Samsung SE-506BB/TSBD 6X USB2.0 External Slim Blu-ray Writer Drive (Black)

I have a 5 year old MacBook Pro which is still going strong. The optical drive works well, but I wanted Blu-Ray capability. So I bought this item. I downloaded and paid for MacGo Blu-Ray player (software) and voila my MBP is now a full-fledged Blu-Ray player -- which, incidentally, unlike my Denon dedicated BD player does not take 5 minutes to load the disc. It loads like a CD or DVD and nothing on my non-Retina screen has ever looked so good :) Some have said this item won't play BD's on a Mac. Absolutely not so -- BUT you need the software to make it work. Why they didn't include that on the enclosed disc, I can't imagine. Macs have no built in Blu-Ray capability so the 3rd party software is essential. Ripping a BD for backup takes about 4 times longer than a DVD and processing it to play on an Apple TV (for example) also takes about 4 times as long -- all of which makes sense since BD has up to 10 times as much data to process -- so I don't think I'll be doing THAT very often. That is not a fault of this drive but simply the nature of the HD format. Finally, some have noted that the drive was "flimsy". Well, I don't agree with THAT either. It "feels" just like a built in optical drive on a Dell or Toshiba (or HP) Laptop. I think it is well built for what it is and what it is intended to be. It is lightweight and it is good looking. I have used it on both my MBP and a MacMini that I also own. It really is Plug-and-Play (providing you have installed the proper BD software). For CD's or DVD's it is plug-and-play out of the box. AND if you use the "Burn Folder" feature of Mac OSX it will also burn a data disc -- out of the box. If you want to "author" an optical video disk (DVD or BD) you'll need Roxio Toast. I wish my car unit were BD capable. If it were I could put enough music on a single disk to drive thousands of miles. Bottom Line: This is a beautiful little drive that does exactly what it is supposed to do. Add the proper processing software to it and it is a complete CD/DVD/BD solution. If I were the owner of a Laptop without a built-in optical drive, this would be the drive of choice.

What is included ------------------ Included with this purchase is the external drive, one usb to micro-usb cable, and trial versions for the following software: PowerDVD (for blu-ray disc playback), PowerProducer (DVD authoring), Power2Go (Data burning), InstantBurn (Packet writing), LabelPrint (Label designs), and PowerBackup (data archiving and backup). This software is bundled together on one disk, and is called the CyberLink Blu-ray Suite. Size of Blu-ray drive ----------------------- Dimensions: 145 x 19.5 x 145 mm Weight: 312g -- Very light, and very portable. Review -------- I have been using this drive for a couple days now, and couldn't be more pleased. It is extremely easy to use, as all you have to do is connect the usb cord from the drive to your computer. My computer (running Windows 7) recognized the drive immediately, and I was able to start using it. I then installed the trial software to see if I would be interested in any of the programs. I have been playing Blu-rays with PowerDVD, but there are many programs out there that you can download for free as well. It is also very easy to backup your collection via MakeMKV. Each of my backups has typically taken about 45 minutes (keeping full quality, but no menus). I have also tested it on Windows 8, and have experienced no issues. The drive is extremely portable because of its minimal weight and size, and surprisingly still feels pretty durable. The nice glossy finish on top also makes it an appealing piece of equipment. I would definitely recommend this blu-ray/dvd drive. UPDATE AS OF 3/23/2013 ---------------------- The drive is still working just as great as when I first picked it up back in January! Couldn't be happier at this point in time. UPDATE AS OF 10/22/2014 ---------------------- Just like the day I received it, I have had no issues. Still works perfectly, and couldn't be more pleased. UPDATE AS OF 08/12/2016 ---------------------- IT STILL WORKS!!! UPDATE AS OF 11/27/2018 ------------------------------- Still churning away. UPDATE AS OF 07/31/2020 -------------------------------- Can you believe it? I just pulled this thing out for the first time in a year or two and it still works like a champ.

Great portable device for those who don't have dvd drive in their laptops. Plus this one is Blue ray and its easy to use. The form factor is the major thing for me and if the product is well made and serves it purpose then I am happy with it. I would recommend this to people who are on the move and like to keep things small and tidy. USB 2.0 connectivity is great and it does come handy in some situation.

Decir que en la descripción del producto no detalla que esta grabadora soporta BDXL, o sea, discos de doble, triple y hasta cuádruple capa, respectivamente 50, 100 y 128 GB. Aunque de momento son carísimos, los de 25 según mis cuentas es el sistema de almacenamiento más barato en la actualidad. Otra cosa que no me quedó clara mientras la compraba es la alimentación. Solo lleva un cable, así que solo consume los 5V del USB, genial! Funciona bien bajo Linux, aunque recomiendo no usar growisofs. Por el precio que tiene y lo bonita que es además encuentro que está muy bien.

Den Blu-ray Player nutze ich Hauptsächlich für das Rippen von Blu-ray Filmen auf meine NAS um diese dann wiederum mit meinem Panasonic DMP-BDT130 via DLNA abzuspielen. Eingesetzte Software gibt es im Netz ist MakeMKV zum Rippen und tsMuxeR zum Umwandeln das der Panasonic die Filme auch mit DTS HD Master Audio wieder geben kann. Will man die Filme auf der PS3 via DLNA wiedergeben sollte man nach dem Rippen zum Umwandeln mkv2vob verwenden da die PS3 meiner Erfahrung nach nicht mit tsMuxeR zurecht kommt und man so den Film zwar sehen kann aber ohne Ton. Im Netz gibt es massenhafte Fragen zu diesem Thema mit den Abenteuerlichsten Antworten. Zum Gerät selber kann ich nur sagen es kommt nackt wie ein Schwein daher, lediglich ein USB Kabel ist dabei. Funktioniert seit dem Kauf ohne Probleme und wird selbst von meinem 7 Jahren alten Laptop ohne Mucken erkannt. Gerät war ein Warenhouse Deal für um die 50 Euro ein Top Kauf.

I have been waiting for a Blu-ray player that would work on my Mac for a reasonable price. This unit is a little fragile compared to Lacie's drive but works really well. The only problem I had was no information came with the product about how to use it with my iMac. If they had simply written instructions about system requirements and that all you had to have at least Toast 8 and what to do next that would have been helpful. It does say on the box that it is Mac friendly. Anyway all I had to do was plug it into my Mac via USB, open Toast and drag my files into Toast and that was it . Burn speed was 2X which filled a 25Mb Blu-ray disk in around 20 min. So drag and drop and go and get yourself a coffee. My computer has 8 GB of RAM and still burning a disk slowed down processes for loading programs and working on my photography somewhat slower. The only way to open the tray after burning is to eject it from the desk top.

Funziona bene, con risposta abbastanza veloce e ottima qualita' di riproduzione, installato con facilita' su diversi pc di casa. Non ancora provato come masterizzatore. Richiede *sempre* l'alimentazione con doppia USB (anche in lettura di normali DVD), altrimenti da' errore (assorbe molto piu' di un HD da 2Tb, che fa il suo dovere senza problemi attaccato a una sola porta USB). Il software in bundle e' vecchiotto e non troppo performante, ma e' difficile chiedere di piu' visto il prezzo.