Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)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 The version that is included is out of date.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.
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