Thinkpads Forum

Looking for an external dvd burner which will work on USB power and is mac compatible (in the sense of OSX86).

The candidates:
Lacie Slim Drive with Porsche enclosure ($140)
http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?pid=10390 Mac compatible? The product info page doesn't say.

Plextor 608CU ($140)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6827249016 - customer had problems with Vista support on an X60s. I don't like the sound of that. Also, unsure about mac compatibility on this one.

I have no idea of mac compatibility of the following two items.

Pansasonic UJ840 (~70 in a cheap external bus powered enclosure)
http://www.centrix-intl.com/details.asp?productid=2564

Pioneer DVR-K05 (~70 in a cheap external bus powered enclosure)
http://www.centrix-intl.com/details.asp?productid=1825

Any thoughts on these choices, or suggestions for other choices?

Thanks!

I have the Plextor 608CU, and just received my X60 today. I'd be happy to test the drive under OSX, but won't get to it until mid next week. Don't know if that is soon enough for you.

I, for one, would be cautious with these things. Half height (mini) optical drives are poor relations to full sized burners that one finds commonly in desktops and in most external enclosures. Certainly in my own experience, there tend to be more issues (of compatibility) between mini optical drives and media, and more coasters produced, as general observations.

Anything that introduces extra "risk" into the process, such as the power being supplied to the drive, is going to probably increase the incidence of coasters. I'm not convinced that bus power through a laptop's USB ports is as reliable as the bus power one gets from an integrated drive such as one has with the Ultrabay or ultrabases, for example.

I have an external half height DVD burner that has its own power adapter and which runs well, making no more coasters than does other laptop optical drives (which in my case are ultrabay drives, of which I have 3). Still, burning proceeds at a slower speed and there are more coasters made than in my desktop and external full size burners.

In my view, the best case scenario for a bus powered USB2 external half height burner is that it will default to slower burning speeds than it is capable in order to reduce coaster production if the power isn't perfect. The more likely scenario is that you are going to get a fair number of coasters with these.

To the extent that anyone really needs an external USB2 optical half-height burner for use away from home, presumably with a small laptop not having an integrated burner, here is my suggestion: buy a unit for operation on AC power and bring along a cord that will turn one AC outlet into two, if you anticipate a problem with the availability of outlets.

Ken Fox wrote:tend to be more issues (of compatibility) between mini optical drives and media, and more coasters produced, as general observations.

True, but this a Plextor (in my case) which has a reputation for making pretty good drives. I have tried a variety of media without problems. So far so good... (Someone on cdfreaks' forums had problems with this drive and one specific type of media, but others haven't had the same issue.)

Ken Fox wrote:I'm not convinced that bus power through a laptop's USB ports is as reliable as the bus power one gets from an integrated drive such as one has with the Ultrabay or ultrabases, for example.

The Plextor requires you to hook up two USB cables to ensure it has enough power. I don't know what the others do. Carrying an extra USB cable for power beats having to carry an extra AC power adapter.

The reason I went for one of these is for the portability. As X60 owners, we're sacrificing some things to get portability--screen size/resolution, and integrated optical drives being primary ones. On the few occasions when I know I NEED an optical drive (less and less these days), carrying this half pound drive beats the alternatives, and so far I have had good drive and media compatibility when using it with my regular desktop machine. (The X60 just arrived today, so I don't have testing with powering it from the laptop's USB ports yet).

If one is concerned about power reliability Plextor includes an AC adapter, but that's more weight and hassle again. At that point the Ultrabase may be a more flexible and elegant solution. Maybe I'll do a mini-review of the 608CU with the X60.

torgo wrote:I have the Plextor 608CU, and just received my X60 today. I'd be happy to test the drive under OSX, but won't get to it until mid next week. Don't know if that is soon enough for you.

That should be OK on the timeline. Thanks for the offer.

Any additional user reports on the bus powered plextor? Bootable w/x60 series? Compatibility with Linux/Mac? Coaster frequency?

Thanks!

bonmot wrote:Any additional user reports on the bus powered plextor? Bootable w/x60 series? Compatibility with Linux/Mac? Coaster frequency?

Thanks!

Just me again...I'll be installing OS X today on it, but I didn't mention that, yes the drive is bootable with the x60. Still zero coasters for me.

I've also noticed something interesting: remember how I mentioned you have to have two USB cables hooked up? One cable supplies the data connection and some power. The other cable supplies only additional power. The drive senses when both cables are plugged in and then (assuming the computer is capable of supplying enough power via those two USB connections) it powers up and starts working. As it turns out, at least for reading CDs/DVDs, once the drive has started working the X60 is able to supply enough power that you can unplug the power-only cable and the drive keeps working. It has been very reliable in this configuration. I have not tested it with writing when only one cable is plugged in.

torgo wrote: Just me again...I'll be installing OS X today on it, but I didn't mention that, yes the drive is bootable with the x60. Still zero coasters for me.

I've also noticed something interesting: remember how I mentioned you have to have two USB cables hooked up? One cable supplies the data connection and some power. The other cable supplies only additional power. The drive senses when both cables are plugged in and then (assuming the computer is capable of supplying enough power via those two USB connections) it powers up and starts working. As it turns out, at least for reading CDs/DVDs, once the drive has started working the X60 is able to supply enough power that you can unplug the power-only cable and the drive keeps working. It has been very reliable in this configuration. I have not tested it with writing when only one cable is plugged in.

Of course you don't make coasters when you read!

People have to decide for themselves if having 2 USB cords (one on each side or both on the right side of an X60, is more aggravating than just plugging an adapter into the wall to power the burner. And, if you want to use an external mouse, those USB plugs on the right side of the machine (assuming right handed mouse use) are not very nice to deal with.

For someone who insists on burning optical disks away from the office or home with an X60, an ultrabase with an appropriate drive is a much more elegant solution. For me, 2nd choice would be a portable self powered optical burner, and trying to power the thing via 2 USB cables plugged into a subnotebook like an X60 -- well I see that as a 3rd choice, even if it works.

Sorry.

Here's why I think this device is desirable, despite its potential shortcomings:

1) It is sometimes desirable to be able to read an optical disk away from a power source (e.g., watching a DVD on an airplane). Yes, I know how to convert DVDs to Xvid or DivX, but there will come a time when I need to read a disc and I don't have a ready power source.

2) A self-powered external optical drive (i.e., one with a rechargeable battery pack) will always be somewhat bulky, whether you are using the battery or not. Having to lug around another bulky device sort of defeats the purpose of having an ultraportable laptop, IMHO.

3) An external optical drive which uses wall power (such as a USB model or an ultrabase solution) will be the most reliable for burns, but in no way solves the problem of #1 above.

4) I want to buy one external optical device, not two.

Given the need for reading sans-external power, and given the desire to stay small and light, and given the need to buy a single device, I don't see a better alternative to a bus-powered external optical drive.

In short, the question isn't whether I am foolish for wanting to buy a device like this, but rather, in the realm of bus-powered optical drives, what fits my needs best (plays nicely with x60s, supports booting with x60s, supported in OSX86 environment too)?

The plextor drive seems great on paper, but it's tough to say how that translates to the real word. That's why I'm interested to hear what torgo and others have to say on the topic.

Thanks,
bonmot

Ken Fox wrote: Of course you don't make coasters when you read!

I have done a bunch of writing with the drive. I thought I made it clear that I just haven't done any writing using the one USB cable method. Just haven't gotten around to trying it that way yet.

Ken Fox wrote: People have to decide for themselves if having 2 USB cords (one on each side or both on the right side of an X60, is more aggravating than just plugging an adapter into the wall to power the burner.

True. The Plextor comes with an AC adapter if one prefers.

Ken Fox wrote: And, if you want to use an external mouse, those USB plugs on the right side of the machine (assuming right handed mouse use) are not very nice to deal with.

Fair enough, if you use an external mouse. That you bring up an external mouse might give insight as to why our opinions on the value of this sort of product differ. I prefer to pack as light as possible and would never pack an external mouse when the internal trackpoint works so well. (Only exception I can think of is if doing a presentation and using a wireless mouse, but that is because I won't be standing next to the laptop).

Ken Fox wrote: For someone who insists on burning optical disks away from the office or home with an X60, an ultrabase with an appropriate drive is a much more elegant solution.

May be elegant, but it bulky.

Ken Fox wrote: For me, 2nd choice would be a portable self powered optical burner, and

Also bulky. The laptop has a perfectly good power supply. :-) Actually, I did some research regarding the power on X60 USB ports: There is an official Lenovo USB burner that I've recently noticed that powers everything via a single USB connection when connected to "certain configurations" which according to Lenovo includes the X40, X41 and X60 series. In other words, these particular laptops are capable of supplying a lot of current out their USB ports. In other words, powering an external USB drive is part of what Lenovo designed these things to do.

The Lenovo USB burner may be the best solution of all (part number 40Y8638), and includes Lightscribe if one has a use for that.

Ken Fox wrote: trying to power the thing via 2 USB cables plugged into a subnotebook like an X60 -- well I see that as a 3rd choice, even if it works.

And works well I might add! It is a nice little unit, but the Lenovo one (see above) might be even better since it is basically "certified" to work.

bonmot wrote:In short, the question isn't whether I am foolish for wanting to buy a device like this, but rather, in the realm of bus-powered optical drives, what fits my needs best (plays nicely with x60s, supports booting with x60s, supported in OSX86 environment too)?

Here's what I've found:

Playing nice with X60--yes. It works very well. BIOS sees it, X60 has enough current on the USB port to power it.

Supports booting--yes. I installed OS X by booting with it. No problems. I have also booted a DOS-based boot CD and Windows PE.

Supported by OSX86--here's the bad news. I couldn't burn with it in OSX. I can read disks just fine, but when trying to use a writable DVD I get this error: "The disc could not be used because the disc drive is not supported. (Error code 0x80020025)" I do not have a lot of experience with OSX86 (this is my first install) and am willing to try some work-arounds if you have suggestions, but out-of-the box, OSX86 does not seem to like writing to that drive.

torgo wrote:

bonmot wrote:In short, the question isn't whether I am foolish for wanting to buy a device like this, but rather, in the realm of bus-powered optical drives, what fits my needs best (plays nicely with x60s, supports booting with x60s, supported in OSX86 environment too)?

Here's what I've found:

Playing nice with X60--yes. It works very well. BIOS sees it, X60 has enough current on the USB port to power it.

Supports booting--yes. I installed OS X by booting with it. No problems. I have also booted a DOS-based boot CD and Windows PE.

Supported by OSX86--here's the bad news. I couldn't burn with it in OSX. I can read disks just fine, but when trying to use a writable DVD I get this error: "The disc could not be used because the disc drive is not supported. (Error code 0x80020025)" I do not have a lot of experience with OSX86 (this is my first install) and am willing to try some work-arounds if you have suggestions, but out-of-the box, OSX86 does not seem to like writing to that drive.

That's too bad about the OSX problems. I wrote to plextor sales to get some information, and they said that it would work with Toast Titanium on OSX, but that it might not perform optimally with Apple programs like iDVD. I wrote back to ask what they meant by that vague statement, and they have yet to reply (that was yesterday).

Thanks for the info on the drive, torgo. I may still consider it due to the great form factor.

Bonmot

bonmot wrote: That's too bad about the OSX problems. I wrote to plextor sales to get some information, and they said that it would work with Toast Titanium on OSX, but that it might not perform optimally with Apple programs like iDVD. I wrote back to ask what they meant by that vague statement, and they have yet to reply (that was yesterday).

I'll give Toast Titanium a try.

To each his own on all this stuff.

I'm fortunate enough to have more than one laptop. For me, the X60 (or my X32) are valued for their low weight and volume. Very seldom, actually, never, would I try to burn optical disks on the road with either of these laptops, which sort of the defeats the purpose of having a single spindle machine in the first place, which is to be small, thin, and light. As pointed out elsewhere in the thread, there are ways to load optical disk content on a hard disk and to access it as if it were an optical disk, for such things as watching movies or running programs. These methods preserve the small form factor of an X-series laptop. I have watched episodes of "The Sopranos" on my X32 on long distance flights, with the disk contents having been stored on the laptop's hard disk. I did have to be careful, however, since some of the content was a bit racy and I realized that other passengers could see it on my laptop screen!

There are other and better ways to back up data on the road than using optical disks, including extra SD cards fitting into the card reader (or CF cards for the X3x series), USB flash drives, or even small 2.5" USB powered hard disks (most of which WILL run just fine on the single USB2 port they need for data transfer). Optical disks are much less compelling forms of storage than they used to be, given the explosion in cheap hard disks and flash drives. I find optical disks useful for loading software, archival storage in a safety deposit box, backing up a system partition occasionally, and for entertainment. On the go usage for data would rank at the very bottom of the list for me, given all the other alternatives for easier on the go storage these days.

Which brings us back to optical disks and why one would want to access them on the road. If I was in this situation on a regular basis, the idea of using an X-series laptop with some large external box that probably needs at minimum 2 USB cables or a separate power adapter -- this is just a clumsy solution, sorry. I said "large external box" because in relationship to the size of a 2.5" USB2 hard disk enclosure, even that little Plextor is HUGE. Far superior if one really needed that would be to buy a laptop designed to be used that way in the first place, such as a T or R or Z series laptop with an ultrabay drive. A 14" T60 or T4x laptop with integrated ultrabay optical drive, although possibly slightly heavier than an X60 + USB2 optical drive and cables and possibly power brick, etc. etc. is a far better and entirely self-contained choice.

Comparing a notebook mouse to one of these freestanding optical drives is simply silly. Those little mice weigh a couple of ounces, and if you throw in a thin mousepad you are talking about something you can either use or not use depending on the circumstance. Although I occasionally use a laptop in an airplane or airport or place like that, 99% of my (travel) laptop use is in a stationary location such as a hotel room, a school, or even at a McDonalds in France, which offers free wifi. The value to the small laptop for me is that it can be easily carried and takes up little space on airplane flights, even though I don't use it much on the flights themselves.

Once again, to each his own. A bus powered USB 2 optical drive is to me, a solution in search of a problem, even if it works well and I do hope that these ones work being as some of you have purchased them.

Ken Fox wrote:To each his own on all this stuff.

That's true. Everyone has different needs.

Ken Fox wrote:Which brings us back to optical disks and why one would want to access them on the road. If I was in this situation on a regular basis, the idea of using an X-series laptop with some large external box that probably needs at minimum 2 USB cables or a separate power adapter -- this is just a clumsy solution, sorry. I said "large external box" because in relationship to the size of a 2.5" USB2 hard disk enclosure, even that little Plextor is HUGE. Far superior if one really needed that would be to buy a laptop designed to be used that way in the first place, such as a T or R or Z series laptop with an ultrabay drive. A 14" T60 or T4x laptop with integrated ultrabay optical drive, although possibly slightly heavier than an X60 + USB2 optical drive and cables and possibly power brick, etc. etc. is a far better and entirely self-contained choice.

A larger, self-contained laptop like the T60 (which is an exceptional laptop computer, IMHO) with an integrated optical drive is definitely not a "far better choice" for me, as I would only be using optical sans-power a small minority of the time. The rest of the time, I would be using it with its optional wall power adapter. I propose that carting around a T60 that will always be 2.5-3 lbs. heavier than my x60s just so I can watch a movie on a plane every once is impractical.

To put things in perspective, the Plextor 608cu weighs 0.55 pounds. I could carry 4 or 5 of them along with my x60s and still have a total weight of less than a T60. Of course, the T60 has many more benefits to go along with that extra size and weight, but for my particular needs, ultraportable was the way to go.