[CentOS] OT: cheap DVD-RAM media?

On Fri, 2005-08-05 at 09:39 -0500, Aleksandar Milivojevic wrote:
> A bit off-topic.  Not a question on how to get it working, but rather question
> about an practical issue after you get it to work ;-)
> I got a DVD burner that supports DVD-RAM (in addition to standard DVD+R/-R).  I
> really liked "use it just like hard disk" properties of DVD-RAM, and according
> to some sources I found, the media itself is more resistant to ageing than
> standard DVD+R/-R.  Great for archiving my data.  But the media seems to be
> quite expensive.  I guess mostly because all the places I found were selling it
> in most expensive option: as single disc in a nice (and useless) case.  Haven't
> found a single place that sells them on spindle.  At the end, I ended up buying
> a 3-pack, with each media in bulky movie-type case (what a waste of space).
> Does anybody know of any place that sells DVD-RAM media cheap (in bulk, on
> spindle)?

DVD-RAM was cheaper (both drive and media) back before DVD-RW and DVD+RW
caught on.  But that hasn't been the case since about 18-24 months ago
when DVD-RW and DVD+RW media dropped under $5.  Even if DVD-RAM was even
more popular, the media cost would never be as low, large because of its
design.

DVD-R(G) compatibility is ultimate and longevity is extremely good in
Disc-at-Once (DaO) mode.  So if cost is a concern, then you want to use
DVD-R(G) with GPL cdrecord+DVDpatch (or free-for-non-commercial cdrecord
+ProDVD if that doesn't work) for your backups.

In general, avoid DVD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD+R for backups if you are
worried about longevity.  Especially DVD-RW and DVD+RW (which _are_ MO-
based, despite marketing to the contrary) because of the error rates of
MO.  DVD-RAM mitigates this with a write-after-verify.


-- 
Bryan J. Smith     b.j.smith at ieee.org     http://thebs413.blogspot.com
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