Is there a good external blu-ray burner?Any ray of hope?

[navarannan]

Friends

I writing this with lots of pain.

Over the last few weeks I was trying to burn bdmv files to Verbatim BD50 disks and wasted around 15 disks.

I used two burners, a samsung one(SE-506CB) and Asus Turbo Drive(external 16x, bw-16d1h-u) both of them failed miserably. I used neo, dvdfab and imgBurn softwares. Googles but didnt get any convincng answers. Im in the mindset to give up the whole idea now.

But

Is there anyone here who is burning bdmv movie files to blank BD 50 gb disks. If yes which burner they are using? What am I doing wrong. Is there any ray of hope left?

Please help guys.

[Kerry56]

The LG BE14NU40 was the primary external drive I recommended for this, but it seems to have disappeared from the market in the US.

What speed are you burning?

[navarannan]

The LG BE14NU40 was the primary external drive I recommended for this, but it seems to have disappeared from the market in the US.

What speed are you burning?

Im burning at 2x speed only..
Is there any way to play the downloaded bdmv files from usb disk on TV(thru blu ray player) just like the blu ray disk(without having to manually select the files) and with menu support

[El Heggunte]

Supposing the BD drives are OK...

¿can you check whether the USB ports of your computer are functioning properly?

[navarannan]

Supposing the BD drives are OK...

¿can you check whether the USB ports of your computer are functioning properly?

Yes. I can access the usb hardrives connected to the usb port.

I tried another usb port just now. It also failed

[El Heggunte]

Supposing the BD drives are OK...

¿can you check whether the USB ports of your computer are functioning properly?

Yes. I can access the usb hardrives connected to the usb port.

I tried another usb port just now. It also failed

I should have been clearer... the question is not about accessing the USB devices (HDDs, burners, sticks, cards, whatever),
is about being sure that the USB connections are not causing data corruption...

[navarannan]

Supposing the BD drives are OK...

¿can you check whether the USB ports of your computer are functioning properly?

Yes. I can access the usb hardrives connected to the usb port.

I tried another usb port just now. It also failed

I should have been clearer... the question is not about accessing the USB devices (HDDs, burners, sticks, cards, whatever),
is about being sure that the USB connections are not causing data corruption...

How can I check that?

[navarannan]

Any help is appreciated

[turk690]

There are two main issues with external BD-R drives: power source and the (USB) data interface itself.
Some of these drives (like that Samsung) take power from the USB port itself. USB2.0 ports should be able to provide 0.5A maximum, USB3.0 0.9A. However, there is no guarantee that actual USB ports on any computer can actually provide this much, or even if there is power from them at all. Devices like USB flash drives (which consume little power) or others which just use the data bus can't reliably tell either way. These writers in the thick and heat of recording a BD-R disc with motors and laser blazing away will consume lots of current that may faze some of these USB ports. Different computers react differently to over-current on a USB port; some will cut power off, others will limit it to the maximum, others will also disconnect the data (and make the, gasp!, drive disappear). I strongly discourage the use of BD-R writers of any ilk that is powered solely through a USB port (or two), no matter how convincing its ads and specs are and reviews are. The Asus drive has an external power supply so it doesn't have to poach any from the USB port it's connected to. This leads us to the other potential issue: the USB data bus itself. In an ideal situation the USB chipsets should have the latest greatest drivers, and Windoze and all the programs that access other h/w through these ports should take advantage of that. But lots of things can and often go wrong, or happens quite naturally, like the USB bus being polled while data transfers are taking place (when data is being written to a BD-R). This is not an issue with USB flash drives and HDDs but can be fatal when a BD-R writer's buffer underruns and produces beautiful coasters as a result. So for me, the only reliable, predictable BD-R writer will be an internal writer, connected to a SATA port. If you are using a laughtop with no extra SATA or eSATA port, then tough.

[tarzan54]

There is some of the LG BE14NU40 burners available on Amazon but their not cheap, starting at $95 for refurbished all the way to $300 for new which is crazy in my opinion, Can't you install an internal burner which I think are much better.

[navarannan]

There are two main issues with external BD-R drives: power source and the (USB) data interface itself.
Some of these drives (like that Samsung) take power from the USB port itself. USB2.0 ports should be able to provide 0.5A maximum, USB3.0 0.9A. However, there is no guarantee that actual USB ports on any computer can actually provide this much, or even if there is power from them at all. Devices like USB flash drives (which consume little power) or others which just use the data bus can't reliably tell either way. These writers in the thick and heat of recording a BD-R disc with motors and laser blazing away will consume lots of current that may faze some of these USB ports. Different computers react differently to over-current on a USB port; some will cut power off, others will limit it to the maximum, others will also disconnect the data (and make the, gasp!, drive disappear). I strongly discourage the use of BD-R writers of any ilk that is powered solely through a USB port (or two), no matter how convincing its ads and specs are and reviews are. The Asus drive has an external power supply so it doesn't have to poach any from the USB port it's connected to. This leads us to the other potential issue: the USB data bus itself. In an ideal situation the USB chipsets should have the latest greatest drivers, and Windoze and all the programs that access other h/w through these ports should take advantage of that. But lots of things can and often go wrong, or happens quite naturally, like the USB bus being polled while data transfers are taking place (when data is being written to a BD-R). This is not an issue with USB flash drives and HDDs but can be fatal when a BD-R writer's buffer underruns and produces beautiful coasters as a result. So for me, the only reliable, predictable BD-R writer will be an internal writer, connected to a SATA port. If you are using a laughtop with no extra SATA or eSATA port, then tough.

Hi turk690
Thanks for taking time to write a detailed reply. I was also thinking around the
Similar lines. My laptop has an eSATA port. If I but an internal writer what all will I require to burn video files using it? I mean the hardware part?

[navarannan]

There is some of the LG BE14NU40 burners available on Amazon but their not cheap, starting at $95 for refurbished all the way to $300 for new which is crazy in my opinion, Can't you install an internal burner which I think are much better.

I have an eSATA port. On the laptop. What will I require to connect it to laptop?

[turk690]

You will need 3 things: (internal) BD-R writer (such as http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=3_54&item_id=067562), external SATA power supply for it (like http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fineness-SPP34-12-5-2000-Power-Supply-12V-5V-2000mA-SATA-Power...EAAOSwimdXpA66), and eSATA to SATA cable (like https://www.amazon.com/BC63696-SATA-to-eSATA-Cable/dp/B003ENM5IA).

[navarannan]

You will need 3 things: (internal) BD-R writer (such as http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=3_54&item_id=067562), external SATA power supply for it (like http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fineness-SPP34-12-5-2000-Power-Supply-12V-5V-2000mA-SATA-Power...EAAOSwimdXpA66), and eSATA to SATA cable (like https://www.amazon.com/BC63696-SATA-to-eSATA-Cable/dp/B003ENM5IA).

I have found out the internal blu ray writer and sata to esata cable as below. I live in asutralia, so from ebay australia store.

Drive:- http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/290912776877
Cable:- http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/221570608742

Cant figure out a power supply. Could you please help me on this?

[turk690]

The power supply we are talking about is any typical external supply that is used for powering HDDs and optical drives that would normally have been powered internally through a computer ATX supply. Current such PSUs will have a conventional normal molex connector (for legacy drives) and a SATA power connector, which is the one you need. A typical one would be this: Fineness-SPP34-12-5-2000-Power-Supply-12V-5V-2000mA-SATA-Power-Ends-External-Dri. It appears in a number of ebay sites, but it can be bought in any well-stocked local computer shop. Older models are fine; they may only have the molex connector, but you can get a molex to SATA power cable to use them for your BD-R writer. BTW, do not use the eSATA cable you have indicated, because it takes the power from the eSATA port of your laughtop and can lead to the problems you originally had again. Just use one which uses the data bus, link in my link above.

[navarannan]

The power supply we are talking about is any typical external supply that is used for powering HDDs and optical drives that would normally have been powered internally through a computer ATX supply. Current such PSUs will have a conventional normal molex connector (for legacy drives) and a SATA power connector, which is the one you need. A typical one would be this: Fineness-SPP34-12-5-2000-Power-Supply-12V-5V-2000mA-SATA-Power-Ends-External-Dri. It appears in a number of ebay sites, but it can be bought in any well-stocked local computer shop. Older models are fine; they may only have the molex connector, but you can get a molex to SATA power cable to use them for your BD-R writer. BTW, do not use the eSATA cable you have indicated, because it takes the power from the eSATA port of your laughtop and can lead to the problems you originally had again. Just use one which uses the data bus, link in my link above.

Hi turk a few questions to make my understanding clear. Im planning to go to the local shop first thing in the morning.

With the eSata cable, whats the difference between the one I posted(http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/221570608742) and the one you posted(https://www.amazon.com/BC63696-SATA-to-eSATA-Cable/dp/B003ENM5IA)

Is the one I posted 22Pin SATA is (7pin+15Pin) where the power is going to 15 pin and data to 7 pin? And the one you posted is just the 7 pin for data alone?

If that is the case how is this whole setup going to make any difference with the external blu ray drive with external power and data interface as usb3.0? The only difference I can think of is the data interface difference usb3.0 and eSata...

[usually_quiet]

With the eSata cable, whats the difference between the one I posted(http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/221570608742) and the one you posted(https://www.amazon.com/BC63696-SATA-to-eSATA-Cable/dp/B003ENM5IA)

Is the one I posted 22Pin SATA is (7pin+15Pin) where the power is going to 15 pin and data to 7 pin? And the one you posted is just the 7 pin for data alone?

If that is the case how is this whole setup going to make any difference with the external blu ray drive with external power and data interface as usb3.0? The only difference I can think of is the data interface difference usb3.0 and eSata...

The eSATA cable from your link draws power from the eSATA connection itself. Only some eSATA connections can also supply power like USB does. Many if not most only provide a SATA data connection. In addition, powered eSATA was intended to be used with portable hard drives, which draw less power than optical drives. Even if the eSATA connection on your laptop supplies power (and it may not) a wall adapter is a more dependable source.

eSATA's data connects on a one-to-one basis with the PC. USB 3.0 doesn't provide a one-to one connection.

[tarzan54]

turk690 has it right about the 3 parts you need, In my post I was referring to that if you have a dvd burner in your computer or laptop now then you can take that out and replace it with a internal bluray burner.

[Witchdoctor]

If it's not too late to still make suggestions, something like this might be suitable.

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=48_19_797&item_id=040636.

You should be able to find something similar in your neck of the woods.

[turk690]

If it's not too late to still make suggestions, something like this might be suitable.
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=48_19_797&item_id=040636.
You should be able to find something similar in your neck of the woods.

This item moves us right back into what I was strongly advocating OP not to use, which is using a USB port and taking power off it.

[navarannan]

If it's not too late to still make suggestions, something like this might be suitable.
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=48_19_797&item_id=040636.
You should be able to find something similar in your neck of the woods.

This item moves us right back into what I was strongly advocating OP not to use, which is using a USB port and taking power off it.

Hi turk690.

Happy news friend. Like you suggested I bought an internal LG blu ray writer, and external power supply for it which has a molux cable , a molux to SATA cable and a SATA to eSata cable. Was very lucky to get all of them from a local computer shop.

Used Nero16 to burn the movies. Already burnt around 15 BD50 discs. None of them failed.

Im so so happy.

Thanks a million for the valuable suggestion. Finally what a sigh of relief.

[usually_quiet]

I'm glad your purchase is working well. You were fortunate to have an eSATA connection.

If an internal drive wasn't an option and an eSATA connection wasn't available on the computer but USB 3.0 was, the external drives I'd have recommended looking at are the ASUS BW-16D1H-U PRO or ASUS BW-12D1S-U Lite. (Availability of these models depends on country.) They are full-sized drives which plug into the wall for power.

[navarannan]

I'm glad your purchase is working well. You were fortunate to have an eSATA connection.

If an internal drive wasn't an option and an eSATA connection wasn't available on the computer but USB 3.0 was, the external drives I'd have recommended looking at are the ASUS BW-16D1H-U PRO or ASUS BW-12D1S-U Lite. (Availability of these models depends on country.) They are full-sized drives which plug into the wall for power.

Not really, My previous purchase was the ASUS BW-16D1H-U PRO itself. It was having the same issue(that when I posted in this thread). I was very lucky to get a refund for this expensive drive.

[usually_quiet]

I'm glad your purchase is working well. You were fortunate to have an eSATA connection.

If an internal drive wasn't an option and an eSATA connection wasn't available on the computer but USB 3.0 was, the external drives I'd have recommended looking at are the ASUS BW-16D1H-U PRO or ASUS BW-12D1S-U Lite. (Availability of these models depends on country.) They are full-sized drives which plug into the wall for power.

Not really, My previous purchase was the ASUS BW-16D1H-U PRO itself. It was having the same issue(that when I posted in this thread). I was very lucky to get a refund for this expensive drive.

It must be a USB interface problem (affecting data transfer) then. I read some posts at myce.com indicating that ASUS uses an LG-made drive in the BW-16D1H-U PRO and a Pioneer-made drive in the BW-12D1S-U Lite.

[Edit] I checked the post about the ASUS BW-16D1H-U PRO at myce.com. The member there who replied thought the LG drive ASUS used in their product was probably the same model of internal drive that you ended up buying, the BH16NS40, although there was a possibility that they used another LG model with similar specs.

[Witchdoctor]

If it's not too late to still make suggestions, something like this might be suitable.
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=48_19_797&item_id=040636.
You should be able to find something similar in your neck of the woods.

This item moves us right back into what I was strongly advocating OP not to use, which is using a USB port and taking power off it.

Had you bothered to read the description, you would have noticed it comes with an AC Adapter.

Product Specifications:

Cable Type: SATA/USB
Cable Length: 1 ft
Connector on First End: 1 x Type A Male USB 3.0 USB
Connector on Second End:
1 x 22-pin Male SATA 3.0 SATA
1 x Female Power
Device Supported:
Hard Drive
Storage Drive
Optical Drive
Color: Black
Package Contents:
InfoZone SuperSpeed USB 3.0 to SATA III Device Adapter Cable with AC Adapter
AC Adapter (5ft Cord)
User Manual
Environmentally Friendly: Yes
Environmental Certification: WEEE
Limited Warranty: 1 Year

[navarannan]

I'm glad your purchase is working well. You were fortunate to have an eSATA connection.

If an internal drive wasn't an option and an eSATA connection wasn't available on the computer but USB 3.0 was, the external drives I'd have recommended looking at are the ASUS BW-16D1H-U PRO or ASUS BW-12D1S-U Lite. (Availability of these models depends on country.) They are full-sized drives which plug into the wall for power.

Not really, My previous purchase was the ASUS BW-16D1H-U PRO itself. It was having the same issue(that when I posted in this thread). I was very lucky to get a refund for this expensive drive.

It must be a USB interface problem (affecting data transfer) then. I read some posts at myce.com indicating that ASUS uses an LG-made drive in the BW-16D1H-U PRO and a Pioneer-made drive in the BW-12D1S-U Lite.

[Edit] I checked the post about the ASUS BW-16D1H-U PRO at myce.com. The member there who replied thought the LG drive ASUS used in their product was probably the same model of internal drive that you ended up buying, the BH16NS40, although there was a possibility that they used another LG model with similar specs.

Its not a problem with the burner. Its a problem with ub data bus. Im just posting the explanation given by turk690

"The Asus drive has an external power supply so it doesn't have to poach any from the USB port it's connected to. This leads us to the other potential issue: the USB data bus itself. In an ideal situation the USB chipsets should have the latest greatest drivers, and Windoze and all the programs that access other h/w through these ports should take advantage of that. But lots of things can and often go wrong, or happens quite naturally, like the USB bus being polled while data transfers are taking place (when data is being written to a BD-R). This is not an issue with USB flash drives and HDDs but can be fatal when a BD-R writer's buffer underruns and produces beautiful coasters as a result. "

[usually_quiet]

It must be a USB interface problem (affecting data transfer) then. I read some posts at myce.com indicating that ASUS uses an LG-made drive in the BW-16D1H-U PRO and a Pioneer-made drive in the BW-12D1S-U Lite.

[Edit] I checked the post about the ASUS BW-16D1H-U PRO at myce.com. The member there who replied thought the LG drive ASUS used in their product was probably the same model of internal drive that you ended up buying, the BH16NS40, although there was a possibility that they used another LG model with similar specs.

Its not a problem with the burner. Its a problem with ub data bus. Im just posting the explanation given by turk690

"The Asus drive has an external power supply so it doesn't have to poach any from the USB port it's connected to. This leads us to the other potential issue: the USB data bus itself. In an ideal situation the USB chipsets should have the latest greatest drivers, and Windoze and all the programs that access other h/w through these ports should take advantage of that. But lots of things can and often go wrong, or happens quite naturally, like the USB bus being polled while data transfers are taking place (when data is being written to a BD-R). This is not an issue with USB flash drives and HDDs but can be fatal when a BD-R writer's buffer underruns and produces beautiful coasters as a result. "

I already agreed the USB data connection was the problem, but apparently not everybody experiences that problem. There is a good burner inside both ASUS models, and judging by reviews, there are others who have no problems burning Blu-ray media with the ASUS BW-16D1H-U PRO or ASUS BW-12D1S-U Lite. So, in spite of your problems, I'd still recommend trying either of these drives to someone who really needed a Blu-ray burner and had USB 3.0 available but not eSATA.

[turk690]

...I'd still recommend trying either of these drives to someone who really needed a Blu-ray burner and had USB 3.0 available but not eSATA.

In my experience, using USB3.0 to connect an (externally) powered BD-R writer is still hit-and-miss; it's not easy to tell when and if the USB bus is going to get polled, or some other action by windoze causes data throughput to just die. A lot of people happily go through recording their BD-Rs successfully via USB without giving it a second thought; others are hit with just the right combination of factors conducive to producing coasters. Because BD-R writers are not inexpensive items, IMHO it is best to just stop using USB to connect them, as I have said. Though nearly all recent laughtops no longer have eSATA, the optical drive that's contained within (some form of DVD±RW writer) is still SATA. Depending on the laughtop, this drive can be taken out with varying degrees of difficulty (easiest is one screw out at the bottom and the drive slides out; hardest is having to open the wretched laughtop to do so). A female-to-male (extension) SATA cable (preferably clipped) is connected within, then extended out and connected to a normal BD-R writer like an LG BH16NS40 or Pioneer BDR-2209.

[usually_quiet]

...I'd still recommend trying either of these drives to someone who really needed a Blu-ray burner and had USB 3.0 available but not eSATA.

In my experience, using USB3.0 to connect an (externally) powered BD-R writer is still hit-and-miss; it's not easy to tell when and if the USB bus is going to get polled, or some other action by windoze causes data throughput to just die. A lot of people happily go through recording their BD-Rs successfully via USB without giving it a second thought; others are hit with just the right combination of factors conducive to producing coasters. Because BD-R writers are not inexpensive items, IMHO it is best to just stop using USB to connect them, as I have said. Though nearly all recent laughtops no longer have eSATA, the optical drive that's contained within (some form of DVD±RW writer) is still SATA. Depending on the laughtop, this drive can be taken out with varying degrees of difficulty (easiest is one screw out at the bottom and the drive slides out; hardest is having to open the wretched laughtop to do so). A female-to-male (extension) SATA cable (preferably clipped) is connected within, then extended out and connected to a normal BD-R writer like an LG BH16NS40 or Pioneer BDR-2209.

Maybe you haven't noticed, but there are more and more newer laptops which have neither internal optical drives or eSATA, because thin laptops are becoming more and more popular. The same can be true for very small desktops, like Intel NUCs. Replacing a computer is likely to cost more than one of these external USB 3.0 Blu-Ray drives, so I'd recommend trying one of the external drives before buying a new computer.

[turk690]

... there are more and more newer laptops which have neither internal optical drives or eSATA, because thin laptops are becoming more and more popular. The same can be true for very small desktops, like Intel NUCs.

I did mention that a fair number of recent laughtops still have a built-in SATA DVD±drive, which can be removed and the connector used for a separately powered BD-R writer. Though I also get that some newest thin laughtops and NUCs have none, I have met a fair number of people who nevertheless want to record BD-Rs with these, and all I have to say to them is, you can't have both extreme portability and the ability to record BD-Rs with any level of reliability and predictability once USB gets in the mix. OP's experience is not unusual. It's good though that he got refunds for the Asus, but a lot don't, after having plonked down $$ for a fancy Pioneer BDR-XD05B and finds it produces nothing but beautifully ringed BD-R coasters. Having repeatedly seen how chancy the whole thing is, I just declare to would-be BD-R folks: no SATA, no BD-R writer. Period.