LG GP65NB60 8X USB 2.0 Super Multi Ultra Slim Portable DVD Writer Drive +/-RW External Drive with M-DISC Support - Black

I can't speak to this as a DVD player or a burner of any kind as I've only used it to rip CDs, but in that capacity, it's AWESOME. Streaming sucks. There, I said it. Price increase after price increase. Ads that get longer and longer. Songs/albums that were available yesterday are gone today. I decided "enough is enough". I have SO MUCH physical media (records and CDs), why not rip them?This drive arrived quickly, looks very nice, included a cable that was more than long enough, matches my laptop in finish perfectly (I got the silver drive and have a 7th gen Surface Laptop in titanium) and, most importantly, is FAST. Takes me an average of 2-3 minutes to rip an entire CD in high quality (320k). For setup, all I had to do was connect it to my laptop. No drivers to download, no software to install.As fast as this is, I'll have my entire CD collection ripped and copied to my phone in no time. Goodbye, Spotify/Prime/Pandora. Hello free, add free listening.

I've had this since late 2017, and it still works like a charm. Just plug it in and pop in a cd or dvd, and it's super straight forward. The downloading speed is pretty good. Playback is smooth in my experience, and since this thing is so compact I can store it with ease.

This item arrived in its box with the software CD, but there was no plastic insert so the drive was just rattling around in there, and no cords were supplied. It's pretty clear this was opened previously and is likely somebody else's return, but it worked perfectly, has been working consistently, and doesn't appear the worse for wear, so I'm going to hold onto it.Things to note:1) The enclosed software CD was, for me at least, entirely unnecessary. I didn't expect it would be given modern technolog--plug and play, drive recognized, let's get burning. I had my first disc created less than ten minutes from opening the box.2) The product description claims the drive reads at 24x but only writes at 8x. This is incorrect. The usable write speeds for this item are 10x ,16x, and 24x, and it has been working consistently at AWS (max) speed. So it actually writes a lot faster than it says it does. I'm one of those people from the early days who were told you should always write at the slowest possible speed to ensure success, but that's not necessary here. Also, if you try to write at any other speed than the aforementioned three, imgburn will just force you into the closest acceptable one after the process starts, so trying to write at 2x or 4x is pointless anyway.3) This drive requires a *MINI USB* cable, not micro USB, and not USB-C. Mini is the oldest protocol of the three and I was actually surprised to see it still in use here, but look it up if you don't know what it is. This would have been a deal-breaker for me since the drive didn't come with a cord, but I happen to still have some mini USB cables on-hand, and the first one I tried worked great. On the bright side, unlike a lot of slimline external optical drives, this one doesn't have a fixed cable that's some ridiculously short length like 6" or something. Thus I could use a cord long enough for the drive to connect to my PC while actually sitting on my desk instead of balancing on top of the tower.Anyway, it works well. Just make sure to check it over for damage if it comes as badly packaged as mine did, and mind the type of cable it needs!UPDATE: My report on the write speed was not entirely accurate. The drive is indeed limited to 4x or 8x writes...for DVDs. I've only been using the drive to burn CDs, which it will do at its full speed of 24x. So the product description is *half* right. They really should point out that there's a write speed difference depending on what kind of media you're trying to create.

I hate that my new laptop doesn’t have a dvd drive but this takes care of it. Just plug and play. I’ve been ripping cds into iTunes and it works great. The hardware itself is very light so I’ve strapped it down with Velcro ties to hold it still. The read speed seems comparable to a built in drive. All in all if i can’t have a built in drive this works fine.

I have a serious problem with LG. Neither LG or Verizon Wireless, the same cellphone carrier that my dad has been contracted with since about 2004. There was no communication from either company org to tell me or my dad that LG has ceased making phones, tablets, and who knows, what else more they do not make.Another problem is that, this external DVD player is the third DVD play I have bought going back to, I think, 2015. The problem that I am having is a worry. A worry that the DVD player will not function, soon, because of lack of updates. All computer equipment needs needs updates every so often for updates.Well, the problem with my phone had me worried, as well. (Oops, I was to buy a new phone, today and completely forgot. LOL) The reason why I need a new phone is because there was an LG update, sometime in the past up from about a year to a year and a half ago, according to Verizon tech support. Well, that update is the problem. It seems to be that LG in the update, removed all of their software and Verizon dumped their's in the phone. That new software is all that is running the phone.In the last three months, I have had two serious medical conditions. One of them being insomina and the so-called medical professionals are not really helping me. Because of this problem, I may have used the phone once, during that time. I was even forgetting to bring the phone with me to buy food from the store or a restaurant. Ya, fun times, you know what I mean? (LOL)So, I did not know there was any problems. Also, the problems with the phone became to be worse. Sometimes, I need to work the phone to get it off of the lock screen to restart (reboot) the phone, just to unlock the phone for usage. The phone is next to a paperweight.I am worried, now, about the DVD player. I am on number three, since about 2015, as I said, above. Well, I am not going to put myself in this situation with LG, again. No communication, at all, and my phone is next to junk. Also, the DVD player just activated for no reason when I was typing a document. I have no idea why the player did that. That has not happened since I bought it, back in 2020.A lot of you on here have great stories, about the player. So, do I. I highly recommend LG's products over any other brand. But after I am in knowledge of this, after all these years using their phones, going back to before 2015, I am just in shock. I thought they were not doing the new stupidity that Sony has been doing, since the year: 2000. I guess, many of us that thought that way, at some point in the last year and a half, are wrong, and that is not our fault.So, plain and simple, as of now, I am not playing any games. I just noticed that this player came out on Amazon before 2015. That means, it has been on the market for so long that, it could be dead as far as any tech support or updates.I am not happy about this, one bit. We need to find a reliable tech company. We thought that back in the 90's, that Panasonic and Sony were the way to go. But then their stuff was slowly disappearing, and rumors were abound that they were not making their VCRs and TVs. My old Sony from 98, it is not known whom built it. The computer in the TV when plugged into an old Dell laptop computer named a company of a Japanese firm, I had neve heard of. So, really, can we as people rely on a company to stick around and keep on making products that are good? I just really would like to rely on a company from a customer point of view, and have not been able to do that, in 22 years. BTW, I am only, just turned 43. Ya, time goes by fast. LOL