Sony Nec Optiarc AD-7241S-0B 24X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW SATA Drive with LightScribe, Bulk (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)If you read independent benchmarks, you will find that it's one of the best out there. In my own tests, I found that it does what it should, and does it well. I haven't tested the lightscribe, but I have tested reading DVDs and CDs, and this drive is fast. I've also had no problems burning DVDs and CDs at high speeds. It does not have problems due to riplock even with the included firmware. In other words, you don't need to do anything special to get high performance.
Unless you need Blu-ray and HD DVD (which is often included with Blu-ray drives as a throw in and seems useless, but lets you buy HD DVD closeouts for $3) then this drive should have everything you need.

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Sony Optiarc AD-7241S-0B 24X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW SATA Drive (Black) w/ LightScribe, Bulk

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DIGISTOR 5.25" DVD Burner Slot-Load SATA Drive Review

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(More customer reviews)The optical drive on my 1 yr-old desktop quite literally gave up on me -- it just wouldn't read my CDs and DVDs anymore, let alone burn and do my back ups. And so I asked my brother for help in replacing the optical drive. While we we're picking out what drives to order from Amazon, I told my brother "Wouldn't it be nice to have one of those drives that didn't have trays on my desktop?"
He told me that they were called Slot Loading drives. We were afraid that they were not designed for desktops because I frequently saw them on my friends' laptops. After a bit of research, we finally came to the DIGISTOR website -- [...] -- and found that they had some for desktops. I ordered them off Amazon and now I've had them for at least 2 months now.
It's been working wonderfully -- it reads all my CDs and DVDs, and burns my back ups as well. It's a speedy drive, I didn't have to wait as much as with my old DVD burner. My brother told me to be careful with the slot load mechanism, as there was no "emergency eject" hole on this one, but so far, no problems with it at all. I'm very satisfied with the product.

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This DIGISTOR DVD drive is the World's Only 5.25" Slot-load DVD Writer Solution.Optical Media write speeds: DVD-RAM - 5X; DVD-R/RW - 8X/6X; DVD+R/RW - 8X; CD-R - 24X; CD-RW - 24XThe DIGISTOR DIG-61040 is a complete solution for integrating (1) slot-load SATA DVD Writer into (1) single 5.25" drive bay. This drive is a unique DVD burner product offered only by DIGISTOR. Perfect for desktop computers that need to fit two (2) half height optical drives in one 5.25" Bezel.

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LG Electronics 8x DVD-R DL/24x CD-DA USB 2 Slim External Super-Multi DVD Rewriter GP08NU20BK (Wine) Review

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(More customer reviews)I recently got an Aspire One netbook to have an ultra-light computer in my briefcase on a daily basis. I soon realized it would be nice to have a DVD drive to play and burn DVD's and CD's.
The LG Portable Super Multi-Drive is slim and light, just like my Acer Aspire netbook. Its glossy black top attracts fingerprints, just like the Aspire...they look like they were made for each other.
The LG Drive plugs into a USB port on my netbook, so no bulky power pack is needed. The USB cord has two power plugs, because some USB ports may not put out enough power, so the cord allows plugging into two USB ports to get a higher level of power, if needed. One plug was enough with the Acer.
Because the unit is designed to draw a minimum of power, the DVD tray only pops out about an inch when you press the button. You pull it out the rest of the way manually. It also has a tiny "bobby pin" hole for an emergency release, to open the tray if a DVD gets stuck in the tray.
I used it first to watch a DVD movie I had rented. Windows Media Player with Window 7 produced a terrific picture, but no sound. I downloaded the free VLC media player, and the LG then played back the DVD movie with both a great picture, and nice stereo sound.
When I then played the DVD again using Windows Media Player, WMP also was producing stereo sound. I suspect the VLC player installed an audio codec that Windows 7 was missing, and that codec is now being used by both VLC and Windows to play back DVD movies.
I also used the LG to copy some of my favorite CD's to the Acer's hard drive. The LG did the job quickly and quietly. The LG is small enough and light enough to carry along on a vacation. It converts my Acer netbook into a nice movie player, and lets me listen to music CD's when the movie is over.
I am guessing that a lot of folks using Windows 7 may run into the audio problem when trying to watch a movie DVD. They need to understand that the problem has nothing to do with the LG Drive, it simply means they need to download the free VLC media player and allow it to install the audio codecs that Windows 7 is missing...thanks Bill Gates for leaving essential audio codecs out of Windows 7.

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The attractive, slim design of the LG Super-Multi GP08NU6 external optical disc drive trims unnecessary bulk making it very portable. Simply plug-in via USB and burn CDs at 24x and DVD±Rs at 8x speeds. Super-Multi technology supports CD, DVD±R, and DVD-RAM formats for triple compatibility. Available in three colors, the LG GP08NU6 external DVD Rewriters deliver style for your CD and DVD burning needs.

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Sabrent SATA CD/DVD/RW USB 2.0 Slim Notebook Drive Enclosure EC-BSAT (CD/DVD burner not Included) Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this to house my internal Lenovo Multi III DVD/RW (Panasonic UJ890). It couldn't be recognized when connecting through USB ports of my Thinkpad, or another desktop. However, if I put my blu-ray player (Panasonic UJ240) in this enclosure, then it's recognized and working!! My other external encloser is from JacobsParts, and it works for both blu-ray/DVD-RW drive and DVD/RW drive.
So it's quite weird for me. This just might be that I have a (semi) bad enclosure circuit board. But for now I'll just swap my existing enclosure and use this to house my blu-ray burner/player (Panasonic UJ240).
Will provide update after extensive use and see if it holds up.

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Product # : EC-BSAT; Product Name : USB 2.0 SATA Portable Slim External Notebook/Laptop CD/DVD-RW Enclosure; Description : Transfer data quickly and easily with this great external hard drive case! The USB 2.0 interface allows for data transfer rates up to 480Mbps. The easy to use design allows for quick installation of Laptop/Notebook CD/DVD-RW Drives.; ; This enclosure provides a fast and easy way to add more storage space to your Desktop or Notebook. The USB 2.0 interface allows users to read and write large files up to 480Mbps per second, and this device is also backward compatible to the USB 1.1 specification. ;; Reuse old CD or DVD-ROMs from old laptops!; ; Specifications :; Portable design, using USB 2.0 connection to ensure the best performance Plug & Play with emergency manual eject.; ; It can work with virtually all laptop CD DVD drives.; ; This external enclosure is using USB 2.0 and is backward compatible with USB 1.1. Most Pentium II, Pentium III and early Pentium IV laptops and computers have USB 1.1. It can be powered by USB 2.0. Some USB 1.1 ports.; ; Supported Drivers: DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-RW, DVD-ROM, CD-R/RW, CD-ROM, it is a good idea to use your laptop slim drive for a Portable rom.; ; Dimensions: 5.2-Inch(W) x 0.8-Inch(H) x 5.5-Inch(D); Weight: 11 oz ; System Requirements : Windows 98SE / ME / 2000 / XP/ vista; ; USB2.0 Enclosure only -- DVD Burner is not included; ; Requirements :; ; CD/DVD Burner with SATA Interface; Windows 98/98SE/ME/2000/XP/Vista; Mac OS 8.6 and above; Retail Package Content :; ; USB 2.0 Slim Enclosure; USB Cable; CD Driver; USB Power Cable; Manual; INCLUDES USB2.0 Enclosure only -- DVD Burner is not included;

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Plextor PX-B120U - Disk drive - BD-ROM - 4x - Hi-Speed USB - external Review

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(More customer reviews)Load speed is decent. Plays blu-ray flawlessly and I was able to rip the movies too for movie editing. Comes with Powerdvd 9 BD; however, Powerdvd would only play blu-ray the first time I installed it, but would not recognize BD afterwards. Very strange. I tweaked everything to see what the problem was, but to no avail. It was not Plextor's fault, as I downloaded Powerdvd 10 Ultra and now it works fine. The only reason I gave this four stars was because I needed to shell out more money for something I paid for.
I did a search online and there were no threads on this issue, so it is probably an isolated one. Other than that and the funny crunching sound it makes, I would recommend it for people who want to play blu-ray on their computers at a decent price.

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Plextor External 4X BD-ROM Ret

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Samsung SH-S222L/BEBS Internal Half Height Supermulti PATA 22X Lightscribe DVD-Writable Drive Review

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(More customer reviews)This drive is working great.
I've installed but haven't tried the Nero 8 Essentials software yet. It's a full OEM version (not just a trial version, in case you were thinking it was too good to be true). I've attached some screenshots that describe its features.
My six-year old drive wasn't reading some of my budget music CDs well (lots of static), so I replaced it with this nice, new drive, which reads them perfectly!
For those of you who don't know what PATA means (like I didn't know until I looked up PATA on wikipedia), it's a new name in the set of names for E-IDE drives. I attached some photos to reassure folks like me that this drive will plug into the E-IDE cable of their older computer and slide into their standard drive bay. Another confusing point: the drive is called "half-height", but since they don't even make full-height devices anymore (see the cool, old photo on wikipedia), you'll probably just know it as standard height (and width).

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Samsung Internal Half Height DVD-W Supermulti PATA 22X Lightscribe

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Apple Macbook Air SuperDrive (MB397G/A) Review

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(More customer reviews)The MacBook Air SuperDrive is light and compact as advertised. It slides into a bag pocket and hardly adds any weight or bulk. And it performs as advertised, quickly and quietly.
But, it consumes the MacBook Air's only USB port and works only with that one port -- it does not work with USB hubs! With no downstream ports of its own, you can't use your SuperDrive and any other USB device at the same time. Like a keyboard or mouse, or your iPhone or iPod, or a USB printer.
This is a remarkable oversight. But if you want to install Boot Camp or play DVDs, you'll need this -- or something like it.
(In my original review on 2/10/2008, I wrote "it's pretty much the only game in town right now." But since then, some commenters noted that generic USB optical drives will work, such as the LG GSA-E50L. Thanks to C. Ross and PenPal for chiming in! I haven't tested the LG or any other USB DVD drive sold on Amazon with the MacBook Air, so I can't attest to how well they do or don't work with MacBook Air.)
*updated 7/27/2008*

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The Apple MacBook Air SuperDrive is the perfect complement for the new, sleek MacBook Air. You can read and write CDs and DVDs, and it is perfect for watching a DVD movie, installing software, backing up your data, and more.
Burn and Play CDs and DVDs The new Apple MacBook Air is thin and beautiful, and is able to do tricks such as borrow the optical drive of another computer on a network. But sometimes you need an optical drive on the go, and that's where the Apple MacBook Air SuperDrive comes in. Made by Apple with a design to complement the MacBook Air perfectly, the MacBook Air SuperDrive connects to your MacBook Air with a built-in USB cable you'll never lose. No extra power adapters are needed, as the SuperDrive simply draws power from the USB connection itself, regardless of whether or not your MacBook Air is plugged in.
The SuperDrive features speedy performance, writing DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL discs at up to 4x speed, and DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW discs at up to 8x speed.
Small Size for Easy Portability The MacBook Air SuperDrive employs a slot-loading design that makes it miniscule--barely larger than a CD case. You can easily drop the MacBook Air SuperDrive into your bag and take it everywhere you go. Now you can enjoy a DVD movie while on the plane or you can burn onto a CD that song you've been working on while you were on the tour bus.
What's in the Box MacBook Air SuperDrive with attached USB cable, user's guide.

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LG Electronics 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Internal Drive GH24NS50 (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Although most would describe this unit as cheap for its price, I just would say it's affordable... the difference, well this unit does what it should do in a very reliable and fast way. It's not noisy at all and the installation was simple as it can be. After looking for a decent CD/DVD writer, tons of different prices, I decided to try this one because its price.
I just have to state a warning, the picture here on Amazon it's not the product you will receive, I guess that's the GH24LS50 and the one you're buying is the GH24NS50. This unit (GH24NS50) is the one that doesn't have live scribe, on my personal case... who cares! But I know that a lot of people would see the description image and buy it thinking it's compatible with live scribe when its actually not.
Further than that, I completely recommend this unit, very affordable, reliable and I simply love it!

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LG DVDRW GH24NS50 24X SATA DUAL LAYER Black BULK

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Samsung Internal Half Height DVD-W Supermulti SATA 22X Lightscribe (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this drive to replace a very old white DVD ROM, the old one wasn't even a burner it was read only and was now in a black case. This is a very good drive, seems well built, the tray moves smoothly and feels solid. I can't comment on the lightscribe function because I haven't used it yet. It arrived well packed, the only thing included at the time I ordered this drive was driver software, including live firmware update and a copy of Nero 8 Essentials. I did not install Nero 8 but if you don't already have burning software this is a good program to receive free. I have used other versions of Nero and I have always been happy with them. No SATA cord or screws, this was not a problem for me. I deducted one star simply because there is no drive activity light on the drive. This may just be the way optical drives are made now but I miss the light. It can be just a little difficult to find the eject button when the entire drive is black and installed in a black case. I'm sure I'll get used to it and maybe I'm being a bit picky. All in all, this is a good, solid, fast drive that seems to handle every disc format except, of course, Blue Ray, and it's at a reasonable price. And don't let the "half height" disignation throw you off, it is a standard size drive that fits a standard 5 1/2 inch drive bay. I may buy another one to replace my last IDE drive which is one of the first DVD burners that came on the market, I still have some of the 1x DVD discs that I bought after purchasing that old burner, so you can imagine how fast the new Samsung seems to be to me.

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Samsung Internal Half Height DVD-W Supermulti SATA 22X Lightscribe

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