Best External Blu-Ray Drives

We already mentioned this drive's support for BDXL discs, which allows for data storage capacity of up to 128 GB with the appropriate media. However, compatibility isn't limited there. You also get support for most other Blu-ray standards, including BD-R triple and quad layer, BD-RE triple layer, M-Disc, as well as full support for both DVDs and CDs, letting you use this drive as a great all-around optical media burner and player.

With all of the extended data formats supported, one would need acceptable read and write speeds in order to take full advantage of them, and you certainly get them here. The 6x speeds for Blu-ray discs let you burn even the largest data format discs in only a short amount of time, and you even get blazing fast read and write speeds for DVDs and CDs as well.

To take full advantage of this drive's capabilities, several powerful software packages are included, such as Cyberlink and PowerDirector 10 LE. With this software, you are able to easily compile and burn any number of different BD, DVD, and CD formats, authoring both data and video discs. The only downside is that both of these software packages require payment to unlock some of their best features. However, even without having to spend an additional dime, you get an extremely powerful data storage and disc authoring tool.

The universal compatibility of this device isn't limited to the types of computers you can connect it to. You also get full compatibility with a variety of different Blu-ray, DVD, and CD disc formats, including full compatibility with M-Disc for those with long-term data archival needs. This also includes full support for HD and UHD video formats. It should be noted, however, that those who are using this drive on a Mac will not get full UHD support, so please keep that in mind if this support is required.

Unlike some other drives, this particular device does not come with any bundled software for authoring discs of any type of format. Instead, it is recommended by the manufacturer to use the free-to-download Cyberlink PowerDVD software package, which unfortunately is not free of charge. Furthermore, the drive manufacturer can't guarantee full compatibility with other software packages, so you may be limited when it comes to the software you can use for authoring video discs of any format.

On the physical side of things, this device has an extremely small footprint that is barely larger than an actual Blu-ray disc, making it great for portability. The brushed aluminum exterior goes well with any computer desk setup, and the included protective carrying case lets you safely take it with you wherever you go. If you need an excellent Blu-ray drive for reading or writing to discs of almost any format, then this model should be a top choice.

Remember the big buzz about 3D TVs a number of years ago? You probably would if you were one of those who jumped on the bandwagon. In fact, a large number of TVs included 3D support, so it wouldn't be surprising if you managed to grab a 3D set even if you didn't utilize the 3D playback feature. If you did and managed to stockpile a number of 3D Blu-ray discs, not to worry—this drive includes full 3D playback support, so you can watch all of those movies in all of their 3D glory. What has continued on, though, is 4K support, which most TVs that you can purchase nowadays do have (as well as many computer monitors), and this drive includes full 4K support as well.

What is really nice about this particular model is its connectivity options. With the rise of the relatively new USB Type-C ports, many users are feeling left out if they have a Type-C connector, but their computer only has Type-A ports. With this Blu-ray drive, though, you no longer have to feel left out, as it supports both USB Type-A and Type-C, giving it near-universal compatibility. The drive is also quite easy to use, featuring full plug and play compatibility, and an easy to press eject button on the front of the drive tray. All told, anyone looking for a BD drive that is fully compatible with 3D or 4K media will find this drive to be the best choice.

One of the issues that many people come across with external optical media drives is that they tend to be a bit noisy. This shouldn't come as a surprise, as many of these drives are spinning physical media at very high speeds. This is especially true of many external Blu-ray players, but it is not true of the LG WP50NB40. The device includes the special Silent Play technology that ensures almost completely silent playback even when the optical media is being spun at the fastest speeds possible. Speaking of these speeds, this drive is able to read and write at up to 6x speeds for Blu-ray discs and even faster for DVDs and CDs, so those who need fast access to the media for either reading or writing will be pleased with its performance.

There aren't a whole lot of downsides to this particular Blu-ray drive, but there are a few that do deserve special attention. First of all, this drive does not include support for macOS, so if you use a Mac then you will need to look at a different model. Also, this drive only supports USB 2.0, so read and write speeds may be limited on some systems, and many recent systems that only use USB Type-C ports will need a special adapter in order to use this drive. Outside of these two issues, though, this is a solid Blu-ray drive that should work perfectly for anyone.

Those who are using an older computer should find this particular drive to be the perfect choice, as it uses USB 2.0 as its standard connector. This means that those who wish to use a Type-C port will need to use a special adapter. Also, since this drive only uses USB 2.0, the data transfer speeds will be limited to what is supported through the USB interface rather than through the drive's controller, which may result in somewhat slower performance in certain cases. Having said that, this drive does make full use of the USB 2.0 throughput, so in most cases, you shouldn't notice any issues at all with read or write speeds.

The drive comes bundled with several utilities that help you get the most out of the drive, including the powerful Cyberlink Media Suite software package (Windows only) that uses a number of different programs for creating and editing video discs as well as software backups. You also get many of the great benefits that a Blu-ray player can lend to DVD playback, including full upscaling that will make the video from your old DVDs look as sharp as ever. The small footprint of this drive also deserves special mention, as it is physically the smallest player on our list and works perfectly as a portable drive. If you are in the market for a Blu-ray writer that can work on many older systems, this drive is definitely one of the best models for that purpose.