MarcoBiscotti
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2003
- Messages
- 4,799
I sold off my dedicated HT rig several years ago when I jumped borders and moved my life across the continent, settling into a small one-bedroom in San Francisco. I went from a ~20k a/v hobby (DLP setup) to watching DVDs on a laptop propped up on my bed! We have an Oppo BDP-103 that's been boxed up for several years as we don't even own a television!
I recently just upgraded the computer and purchased a new 15.6" Samsung ATIV Book 9 however. Now I'm in the market for an external drive to watch movies. Without thinking, I ordered the ultra slim cheapo Samsung external DVD-only drive for $25, only realizing afterwards that it won't help with BD. I haven't received it yet, but I'm not expecting an impressive build for the price I paid and assume that it won't be long-lasting.
I'm considering the Pioneer BDR-XU03 as well as the Archgon MD-3102G-U3-K.
The number one consideration and most important feature that I'm looking at is (commercial) disc playback; so I'm looking primarily for a unit that will read everything; I don't care much about the write function at all.
It needs to be compatible with all DVDs/BDs. My old Dell had a junky internal drive that was finicky about reading discs. Some days it would play a certain DVD and others it chose not to recognize the very same disc. I don't want any such headaches with the new external drive. USB 3.0 would be nice. Price isn't really a consideration, so long as it offers good value. I'll go up to $250, give or take. Preferably less, as most drives seem to fall short of that number. The unit should read quietly and playback fluidly, without issues. Something relatively small and compact would be nice, but that's not of the highest importance nor a primary concern.
Thanks so much for your advice and feedback!
I recently just upgraded the computer and purchased a new 15.6" Samsung ATIV Book 9 however. Now I'm in the market for an external drive to watch movies. Without thinking, I ordered the ultra slim cheapo Samsung external DVD-only drive for $25, only realizing afterwards that it won't help with BD. I haven't received it yet, but I'm not expecting an impressive build for the price I paid and assume that it won't be long-lasting.
I'm considering the Pioneer BDR-XU03 as well as the Archgon MD-3102G-U3-K.
The number one consideration and most important feature that I'm looking at is (commercial) disc playback; so I'm looking primarily for a unit that will read everything; I don't care much about the write function at all.
It needs to be compatible with all DVDs/BDs. My old Dell had a junky internal drive that was finicky about reading discs. Some days it would play a certain DVD and others it chose not to recognize the very same disc. I don't want any such headaches with the new external drive. USB 3.0 would be nice. Price isn't really a consideration, so long as it offers good value. I'll go up to $250, give or take. Preferably less, as most drives seem to fall short of that number. The unit should read quietly and playback fluidly, without issues. Something relatively small and compact would be nice, but that's not of the highest importance nor a primary concern.
Thanks so much for your advice and feedback!
