Editing DVD-RAM (section)

{{Short description|Variant of DVD designed with random access in mind}}
{{Use American English|date = March 2019}}
{{more citations needed|date=June 2013}}
{{Infobox storage medium
| name          = DVD-RAM
| logo          = DVD-RAM Logo.svg{{!}}class=skin-invert
| image         = Data side of a DVD-RAM disc.png
| image_caption = Borders of the [[Disk sector|hard sectors]] are visible on the data side of a type 2 DVD-RAM disc
| type          = [[Optical disc]]
| capacity      = {{Unbulleted list
  | '''Version 1.0''': {{Nowrap|2.58 GB}} per side
  | '''Version 2.0''': {{Nowrap|4.7 GB}} per side
  | '''Version 2.1''': {{Nowrap|1.46 GB}} per side (8 cm; 3" discs)
}}
| blocksize     = 2 KiB
| read          = 300–650 nm laser
| write         = 650 nm laser
| dimensions    = 12 cm (5"), 8 cm (3")
| extended_from = [[DVD]], [[Phase-change Dual]]
| released      = 1996
| discontinued  = 2019
}}

{{Optical disc authoring}}
'''DVD-RAM''' (DVD Random Access Memory) is a [[DVD]]-based disc specification presented in 1996 by the [[DVD Forum]], which specifies rewritable DVD-RAM media and the appropriate [[DVD writer]]s. DVD-RAM media have been used in [[computer]]s as well as [[camcorder]]s and [[personal video recorder]]s since 1998.<ref>{{cite web |title=Understanding DVD - Physical, Logical and Application Specifications |url=http://www.osta.org/technology/dvdqa/dvdqa2.htm |website=www.osta.org |publisher=[[Optical Storage Technology Association]] |access-date=28 July 2020}}</ref>

In May 2019, [[Panasonic]], the only remaining manufacturer of DVD-RAM discs, announced that it would end production of DVD-RAM media by the end of that month, citing shrinking demand as the primary motivation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://panasonic.jp/media/products/dvd.html |title=DVD-RAM Disc for Recording Completion of Production |access-date=2019-05-22 |language=JA |publisher=Panasonic Corporation}}</ref> Panasonic made these discs under its own brand name and also under the [[Verbatim (brand)|Verbatim]] brand.

The "RAM" in its name is related to [[random-access memory]] that computers use as main memory, not in the technology but in sense that it can be used as a [[random-access]] memory unit rather than a [[sequential access|sequential-access]] memory unit such as a [[magnetic tape drive]].