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Drives Supporting All DVD Writing Standards?
lnxslak asks: "I was asked today to research a viable DVD burning solution. I thought this would be a simple task, little did I know of the horrors waiting me just around the corner. There are 5 different DVD writing standards. DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW. After coming to terms with this I figured I'd just get a drive that does them all. Is there a drive out there that does this, and (hopefully) more ? Have you guys had any experiences positive/negative with various brands? C-Net reviews are great, but I'd like some comments from people that actually know how to use a computer."
Enjoy
I got the Sony DRU500A a few weeks ago. It does DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, CD-R, and CD-RW. No DVD-RAM, but who uses that anyway? Comes with all kinds of great software. Not bad for $350.
I've been looking for a "do everything" DVD drive for a while. Still haven't found it. But I have found a couple of good spots on the net for DVD comparisons and info:
Extremetech DVD page
Extremetech dvd/cd page
arstechnica dvd a04 review with a great comparison table down the bottom.
Cool, but useless.
The Sony DRU500 is the most universal drive currently available, however other companies have announced drives with similar capabilities.
There are drives that combine DVD-RAM with DVD-R/RW out there. I have one of the first DVD-RAM drives made, (read very slow). DVD-RAM has some advantages over other rewritable formats, most particularly in that it really is designed from the ground up as format for rewritable data storage. The big downside with DVD-RAM media is that you can't put a DVD-RAM disk into a typical DVD-ROM drive and read the data, while this is possible with other DVD formats.
I agree with RAM. The Gateway's have a DVD-RAM that also does DVD-R and -RW. In fact I just used mine tonight to burn off a copy of my MP3's. 4 GB pf MP3 burnt in about 30 minutes. DVD-RAM is SLOW! STILL! Lastnight I formatted a DVD-RAM (Free one that came with system) and that took about 20 min/ Copied 600 MB of data to it and it took nearly 30 minutes to write that! DVD-RAM is 1x. Period. It will die unless the speeds come up. Mine also seemed to say that it will(DVD-RAM Discs) work in some DVD-ROMS and players. Only way I will use it is for backup media. BTW, the drive that comes in the gateways seems to have done away with the tray thingy. If you went the route I did and order a new machine, get a CD-RW with it for normal stuff. From all reports, DVD-R is the best for compatability. DVD+R will eventually work in possibly, but I don't know why DVD+R is better. One review I saw said that the DVD-R worked in nearly everything while the + ones did not. YMMV!
Gorkman
I would just like to point out that dvd-ram isn't really outdated. Basically, it's not a format intended for video use, but for data use. Whereas a dvd-rw or dvd+rw can only be written to no more than 1000 times, dvd-ram can go at least 100,000 rewrites. Also, dvd-ram can be randomly written to, unlike dvd-rw, which uses the same method as cd-rw to simulate a randomly-writable device.
So, if your application is data-centric, dvd-ram is the way to go. It is basically the same type of tech used in MO drives, but a lot cheaper for the media. Also, dvd players are starting to come out supporting dvd-ram.
Actually, DVD-RAM is not old/outdated. It was recently enhanced to allow 4.7GB per disc (9.4GB per double-sided disc) and is being used by many set-top DVD-Video Recorders, like the Panasonic DMR-E30, DMR-HS2, and some models by Toshiba as well.
If you plan on investing in any of this equipment, being able to read/write DVD-RAM discs on your computer could provide you some benefit as it lets you easily exchange information between these units and your computer.
I doubt Panasonic and Toshiba would be releasing new products that support DVD-RAM if it were an obsolete format. I happen to have a DMR-HS2 and have been very happy with it.