What is DVD-RAM?

DVD-RAM stands for... well, there's some disagreement about what DVD-RAM stands for. Whatever it stands for, the important thing is what it is. DVD-RAM is a recordable disc in the DVD family of formats proposed and controlled by DVD Forum, a collection of companies that includes Pioneer, Philips, Sony, and Time Warner. You probably know of other, more popular, DVD recordable formats, such as DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, and DVD+RW, so how does DVD-RAM fit into this picture?

DVD-RAM Defined

Here's DVD-RAM in a nutshell: it offers higher data integrity and backward compatibility than other recordable DVD formats. Different incarnations of the DVD-RAM held different amounts of data, but most now roughly the same as other recordable DVD formats: a little over 4GB. The DVD-RAM discs are more or less identical in size and shape to other DVD discs, but are often sold in cartridges; when you're recording critical data, reducing the odds of fingerprints and scratches is a plus. DVD-RAM discs are rated to be rewritable about 100,000 times; DVD-RW and DVD+RW discs are rated to be rewritable about 1,000 times. It's the format of choice for recording critical archival data that must be retained for years. It's also gaining some traction as a format for direct-to-disc video recording. It's more expensive than other DVD recordable formats, and much less likely to be compatible with just any DVD drive you have laying around (you wouldn't put your home movie on DVD-RAM and expect that Grandma's DVD player will be able to play it correctly). Like many cool technologies, it's more popular in Japan and Europe than in the United States.

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