To fill on the DVD thread we have been using them for about a year and 1/2
now.   Prior to this we were using CDs. CDs were a great solution, they are
cheap, convenient, transportable, reliable, relatively fast and easy to
share amongst computers and perhaps most importantly they are inviolate, if
you use them as an archive not in RW mode they keep data in its original
format.  They also hold up to 650 megabytes of data. Whoops, only 650
megabytes? Unfortunately, this is the CDROMS ultimate downfall, they don't
hold enough data.  You would need at least half a dozen to back up a current
PC let alone a network.  In fact backing up data onto CDROMS had become a
fulltime job in our lab.
Fortunately, we have resolved this problem using DVDRAM drives.  They became
available in the middle of last year.  In fact given the self-serving
conflicts between the forums, in which the DVDRAM standards were
established, the fact they were available last year is something of a
surprise.  Currently, drives (costing about $500)  are available from
Creative Labs for PCS, and LaCie for MACS .  Media, which is a double sided
2.6 gigabyte disk (5.3 gigabyte total) costs around $30.

The question is whether this technology is ready for prime time or simply
yet another blip on the bulk storage landscape.   It is certain that as
shorter wavelength blue lasers become cost effective and small enough to fit
in a burner, these will replace the longer wavelength lasers being currently
used.  This will allow even more storage capacity.  However, if you already
using CD's or have had it with the foibles of tape backups, DVDs may
represent a reasonable alternate solution.

In our experience, the speed of DVDRAM drives is similar to CDROMS.
However, there are a couple of important advantages; first and foremost,
capacity. A single DVDRAM holds the same amount of data as 9 CDs, so now I
can put the employee who made CDROMS back to work doing something useful;
The second major reason for using this technology is ease of use.  With many
CD burners it is necessary to make a master image file which is then burnt
onto the disk. With DVDRAM drives, you simply drag and drop the data onto
the drive folder and wait... (a long time).


-------------------------------------------------------------
Simon C. Watkins Ph.D.  MRCPath
Associate Professor
Director: Center for Biologic Imaging
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh PA 15261
tel:412-648-3051
fax:412-648-8330
URL: http://sbic6.sbic.pitt.edu