Best External DVD| CD |Blu-ray Drive Name The disc is spun inside the drive, allowing the laser to consecutively read the tracks on its surface.Following is a handpicked list of Top external DVD drives with their pros, cons, and website links.
To write, the laser creates pits in an organic dye layer on the surface of the disc, the reflected light from which can then be read by photodiodes in the drive and converted back into the original data. How does an optical drive work? Optical drives read and write data to discs by means of a laser. By contrast, DVD drives cannot read Blu-Ray media. Optical drives can also be a handy way to create new backups quickly and inexpensively, and some programs require discs for emergency boot tools.Ĭan you read a DVD in a Blu-Ray drive? Yes, both CDs and DVDs are compatible with Blu-Ray drives, and there are combo drives that can burn discs of all three types as well. This is especially true if you have games, videos, photos, or documents backed up on physical media. But there are still a number of reasons to invest in an optical drive, not the least of which is to access older media, a significant percentage of which still hasn't been shifted over to a digital/online solution. What are the advantages of an optical drive? With media increasingly moving to digital rather than physical storage solutions, an optical drive may seem outdated.
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The drive also comes with six months of free cloud storage from ASUS, so you can rip content from your CDs and DVDs and move them there as needed.
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The Asus ZenDrive supports both Windows and Mac, and it includes CyberLink software to help you get started with storing content on physical media. For anyone that needs archival quality, the ZenDrive also supports burning to M-Disc for long-lasting data storage.
Furthering that performance along are quick access times the Asus ZenDrive can access CD and DVD content in 160ms. The ZenDrive offers excellent performance for its size, with CD read and write speeds up to 24x, and DVD read and write speeds up to 8x. And, it measures just 0.55 x 5.33 x 5.61 inches, with a single USB connection needed for power. This is a simple CD/DVD combo drive, with no support for Blu-Ray, but that means it comes in at a substantially lower price. Where a compact footprint counts, ASUS's ultra-slim ZenDrive is a quality pick.
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Making the package even sweeter, the ASUS BW-16D1X-U supports both Windows and Mac computers. It also supports BDXL, allowing for storage of up to 128GB on a single compatible disc. So, whether you want to rip media from discs or burn data to them, the Asus BW-16D1X-U can get the job done quickly. Likewise, it can burn CD-R at 40x, DVD-R at 16x, and even BD-R at 16x. Its read and write performance is also stellar with 40x, 16x, and 8x read speeds in CD, DVD, and Blu-ray, respectively. It can access CD-ROM in 160ms, DVD-ROM in 170ms, and BD-ROM in 180ms. The ASUS BW-16D1X-U has fast access times on all types of optical media, so you’ll spend less time waiting around. The ASUS BW-16D1X-U measures 2.48 x 6.50 x 9.57 inches, making it a bit of a desk hog, but with that extra size, you get serious performance for every task. While many of the best external optical drives go for a smaller form factor making them easier to take on the go, this pick for top performance goes big. Asus BW-16D1X-U Powerful Blu-ray Drive Review