Neo Sibeko
Blu-ray players have come down in price since the standard won over HD DVD; and not only have we started to see them in high-end desktop machines, but they are at a price where even price-conscious users can start considering them. Having said that, the ASUS unit we received is one of the more expensive players, especially considering that it doesn’t write Blu-ray Discs. However, it does write just about every other optical standard you can think of. It reads single and dual-layer (BD) formats at a maximum speed of 4.8x, so it is more than enough for playing back movies and copying data across to the host’s primary storage.
Most drives we had tested in the past included software to play back HD movies on Blu-ray, but with the ASUS unit, it was the first time that the software actually worked out of the box. It was the quickest installation we have ever recorded. It was as simple as clicking the install button and waiting a few minutes while PowerDVD installed. When it was done, we loaded a BD copy of Die Hard 4.0 and the movie was almost instantly playing. No region configurations, no warning – just simple plug-and-play setup.
The player itself is lightweight and sleek in a glossy black finish. It looks good and can be used horizontally on a flat surface or placed vertically. It makes use of a single USB connection, so it eliminates power bricks that are among the biggest problems with external drives. This simplicity and ease of use make it the perfect external BD drive for both desktop and notebook users. Best of all, one can share the drive between two machines. It looks great and would ‘fit in’ with just about any situation where an external drive is needed.
It’s very rare that we review a product and find very little wrong with it; but in this case, we would go as far as saying there’s no flaw in the unit itself whatsoever. It’s quiet, vibration free, and works at even the most awkward angles (not recommended). The unit is fairly robust, looks great and performs well. The only issue might be the price, but other than that, it is near perfect. There aren’t many players on the market that can match this unit; and as such, the price may be justified, considering that anything else you can get locally is likely to be bigger, heavier, possibly slower, and, as mentioned before, requires a power brick, which limits its portability. Without question, the ASUS SBC 041DS-U drive is the best external drive we have ever tested and gets full marks from us.
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