JohnG said:
Will this also filter down to the commercial decks do you think ? Will the successor to the EH60D have this 16 speed capability I wonder ? All the articles I've read just refer to PC DVD burners so far.
I assume the 16x super-multi drives could be used in standalone recorders as well as PCs, so I suppose it's possible we might see models that use them announced in 2006. But 5x drives were announced in May 2004 and they don't seem to have filtered through to domestic recorders yet (or have they?), so I wouldn't count on seeing 16x soon.
At first sight the table in the 2nd link above might seem to show that the drives will only write to 6x-16x DVD-RAMs, but I take it the table is actually indicating the drives use linear velocity for 1x-5x and constant angular velocity (CAV) for 6x-16x.
sjw said:
What is the quickest now? Can you recommend me some for my new EH60D recorder? I've seen 2-3x and is there also 5x? Is it compatible? Best going with Panasonic?
I haven't seen any 5x media. I don't know the EH60D spec. My E85 manual says the E85 is compatible with 1x-3x DVD-RAMs. But it also says the E85 is compatible with 1x-4x DVD-Rs yet the E85 can apparently use 8x media at 4x speed (I haven't tried them yet). And Panasonic recently switched to selling only 8x DVD-Rs in their e-shop. So it's possible 5x DVD-RAMs could be used in an E85 (when they become widely available), but only at 3x speed.
I use lots of DVD-RAM discs. Although they are more expensive than DVD-Rs, I feel sufficiently confident to use them for storing TV recordings without backups (unlike DVD-Rs). For added confidence, and because I've got Panasonic recorders, I only use Panasonic media even if it means paying a bit more.
Panasonic's e-shop is currently selling a 10 pack of DVD-RAM discs in slim cases plus a 'free' 3 pack for £19.99. There is postage on top of this, but the postage is the same regardless of quantity, so it pays to bulk in buy. I don't know how much longer this offer will run.
Apparently Panasonic DVD-RAMs are cheaper than this in Costco, but Costco operate a strict trade only policy.