Chris

Yep, some of the most recent home DVD recorders I've seen advertised can record in DVD RAM format. It's more efficient in use of discs because it allows the contet you record to be chopped up and saved wherever there's space on the disc just like a HDD does. The downside is that if you use a different player to play back your recordings, it does have to be one that explicitly supports DVD RAM.

Presumably ability to read DVD RAM is now a must-have for even the cheapest new players because DVD camcorders, amongst other devices, use it. Your DVD ROM device, however, is presumably a little older? The DVD ROM drive in my iMac is now five years old!