Editing DVD-RAM (section)

==Compatibility==
[[Image:DVD-RAM FUJIFILM disc removable without cartridge locking pin.jpg|thumb|A DVD-RAM Type 2]]

Many operating systems like the [[classic Mac OS]] (from [[Mac OS 8.6]] up), [[macOS]], [[Linux]], and [[Microsoft Windows XP]] can use DVD-RAM directly, while earlier versions of Windows require separate device drivers or the program [[InCD]].

[[Windows XP]] can only write directly to [[File Allocation Table|FAT32]] formatted DVD-RAM discs. For [[Universal Disk Format|UDF]] formatted discs, which are considered faster,{{by whom|date=October 2013}} a third-party UDF file system driver capable of writing or software such as [[InCD]] or [[Drive Letter Access|DLA]] are required. [[Windows Vista]] and later can natively access and write to both FAT32 and UDF formatted DVD-RAM discs using mastered burning method or [[Live File System|packet writing]]. Even though it is possible to use any file system one likes, very few perform well on DVD-RAM. This is because some file systems frequently overwrite data on the disc and the table of contents is contained at the start of the disc. Windows Vista (and later) implement the [[CPRM]] data protection and thus discs formatted under Windows XP (or earlier) have compatibility issues with Vista onwards (and vice versa).

The [[classic Mac OS]] up to 9.2 can read and write [[Hierarchical File System (Apple)|HFS]], [[HFS Plus|HFS+]], [[File Allocation Table|FAT]], and [[Universal Disk Format|UDF]] formatted DVD-RAM discs directly. In [[Mac OS X]] (versions 10.0.x through 10.4.x) UDF-formatting of DVD-RAM is no longer supported, instead formatting and writing DVD-RAM is done in HFS+ format. (UDF support was re-implemented in 10.5 Leopard)  (HFS and [[Unix File System|UFS]] should also be supported on older versions of Mac OS X that retain support for these file systems.)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://support.apple.com/kb/TA44310 |title=Using DVD-RAM discs |publisher=support.apple.com |date=2012-02-18 |access-date=2014-02-05}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://support.apple.com/kb/TA20636 |title=Mac OS X: "The disc 'Ram' could not be modified" Alert |publisher=support.apple.com |date=2012-02-17 |access-date=2014-02-05}}</ref>

Many DVD standalone players and recorders do not work with DVD-RAM. However, within "RAMPRG" (the DVD-RAM Promotion Group consisting of [[Hitachi]], [[Toshiba]], [[Maxell]], [[LG Electronics]], [[Matsushita Electric Industrial|Matsushita]]/[[Panasonic]], [[Samsung]], [[Lite-On]], [[Teac]]) there were a number of well-known manufacturers of standalone players, recorders, and camcorders that ''could'' use DVD-RAM. [[Panasonic]], for instance, had a range of players and recorders which made full use of the advantages of DVD-RAM.

The last DVD-RAM Specification, DVD-RAM2 (also called RAM2 or Class 1), is not compatible with DVD drives that do not specifically allow reading DVD-RAM2 discs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fujitsu.com/ph/services/computing/pc/support/drivers/usage_dvdram.html  |title=Usage Of 16 X DVD-RAM Disc (RAM2 Disc) |date=2008-01-31 |access-date=2009-09-28 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080131133310/http://www.fujitsu.com/ph/services/computing/pc/support/drivers/usage_dvdram.html |archive-date = 2008-01-31}}</ref> DVD-RAM2 medium was brought to the market in Japan,<ref name=Maxell_1/><ref name=Maxell_2/> but was not launched worldwide.<ref name=Heise2006/>

Some high end products such as [[IBM System p]] mainframes require DVD-RAM instead of DVD-RW.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pseriestech.org/forum/hardware-management-console/hmc-backup-382.html  |title=HMC backup |access-date=2009-09-28 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070223195406/http://www.pseriestech.org/forum/hardware-management-console/hmc-backup-382.html |archive-date = 2007-02-23}}</ref>

Many [[half-height]] [[DVD Multi Recorder]] drives released between 2006 and 2010, including the [[TSSTcorp]] ''SH-S182/S183'' (2006) and ''SH-S203/TS-H653B'' (2007) have officially adapted support for 12× DVD-RAM speeds, while more recent DVD writers such as the ''SH-224DB'' (2013) and Blu-ray writers such as the ''[[Hitachi-LG Data Storage|LG]] BE16NU50'' (2016) have restricted the supported DVD-RAM writing speed to 5×.<ref name=HL-DT-ST-Discontinued>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lg.com/us/burners-drives/discontinued |title=Archive of discontinued Hitachi-LG Data Storage optical drives |access-date=2020-07-11 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200711193519/https://www.lg.com/us/burners-drives/discontinued |archive-date=2020-07-11 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=TSST-Manuals>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tsstodd.com/manual-2/|title=Manual}}</ref>

The [[Wii U|Nintendo Wii U]] can use DVD-RAM for extended storage over USB.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/05/random_did_you_know_the_wii_u_can_burn_eshop_games_to_discs|title=Did you know the Wii U can burn eShop games to disc?|last=Craddock|first=Ryan|date=17 May 2021|work=[[Nintendo Life]]|publisher=Hookshot Media|access-date=26 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.destructoid.com/wii-u-can-format-dvds-and-burn-eshop-games-to-them-it-turns-out/|title=Wii U can format DVDs and burn eShop games to them, it turns out|last=Friscia|first=John|date=17 May 2021|work=[[Destructoid]]|access-date=26 July 2022|archive-date=26 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126172331/https://www.nintendo.destructoid.com/wii-u-can-format-dvds-and-burn-eshop-games-to-them-it-turns-out/|url-status=dead}}</ref>