DVD-RAM
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DVD-RAM is a DVD Forum format and was the first recordable DVD medium to appear.
DVD-RAM is the most reliable and user-friendly DVD format. It exists in cartridge and cartridge-less versions. Without cartridge, it is less durable. It is usually possible to remove a disc from a cartridge for usage in a cartridge-less drive. It's quite common in video DVD recorders, but not so popular as a computer medium, mainly because of lack of vendor interest, consumer ignorance, and the fact that less players can read it, so it's not recommended for storing movies or as a data-exchange medium when maximum compatibility is desired. It is however, the preferred DVD medium for daily work and backup (the disadvantage for backup is that no dual-layer version exists, although double-sided discs exits, but this means that you normally have to turn around the disc manually).
Discs are sold unformatted, formatted for video (UDF), or formatted for data (FAT32). You can also format any of them with Disk Utility in FAT32, any of the Mac file systems, but not in UDF (at least in Tiger). [If you know of a third-party tool which allows formatting in UDF for use of the disc from the Finder, please post here]. Sometimes the discs are found in the video section of a store, but not in the computer section.
Currently, the maximum speed is 5X, although the performance is actually slower because of the defect management (even if your drive allows to disable this, it is not recommended, as it is one of the main advantages of DVD-RAM). A disc not formatted in UDF will also have its speed somewhat impaired.
16X drives and media should start to be available by the end of 2005.
Apple briefly offered DVD-RAM drives as a built-to-order option on PowerMac G4s before the introduction of the SuperDrive.
DVD burners that can write CD, DVD+, DVD- and DVD-RAM are known as Super Multi Drives.
