Sony DVDRW+RAM-Black-£25 Free P+P

Searcher2

iwantitnow wrote:

Is this NEC one from the same company any better at £28.81?


http://www.lowestonweb.com/Products/DisplayInfoMain.asp?e=39E7DFEE-D4A4-4AE7-B2FD-B63CEA1D2A28

Depends if you want DVD-RAM capability or not. I am going to buy this one which has DVD-RAM

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=273356

which appears on their 'Today Only' page every now and then... I am sure there are other suppliers. I am local to Scan so can pick one up... but I like NEC drives.

kaan_is

DVD-RAM capability....can someone explain please..

riker71

kaan_is wrote:

DVD-RAM capability....can someone explain please..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD-RAM

Currently there are three competing formats for rewritable DVDs: DVD-RAM, DVD+RW and DVD-RW.


DVD-RAM is more suited to data backups and use in camcorders than DVD±RW.


Advantages of DVD-RAM
Long life — without physical damage, data is retained for 30 years minimum.
Can be rewritten over 100,000 times (DVD±RW can be rewritten approx. 1,000 times).
No DVD burning software required – discs can be used and accessed like a removable hard disk. Windows XP and Mac OS(8.6 or later) supports DVD-RAM directly; earlier versions of Windows need device drivers or InCD.
Very fast access of smaller files on the disc.
Automatic hardware verification of written data, no need to verify manually via software.
Robust plastic cartridge protects the disk (where applicable).
In video recorders, DVD-RAM can be written to and watched (even separate programs) at the same time, much like TiVO.

Disadvantages of DVD-RAM
Type 2 discs do not always come in a case.
Most DVD recorders do not support DVD-RAM.
DVD-RAM video disks do not play on older DVD players nor on some new models.
The medium is more expensive than DVD±RW. DVD+RW can be written faster than DVD-RAM when writing large amounts of data.
Windows XP can only write directly to FAT32 formatted DVD-RAM discs. For UDF(Universal Disk Format) formatted discs, which are considered faster, compatible device drivers or software such as InCD are required. This is a non-issue with Linux however, which allows the use of virtually any filesystem of the multitude that ship with the operating system, including UDF. Mac OS can read and write HFS, HFS+, FAT and UDF formatted DVD-RAM discs directly.

Got my drive this morning, fitted easily. Havent used it yet as no discs this is My first DVDRW, will report back if any probs. The DVD Ram Discs are getting cheap now, Argos sell 5 Panasonic Discs for £12.99 and may well get them even cheaper elsewhere.

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5343913.htm

Searcher2

You beat me to it Riker... amazing what googling 'DVD-RAM' can produce! :-)

I wouldn't be surprised if DVD recorders move more to DVD-RAM as it allows you to watch one program you have recorded whilst recording another on the same disc. As the quote says - it is more like a mini hard disk and is more durable than DVD-RW. If I was buying a DVD writer I would certainly buy one with DVD-RAM capability even if you don't need it now.

EDIT : DVD-RAMs are £12.35 (were £11.99 last week when I ordered) for 10 at Amazon (free postage if you spend over £15) http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00074ERTY/qid=1139999200/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/202-6522944-0788610

kaan_is

thankyou both....but i think i shall wait until it becomes "wholey" universil.

gogsboy

kaan_is wrote:

thankyou both....but i think i shall wait until it becomes "wholey" universil.

Wholey universal to what, you record something and you watch it, if you watch it within your own household then you make it wholey universal to your household, by buying a RAM drive for your PC or buy a ram supported DVD players.

Thats about as univeral as you need. Obviously Recorders that record on RAM also record on other formats, so if you wanted to give a friend a DVD recording who never had a RAM player then record it on -R.

riker71

Searcher2 wrote:

You beat me to it Riker... amazing what googling 'DVD-RAM' can produce! :-)

I wouldn't be surprised if DVD recorders move more to DVD-RAM as it allows you to watch one program you have recorded whilst recording another on the same disc. As the quote says - it is more like a mini hard disk and is more durable than DVD-RW. If I was buying a DVD writer I would certainly buy one with DVD-RAM capability even if you don't need it now.

EDIT : DVD-RAMs are £12.35 (were £11.99 last week when I ordered) for 10 at Amazon (free postage if you spend over £15) http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00074ERTY/qid=1139999200/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/202-6522944-0788610

Yes even if they dont become "wholly universal", Im happy to use RAM as a drag and drop file backup/archiving tool as well as the usual formats. Just found that Richer sounds have packs of 5 Panasonic Ram Discs for £9.99,which I will be getting later today

Richer Sounds Panasonic 5 Pack DVD Ram Discs £9.99

xueta

kaan_is wrote:

thankyou both....but i think i shall wait until it becomes "wholey" universil.

Won't happen, I'm afraid ... as everyone'll be waiting for the new Blu-ray drives !

amit_1

so is this sony dvd re writer worth buying?

Searcher2

Riker... How come you don't get the Amazon RAM disks? Maybe you don't need 10 or can't get it up to £15 with something else for free delivery..or need them now?

Kaan... Why wait until RAM is standard? The writer still writes all other formats... it's just that you get RAM capability if you should ever want it.

Amit... It is a very good price. I bought my DVD writer based on reviews - I haven't looked at reviews on this model though.