External DVD/BD Player Read/Write Portable External Drives USB 3.0 and Type-C External DVD Drive 3D Compatible with/Win7/Win8/Win10/ Mac OS

A friend produced a film some 50 years ago in the U.K.; 24 years later it became available on DVD. And on its 40th anniversary, it was re-released as "digitally restored" -- with lots of great extras including interviews with cast and such. However, he has never been able to see the re-release because it was issued only as a Region B (Europe) Blu-Ray DVD - and he lives stateside and doesn't own a player so configured.I own a Sony BDP-S3500 DVD player (Region A, the Americas. On Sony's website are simple instructions for converting their DVD players multiple times from one region to another (A, B, and C; but, only four conversions max, then you're locked-in). Sadly, after many unsuccessful attempts I found, in a dark corner of Sony's website, that the authorized hack applies only their DVD players -- and that it is not possible to convert their Blu-Ray DVD players.The internet is rife with hacks and codes for making DVD players region-free, all which which require acquiring then re-programming other remote controls. However, I needed to be able to read a Region B _BLU-RAY_ disc, so no hacking to be had.After much research, I found this DAINTY external drive which promised to read and (burn) CDs, DVDs of any region, and Blu-ray DVDs of any region. I was concerned, though, by the many one-star reviews (19%), so I read nearly all of them.Verified Buyers were complaining a lot about how it doesn't work with 4K discs (the seller states in the product description that it doesn't!). Or that the USB-C plug is bogus because it doesn't operate at USB-C speeds (I suspect the two-headed USB-A / USB-C plug is about convenience, and I accept the reality that a $55 player burner ain't gonna run at USB-C speed). Some said it doesn't work with a Mac, while others said not with a PC; mine does with both. Never the less, there's bound to be some percentage of DOAs on nearly anything electronic, and this was indeed some folks' experiences; hard to argue with that.So, I took a chance. With the right ripping software (there's a ton of options out there), in one slow, fell swoop, I was able to make an .MP4 digital copy which my friend can view on his laptop, his iPad, and anywhere else. (If you have any "That's illegal!" comments, please kindly keep them to yourself; my friend produced the film, and this is the only .MP4 copy I'll be ripping -- solely for his personal use!).My sole complaint is the User's Manual. As with too many products manufactured in China, the text appears to be a poor Google translation that was never vetted by someone fluent in both languages. C'mon, guys!

Despite some negative reviews, the overall rating appeared acceptable to give this drive a try. When my iMac crashed and rebooted the very first time I plugged in this drive, I should have recognized that was a sign of things to come. This drive would spin up various media on two of my Mac computers, but each of my computers only recognized the drive once out of several attempts. It opened a BluRay movie disc on my 2017 iMac on the second attempt. The drive and BluRay media showed up on my desktop and I could click through the disc's files/folders. (I did not yet have a BluRay media player app installed so I could not try to watch the movie.) But this drive would not open a couple of DVD movie discs, loudly spinning up the discs rhythmically but then either ejecting them or shutting down without ejecting them, after which the eject button failed to work. I next tried this drive on my brand new MacBook Pro. It would not recognize the same BluRay disc that successfully opened on my iMac. It would not read any DVD discs. It finally read and loudly played a CD but then after stopping playback, it would not resume, nor would the eject button work. Even if this drive worked consistently, the noise level would have been a dealbreaker. This drive is now on its way back to Amazon and I will be spending 4x on one from a reputable manufacturer.

This device seems to have a good build quality. The thickness was more than I expected but I view that as a good thing. I only have blank CDs and DVDs so that's what I tried. It read and wrote CDs without a problem using Brasero. I bought this drive to be able to install older software that is only available on disc. I also have writing MDisc as a possibility. An MDisc DVD or Blu Ray seems like a reasonable option for long term storage -- like 50 years or more. It's also read only so should be suitable for archiving business records and the like.The drive is a Toshiba and eject functions seem to work as expected. It does have an emergency eject hole if required - stick a straightened paper clip in the hole if all else fails. Write speed seems pretty quick when plugged into a USB 3 port. The cable is only about a foot long which should be okay for laptops but I don't know about desktops. It was too short for my desktop so I added a 1 meter USB extension cable. That seemed to work okay. The cable has USB A and USB C connectors so it should be usable with most PCs. Optical drives are not use-it-everyday devices for most people but it's handy to have one when you need it.

Pro's - small, compact, won't take up a lot of space and does exactly what it is built for.Con's - It has a USB/Lightning cable combo. It's a short cable and it's integrated into the unit meaning it cant be replace if it goes bad.For best playback you should definitely use a USB 3 port.For software Leawo works fine for playback and is freeI bought this device because my computer does not have a cd/dvd rom installed. It does what it's supposed to for a reasonable price. I've only had it for a little while so my review is slightly limited.

I previously had an LG drive found also here, and more expensive. The tray was flimsy, and it was extremely stubborn with certain discs, not being able to play some at all. It vibrated and was super noisy.With THIS however, discs loaded quickly, and without any issues on discs that were a previous problem. Discs with scuffs were not an issue either. It seems sturdy, runs smooth and quiet. Another nice feature is that it only takes one USB port, where the LG took up 2. I am glad I made the switch an the LG went in the garbage. If you are looking at the 2 models, definitely go with this....the brand name means nothing in this case. It is a reliable and perfectly running unit.