LG 8X USB 2.0 Slim Portable DVD Rewriter

I needed something to burn CDs on a laptop where I removed the DVD burner in order to put in a second harddrive to more easily dual boot windows/linux. It is always a pain to put the DVD burner back in so figured I would pick up an external. I rarely burn so I didn’t want to spend a lot. I have found LG products to be low priced and usually functional so I went with this model (the one with 50 in the model number). Linux had a little trouble recognizing so I just booted into Windows instead. Worked fine in windows. I am not sure why linux had trouble recognizing it, since I have the option to dual boot Windows it was not a deal killer and I didn’t bother tearing my hair out to get it going in PCLinuxOS. Those of you who run linux are probably familiar with hair tearing. Sometimes it is just easier to go over to the dark side and boot windows.

One thing about this item, it is SO lightweight that the usb cable which is a bit stiff can actually flip it all over. You have to get the USB cable to lie nice in order to have the unit sit flush.

Many modern portable PCs have no CD/DVD drive or ability to internally install one. The omission is partly driven by the smaller form factors designed for mobility in size and weight. But even for systems physically large enough to house one, there is an ever-decreasing need for using an optical drive in the first place. Almost all applications and device drivers are available on the Internet which negates the need to ship software on physical media of any sort where it’s likely to be obsolete before such media ever arrives to its user.

Yet there remain times where a CD/DVD reader and/or writer is still needed. People who haven’t transferred all of their old CD collections still need to rip them onto their hard drives. Burning custom audio CDs from iTunes playlists is still a reasonable way to give friends a nice gift (a carryover from the “mix” cassette days). And if you don’t happen to have ready access to the Internet, having physical media is the only way to go.

So is the case for my situation where I have a couple of systems that don’t have an optical drive and need one every so often. The LG GP50NB40 external drive is just what I needed for supporting my Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S ultraportable and a Mac mini (mid-2011). Apple was an early mover in eliminating optical drives from their products, and many Windows vendors have now followed suit. While there are lots of choices in the market for external drives, many are way more expensive and likely overkill in features for most users in the modern world of 2015.

This LG drive is perfect for my needs. My son uses the Yoga in college where he’s a music performance major and needs to view and rip music from CDs. My daughter in high school and needs occasional software installs that still ship on physical media and wants to rip and burn audio CDs for her friends once in a while. They will not be heavy-duty users, but when they need it, they’ll now have it.

I tested the unit on both of their computers and on my traditional desktop machine that already has an optical drive. Everything worked as expected. No manual or automatic installation of drivers or applications were needed—it just worked right out of the box. The product comes with a CD of apps, but I don’t need them and didn’t try them out. Other units I found while shopping required a separate power adapter or a second USB line for providing sufficient power to the drive. This one is superior in needing only one USB cable to handle both data and power.

Before I made this purchase, I read reviews already posted and some warned of issues with Mac compatibility regarding Mac OS not recognizing the drive unless a disk was already inserted in the unit. I found this to be true, but see no issue. The Mac OS X Finder will show the device once a disk is placed in the drive. If a disk gets stuck in the unit for whatever reason, there’s a pin hole where a paper clip point can be inserted to manually eject the disk easily enough.

Having just received and tested the product for basic functionality, I cannot claim how well it will endure use over time. But the small size and price with the convenience of a single cable for both data and power, this product looks like it’ll be perfect anyone with modern-day computers that have no internal optical drive.

Considering the price, this is basic external CD/DVD drive that works. For some who use external drive extensively, might want to consider higher end product that will endure wear & tear of the drive. Others who use infrequently (once in a while), this LG might fit the bill.

1. It is decently built. Made of plastic, while somewhat sturdy, still it will break if dropped. So handle with care.
2. It works with Windows 7, 8, & 8.1 out of the box. You do not need to install separate driver. Windows (7&8) will recognize the drive. So you can read & write CDs and DVDs. Read & Write speed is average among this price range.
3. You can play DVD as well, but EITHER you can install the software (CD) that came with it OR download & use VLC media player. Windows Media Player will not play DVD.
4. You do not need 2nd USB cord to power the drive. A provided single USB cable will connect and power up LG drive through your notebooks. It also works well with netbooks. I connected the LG drive to ASUS eee PC 1000HA (2gb RAM, Win 7, 128gb SSD), and it worked great!
5. Works with Linux as well. I dual-boot eee PC 1000HA with Win 7 and Xubuntu 14.10, and Xubuntu 14.10 recognized the drive and played the DVD in VLC media player.
6. You can also connect the drive to your TV – provided that your TV has USB port. So you can play your DVD and watch it on your TV.
7. You can read/write M-Discs. This is a great advantage of this drive. M-Discs can store your files (docs, pictures, & movies) for 1000 years. Yes. 1000 years.
8. The box comes with DVD drive, manual, 1 USB cable, and Software CD (to play DVDs, install drivers, etc). But I did not need the software CD for my purpose. But it is good to have it handy, just in case.

All in all, this is a simple CD/DVD drive that will work well with your notebooks and netbooks, including Linux OS. Again, if you are going to use the drive extensively (every day), then you might want to purchase something more sturdy, but if you are going to use it occasionally, then this LG model is a great product for you. Highly recommended.

Todo correcto. He probado a grabar un par de cds de música y funcionan correctamente en el coche.