy some new DVD-RAM Disc's and have a few questions about which brand to go with (Who has a better chance of producing good Disc's vs. Duds, like Memorex's DVD-RAM CMC Duds.) and need the answer to some questions, also any HELPFUL answer is appreciated, please DO NOT say "Don't use DVD-RAM" I have a Panny DMR-HS2 and I like my DVD-RAM Disc's so don't tell me to use another rewritabel format, I can't, or to use DVD-R only I WANT to use DVD-RAM, with that said:

1. What brand of Disc's has the best Failure/Success Ratio? Panasonic, OptoDisc, Memorex, Maxell, Ritek, BeAll, or another brand? Basically which brand will last a LONG TIME and not suffer from bit-rot in the near future?

2. What brand has the most stable dyes for the "BEST" PICTURE QUALITY? For instance, what brand will show the LEAST pixelation if any, when played on an HDTV or an LCD Screen. I have a cakebox of OptoDisc DVD-R's and BeAll DVD-R's and I KNOW the BeAll's are better for DVD-R, showing ZERO Pixelation on an HD or LCD output, but what brand of DVD-RAM does this well? Which one should I buy if I want High-Quality Picture from a Digital Cable or DSS Source? (Basically anything Digital.)

3. Should I buy a DVD-RAM WITH a "Cartridge" for protection, or should I buy a NON-Cartridge DVD-RAM if my Machine can play DVD-RAM Disc's that are REMOVABLE CARTRIDGE AND NON-CARTRIDGE? It doesn't matter as long as I can remove it for the PC, unless there's some major benefit to one format over another, I'm considering Removable Cartridge Disc's since I heard they're more reliable but is this true or not?

4. Should I buy SINGLE-SIDED 4.7GB DVD-RAM Disc's or DUAL-SIDED 9.4GB DVD-RAM Disc's? If I buy Dual-Sided Disc's should I opt for Disc's that come in a Cartridge or goo with the non-cartridge type? Basically will a cartridge better protect a Dual-Sided DVD-RAM or will it not make a difference?

5. I'm using a Panasonic DMR-HS2 it SAYS it records 9.4GB DVD-RAM's, can anybody confirm this?

Any help (accept dont' buy DVD-RAM) is GREATLY appreciated! To reiterate: I need a High-Quality DVD-RAM Brand, preferrably in a Cartridge if there are any benefits such as extra dust protection and preventionof scratches, so if anyone can help, I appreciate it, and does anybody make containers to store Cartridge-Type DVD-RAM's?

I've used the following Cartridge-Type DVD-RAM Brands and will put the failure/success ratio next to each of them:

1. Memorex: The worst of the lot, I wound up having SO MANY Defective Memorex basically mailed me a 5 Pack of Replacements and an EXTRA 6th from buying 3-Packs where I would usually get at LEAST one unusabe Disc, this was from an older pressing though and the new ones seem to be MUCH BETTER but I think tey could still improve.

2. Panasonic: This was a NON-CARTRIDGE Disc that came with the Panny DMR-HS2 it's REALLY GOOD, but I want to know if I should opt for the Cartridge Type and if I should opt for a DUAL-LAYER Cartridge type for $10.99 from Panny. I'm considering this if nobody makes a better suggestion.

3. OptoDisc: PERFECT! I bought 10 of these and I've used 9 so far, ALL are flawless and work AMAZINGLY WELL! If they still make GREAT Cartridge-type Disc's I'll order another set of them, but as before I'm open to suggestions.

Finaly the Disc's MUST work in a Panny DMR-HS2 recorder and if they're cartridge type DVD-RAM's, does anybody knwo where I can get Inkjet Printablee Labels for the CARTRIDGE -- NOT THE DISC, but the CARTRIDGE so I can ACCURATELY Label it nicely? I guess an addded bonus would be that these wouldn't suffer from labeling problems if the label was on the cartridge, right?

Thanks again everyone!

Regards,
Cyrax9

PS Are there any plans for a Set-Top or PC Writer that'll record all formats yet? Meaning DVD-RAM, DVD-R/-RW/+R/+RW, Dual-Layer DVD-R/-RW/+R and Dual Layer DVD+RW, or will we be back to the format wars? If it's so cheap to read all these formats, why can't all of them be burned with one laser for a little extra cash so you don't have to worry about the type of Disc you buy if your making an emergency purchase? This isn't the days of VHs vs. Betamax where you had different sizes, so why not make it so morre players can play ALL formats or record all formats as the case may be?

[Synergy]

Your post is really long and kind of repetitive and I'll just get to a few points:

Since you are using DVD-RAM discs mainly for a standalone recorder, Panasonic brand is the first one to consider. I've used both cartridge and non-cartridge types and have no problem at all. Since Panasonic invented the DVD-RAM format their discs will last a long time for sure. The cartridge type discs are better protected if you'll have many other people touching the discs and RAM discs are more sensitive to dust and scratches than other disc formats.

Please note that the 9.4GB disc is just a double-sided disc with 4.7GB on each side, you still need to flip the disc manually when one side is full. Panasonic is only selling the cartridge type 9.4GB discs, for obvious reasons to better protect both recording sides. I have also seen some vendor selling plastic cartridges for RAM discs on eBay. In addition to Panasonic discs, I have also used a few Memorex (actually made by Optodisc) brand cartridge type discs without any problem since Optodisc discs are officially approved by Panasonic. Hope this helps.

[Cyrax9]

Synergy,

Thank you, you've actually helped me quite alot. I used OptoDisc's for DVD-RAM no problem, and I noticed the new Memorex Disc's looked like they were made by the same people who did OptoDisc, but with the Memorex Label. I never saw a Cartridge-Type DVD-RAM from Panny so I didn't know what to expect.

I'm basically looking for the media that's going to last the longest and show the least pixelation should I play it back on a display other than a CRT.

I heard OptoDisc DVD-R's weren't too good, but had no problems with DVD-RAM's, and I ddn't know what company was pressing the Disc's or how they were rated, I know to avoid CMC but I don't know who is or isn't using them if you understand what I'm getting at.

I kind of figured the 9.4GB Disc's were two 4.7's that you had to flip a la 5.25" Dual-Sided Floppies, but I wasn't sure if there was more risk associated with a Dual-Sided Disc or more single-sided Disc's.

Thanks for confirming the cartridge info as well as being a saferr storage meathod than a standard DVD Case, I figured as much but wanted to make sure, my biggest concern is trying to load these in a few years and not being able to play them, but from what your saying I'm getting the impression that these should be durable and well-made, correct?

My biggest worry is pixelation on a Flat-Screen (LCD HD or otherrwise) that wouldn't be noticable on a CRT, and durability, if you've used these for awhile, can you tell me if they're extremely durable or iff I should expect to be making a set of back-ups in a few years?

I got my Panny HS2 in November of 2002, the original DVD-RAM that came with it works fine even now, but I want to make sure I'm getting a quality product before I spend $11 per disc. Since I rely on my DVD-RAM's for back-up and copying to DVD-R for family, I need them to take a "standard beating" -- I'm not talking about "popcorn fingers" but just general wear and tear and I don't want to ahve the same problem I had with my 2002 Memorex Disc's which I believe were CMC's, every other disc was defective and I sent numerrous complaints in, however if you say these are good, I'lll definitely try them, just out of curiosity, who's stamping them for OptoDisc and Panasonic? Is it a company like Taiyo or is it someonee like CMC? I know the label means nothing if the factory is a disaster, but due to the fact that DVD-RAM's are hard to find, I'm just looking for the "best" around.

So far 2003 Memorex and My original Panasonic seem to be the best, and 2003 Memorex were the same as OptoDisc, purple cartridge and all.

[Synergy]

There are currently only a few manuafcturers actually making DVD-RAM discs, Matsushita (Panasonic) and Optodisc both make their own discs, Maxell is another reliable manufacturer. If price is not a concern, then always buy Panasonic or Maxell since Japanese manufacturers definitely have better QC for their product. You can find Panasonic cartridge type DVD-RAM discs either from their web shop

http://shop.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ModelList?categoryId=10667&catalog...1351&langId=-1

or high-end AV stores, Best Buy or Circuit City only carry non-cartridge type discs, and I never saw Maxell cartridge type discs sold in the US.

Since DVD-RAM discs are extremely durable with a rated 100,000 times of rewrites, as long as they are properly stored and protected, they should last a very long time even for non-cartridge discs. As for possible pixilation, it will be more related to the video source and recording hardware rather than the media as long as quality media are used and properly stored.