Asus USB 2.0 Slim External 6x Blu-Ray Writer SBW-06C1S-U

I bought this ASUS SBW-06C1S-U because I already purchased an ASUS N61JV-X2 notebook PC with Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit and I subscribe to Netflix with the ability to rent Blu-Ray movies as an additional option. I looked at several other competing manufacturers such as SONY and Buffalo Technology, but I decided to get this ASUS SBW-06C1S-U because of the brand reputation. Before you decide to buy it, you have to check to ensure that your PC supports HDCP by visiting the Cyberlink website and download and install the Cyberlink BD & 3D Advisor tool. Run this tool to check to see if your PC is up to the standard. To the best of my knowledge, Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 2 and Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium and above support HDCP. This drive comes with a standard AC power adapter and cord, the drive itself, and a high speed USB 2.0 A to mini cord. Just plug in the power cord, plug in the USB 2.0 cable, and hook it up to a USB 2.0 port on your PC and let Microsoft Windows automatically detect and install the appropriate device drivers. Then, open up the drive tray and put in the Cyberlink PowerDVD 8 software CD and install the software onto your PC to play Blu-Ray movies. The version that is included is out of date. Cyberlink PowerDVD 10 Mark II Ultra is the current version at the time of this writing. It costs $79.99 USD for new customers.

I use this ASUS SBW-06C1S-U to decrypt and rip Blu-Ray movies that I rent from Netflix using SlySoft's AnyDVD HD. I save it onto an external Western Digital 1.50 TB Caviar Green hard drive housed in a ThermalTake BlacX hard drive dock connected through eSATA. It takes about 20 minutes to write a single layer 25.00 GB Blu-Ray disc. If you hook it up to your USB 2.0 port that is directly attached to your PC, then there is no need to carry the additional AC power adapter and cord to play or write Blu-Ray movies or discs.

This new drive is replacing an aging LG GSA-5163D A105 firmware Super-Multi double layer DVD & CD player and burner drive. I am able to rip my CD, DVD-Video, and Blu-Ray collection onto my hard drive using this ASUS SBW-06C1S-U without any problems. I checked the ASUS website for firmware or software updates and there are none at the time of this writing.

As a side note, if you rip DVD-Video and Blu-Ray movies into an .ISO file, then you can use Video Lan VLC player to play back the movies at any time. There is no need to buy the latest version of Cyberlink PowerDVD or to install the included software CD if you choose to decrypt, rip, and playback movies from your hard drive.

I tested the disc encryption feature and it does work as advertised. The cryptologic algorithm is Advanced Encryption Standard at 128 bits cipher strength using SHA-1 as the hasing algorithm. It is strong cryptology suitable for securing your data onto optical discs.

Overall, this is an easy to install and use product so long as you have checked for HDCP support and you have modern hardware and software to support this drive. It is well built to withstand occasional bumps while tucked away inside a bag for on the go Blu-Ray playback or burning discs. I recommend it for travelers looking to add an optical drive to a netbook or an ultraportable that does not come with one.

Addendum:

I have since returned this product for a full refund because it uses two USB 2.0 ports to power the drive while using it on the go. My ASUS N61JV-X2 notebook PC has widely spaced USB 2.0 ports so the special Y-shaped USB Type A to dual Mini cable is incompatible.

(CRAPPY) ENGLISH:

Works as expected, Bundle software is adequate (but I recommend ImgBurn for burning any kind of disc, and Total Media Theater for watching DVDs & Blu-rays).

The only downside is the need for 2 true USB ports (not hubs) for proper functioning, if you have issues burning BD-R media make sure that the USB ports are not part of an internal hub (common on most laptops), or try an external USB power source for the secondary connector whose sole purpose is to provide additional power (when burning a BD-R the writer needs around 1500 mA, 3 times the official maximum current for a standard USB 2.0 port!!!).

GOOD:

--Fast burning for a portable writer!

--High quality burning!

--Compatible with most OS out of the box!

--Sleek design!

--ASUS support and warranty!

SO-SO:

--Bundle software is good (includes PowerDVD 9 Plus, a Blu-ray software player with a MSRP of $70 bucks), but not perfect, and the install process is buggy.

BAD:

--Needs 2 USB ports, and does not have an alternate power supply!

Overall a great product, way better than the Chinese external burners sold on eBay at similar prices.

ESPAÑOL:

Funciona como debe, los programas son adecuados, e incluyen a PowerDVD 9 Plus, un reproductor de Blu-ray para PC totalmente funcional y compatible con el Perfil mas actual del formato, con un precio de venta al publico de 70 dolares, por lo que te ahorras tener que desembolsar en un reproductor adicional, aunque en lo particular recomiendo ImgBurn para quemar discos y Total Media Theater para ver DVDs y Blu-rays.

El único punto en contra es que necesita 2 puertos USB reales (nada de hubs) para funcionar optimamente, si tienes problemas quemando BD-R asegurate de que los puertos que utilizas sean realmente independientes y no formen parte de un hub interno (común en las portátiles, donde usualmente todos los puertos USB de un mismo lado en realidad son parte de un hub), opcionalmente puedes intentar con un cargador USB externo conectado al segundo conector USB (cuyo único propósito en realidad es proporcionar la corriente adicional necesaria, ya que cuando grabas un BD-R el quemador necesita casi 1500 mA, 3 veces mas que lo máximo que se supone debe proveer un puerto USB!!!).

Pese a ese pequeño inconveniente es mucha mejor opción que los quemadores externos chinos que se venden en eBay con precios similares, usualmente usando unidades internas para laptop que no pasaron control de calidad, que no incluyen software, y de los cuales es muy difícil poder recibir soporte técnico, ni se diga sobre el hacer valida la garantía.

Buy Asus USB 2.0 Slim External 6x Blu-Ray Writer SBW-06C1S-U Now

I have an HP i7 laptop, which can edit HD movies in 1080p and I wanted to burn a Blu-Ray disk. You would think the HP would offer this option? a little behind the curve. So I went online and saw this Blu-Ray burner. Hooked it up no extra power just need 2 open USB ports. My movie was over two hours, did a friends wedding back in October. Sent it through my Pinnacle 14 and after like 6 hours, Oh yes it took that long even with a core i7. Out popped the finished Blu-ray disk. Played it on my Panasonic Blu-ray player, it was just beautiful. This product is the way to go!

Read Best Reviews of Asus USB 2.0 Slim External 6x Blu-Ray Writer SBW-06C1S-U Here

I bought this Blu-ray writer because I wanted something to back up the video tapes I have accumulated over the 5 years of my childrens' lives. The video was on Digital Video Cassettes (DVC), and I haven't found a good way to play the tapes without the camcorder. So I move the data to my computer and burn DVDs. But my hard drive is not big enough for all the raw video I've accumulated. A single one hour tape is about 14Gb, so it would take 2 DL DVD's.

I really didn't want to fool around with installing a SATA controller and internal drive, so this seemed like a pretty good choice. Add to that, when I bought it there was a slight price advantage over the Sony external writer, and this was my choice.

I installed the drive according to the single sheet multi-lingual instructions, and installed the software that comes bundled. Installation took a while (maybe 15 minutes) because my computer is wicked old. As soon as it was installed, I burned the first Blu-ray disk. 20Gb at 2x in about 35-40 minutes. Functionality: perfect.

The drive is powered by a bizarre USB cord that has two male ends on one side and a mini connector on the other. The two male ends go into your computer. Apparently the draw from the writer is great enough that it requires two sources of power, and rather than including a transformer, Asus chose to power it this way. They say that powering it through a hub is not suggested (shrug). The cord is not long, maybe a foot, 18 inches? The two male connectors at the end are separated by perhaps 4 inches of cord. It is an interesting solution, but I'd have rather had the separate transformer.

The vertical stand that comes with it is cheap and wobbly. The drive door pops open like a laptop optical drive... it isn't motorized.

TL;DR: Completely functional, minor form quibbles.

Want Asus USB 2.0 Slim External 6x Blu-Ray Writer SBW-06C1S-U Discount?

This thing has been a God Send for me!! I do audio and video poduction / editing and I rack up TBs of data fairly quickly. My prior remedy to this problem was simply to "buy another hard drive", but I finally broke down and bought this blu ray burner and have spent the last week burning archives of old projects for safe keep and cleaning off my hard drives. The burn process is a little slow with 25GB disk taking about 45mins to burn and 50GB disc taking double that, but I wouldn't trade it. Yes it does have two USB plugs, but I run a 7 port USB hub so that's no problem for me, as all of my hard drives run firewire and I have the spare slots for the burner plug. It's relativly quiet during its burning process as well. Oh, and I'm using a MAC computer and have had no problems what-so-ever. Plugged it in right out of the box and was up and burning. Use Express Burn software ($29) downloaded off the net to burn with. If you're like me and need to clean off some hard drive space, I can vouch for this one.