AfterDawn: News

RAMPRG plows the way for DVD-RAM

While DVD-R versus DVD+R recording format war gets all the attention, DVD-RAM is mostly forgotten, even though it is the oldest DVD recording format. The catch is that DVD-RAM is not compatible with regular DVD video discs, so it has been primarily utilized for data storing and backups. The format has some technical advantages, even over the newer -RW and +RW formats.

But now Panasonic attempts to push DVD-RAM back to the scene. A promotion group RAMPRG, RAM Promotion Group, has been formed to support the spreading of DVD-RAM. The group consist of major players, like Hitatchi-LG, LG-Electronics, Matsushita, Samsung, TEAC, Toshiba and JVC. Based on this list of companies, we can presume that some -RAM utilizing PVRs and PC drives are on their way.



Better late than never, or is it?

Visit RAMPRG.com/a> to learn more about the format.

Written by: Lasse Penttinen @ 10 Feb 2005 9:12

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• 12 comments

• punx777

  wow, still, nobody cares about dvd-ram.... nobodys going to buy it unless they are tricked to do it... first of all there is practicly no players that will play them, or write them....

  10.2.2005 09:34 #1

• SkyDomain

  I use DVD-RAM for backup and storage and I would never go to using DVD-RW discs.
  DVD-RAM is the most flawless DVD Disc I have ever used.
  
  So I am glad they are promoting it.
  Most people that has never used them don't know what they are missing out on.

  10.2.2005 10:07 #2

• Pop_Smith

  Looks good but, they need to up the amount of data to the same as a DVD+/-R DL disk, they COULD do it, if they do thats the next piece i am going to be adding to my PC :)

  10.2.2005 12:51 #3

• dbminter

  The interesting thing about this whole idea is not the approach to try to make DVD-RAM work better for the consumer... or rather make it JUST work for the consumer ;) but, instead, their approach to a promotion group. Indoctrinate people to accept DVD-RAM, even though it's the worst choice out there, as opposed to, say, recording to DVD-RAM in standard DVD-Video or have Panasonic create a tool to convert VRO to DVD-Video compliant files?

  10.2.2005 15:39 #4

• Escobar22

  no use for that garbage format
  
  what do u use it to backup, skydomain?

  10.2.2005 21:19 #5

• daemonzx6

  Cool. I have always wanted to try that format, but could never find a drive that had been made recently and was relatively fast. This group could fire up more development on the format and I think it would be cool for one format to replace both +R and -R in the popularity market. It would sure be easier for the average consumer to only have one format. Obviously this is just the future consumer of course. The consumers of today would go through even more hell.

  12.2.2005 15:28 #6

• jacota20

  glad to hear the news. i have a pc burner that reads and writes to dvd-ram, along with dvd-r, a dvd recorder that reads and writes to dvd ram/dvd-r, and a dvd player that reads dvd ram along with the other formats. i can transfer from pc to recorder and back again without a hitch.
  
  maybe this is why software like clone dvd, Nero, roxio, etc. will burn to it.
  
  to the posters who say no one uses it, or thats its trash, it just shows their ignorance.

  13.2.2005 09:16 #7

• SkyDomain

  >no use for that garbage format
  >
  >what do u use it to backup, skydomain?
  
  DVD-RAM is a better media to make backups than DVD-+RW.
  If you have used DVD-RAM media and still haven't found the advantages than that's to bad for you.
  But for us that use it as primary backup choice we are more than pleased with it.
  
  So that fact that they wan't to make DVD-RAM media as strong as RW-+ on the market that is great news.

  13.2.2005 17:44 #8

• Ghostdog

  Quote:If you have used DVD-RAM media and still haven't found the advantages than that's to bad for you.
  But for us that use it as primary backup choice we are more than pleased with it. But what are the advantages over the more common formats?

  13.2.2005 22:58 #9

• noinsults

  Is there any program i can use to convert dvr RAM to regular DVD-+r??
  
  

  3.4.2006 18:56 #10

• dbminter

  With varying degrees of success, there are a few options. One thing to keep in mind is certain properties of the source material on the DVD-RAM. Depending on how it was created. For instance, most importantly, is the file format. All DVD-RAM DVD recorder material I have seen uses .VRO, but, I don't see why it couldn't be recorded in another format, depending. Anyway, if it's standard DVD-Video, with VIDEO_TS, then, you could easily import it into any DVD-Video capable application, like DVDShrink or drag and drop into a DVD-Video job in Nero Burning ROM.
  
  
  However, it's probably not going to be that easy ;) and be a .VRO. With .VRO, there are other factors to take into account. Some recorders, for whatever reason, mix in different resolution flags into the same source material. Thus, the flags for full and widescreen will be in the same full screen source. (A error I've come across as relatively common when dealing with TMPEGDVD Enc. and the Panasonic DMR-E20 material.) Also, any Chapters you insert into the material will most likely cause the app you're feeding the source into to see each section as a Title as opposed to Chapters.
  
  
  So, what I have seen that works with .VRO, and according notes, in order that I have discovered them in my attempts to find what works:
  
  1.) DVDJr. STAY AWAY! The demo which allowed for 2 minutes of output max worked fine, BUT, after 5 minutes, the audio and video became out of synch. Repeated attempts to try to get help kept blaming me for not knowing how to use the software and for using bad sources. Which I did everything they said and when they finall agreed to check out a sample from my source, they never replied again to where I should send it to. $99 down the drain.
  
  2.) Nero Vision Express This works well, but, there is always the debate, it seems, that the codecs it uses to create video are not the best quality. I am not sure either way on that, so, I can't say. All I can say is it did read in the contents from the .VRO file on the DVD-RAM disc. However, there were equal cases where the software locked up, but, I blamed this on the drive. Because, when I read the DVD-RAM to an ISO and burned/mounted the ISO, NVE read in those discs where the LiteOn JLMS 166s had failed on. Granted, the 166s only has read only DVD-RAM capability, not fully intended to ever be a DVD-RAM drive, so, that might be the cause.
  
  3.) TMPEGEnc DVD Author I think they now call it Tsunami Pro? Anyway, this would read in the discs that locked up above, BUT, the software had a common problem with source material. Refusing to accept some Programs because of the mixed resolutions it believed was in there because the flags apparently were in there. Never could quite figure that one out. I just used both NVE and TMPEGEnc; the latter to read in what it could and the former to read in what TMPEG couldn't. Then, combined the two outputs later into another program just to generate menus with the streams.
  
  
  Don't know if Tsunami has a trial or what it's limits are. I believe NVE can be had as a trial, too? I forget if it's in Nero 7's trial package or not. I believe it is. So, you should be able to freely try them without caps, like set on DVDJr. That way, you can see what works for you before deciding to lay down money.

  4.4.2006 10:22 #11

• mbell

  Quote:But what are the advantages over the more common formats?I don't know about the advantages for computers, because I've never had one that could use them. But for dvd-recorders, I don't use anything other than non-cartridge DVD-RAM's. They're the closest thing I've found to the convenience of VHS w/the quality of DVD:
  
  They don't require formatting.
  They don't require finalizing to be watched on another RAM-compatible player or recorder (if all recorders & computers were RAM-compatible, would there even still be a need for finalizing?).
  Because they don't need formatting, you can record stuff from 2 different recorders on the same disk.
  Faster load time (about 4 secs on my Panasonic).
  Time-slip function. You can go back and watch something on the DVD while it's still being recorded on.
  And they're rewriteable 1000's of times.
  
  I got started using RAM's a couple of years ago when my month-old Panasonic seriously malfunctioned while formatting a DVD-RW. I realized that my non-finalized DVD-RW's might not be able to be read by a replacement recorder.
  
  There's one thing about them that I don't know: how they hold up over time. I've recorded on about 200 disks for almost 18 months, and haven't found a non-playable disk yet. Does anyone know if the stuff on my RAM's are going to still be watchable in 5-10 years?
  

  19.1.2007 11:56 #12