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Re: [OT] DVD Burners



On Sat, 2005-07-16 at 18:17 -0500, Kyle Pointer wrote:
> What does DVD-RAM stand for? Never figured that one out...

They used a computer acronym so people would know it was not an end-
consumer format.  DVD-RAM is not very player compatible.  It was the
original re-writable designed for optical archiving.  It largely
addressed the lack of a standard for long-term archiving.

This included solving various error rates with magneto optical (MO)
medium, including add things like hardware verify after write, as well
as CLV pre-formatting (giving DVD-RAM its distinct, visible difference)
and other features that were only available in proprietary MO at the
time.  MO error rates are typically 1 in 1GB -- i.e., ~5 errors per
4.7GB DVD -- and still exist with CD-RW, DVD-RW and DVD+RW.

The first drives came out in 1997, cost around $500 and had a 2.6GB/side
capacity.  The typical MO capacity in a 5.25" platter at the time was
1.3-2.6GB/side (which you will quickly note is 2-4x the 0.65GB capacity
of a 70minute CD media).  2nd generation 4.7GB/side DVD-RAM came out in
1999 at about half the price, alongside the Japanese-only Sony/Philips
non-DVD consortium standard 3GB/side DVD-R+W release.

Pioneer's consumer 4.7GB/side DVD-RW came out a few years later with
Sony/Philip's 4.7GB/side DVD+RW.


-- 
Bryan J. Smith                                     b.j.smith@ieee.org 
--------------------------------------------------------------------- 
It is mathematically impossible for someone who makes more than you
to be anything but richer than you.  Any tax rate that penalizes them
will also penalize you similarly (to those below you, and then below
them).  Linear algebra, let alone differential calculus or even ele-
mentary concepts of limits, is mutually exclusive with US journalism.
So forget even attempting to explain how tax cuts work.  ;->



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