is Apples superdrive worth it, or should i look for a third party?

[TrancyGoose]

Basically, that is the question.
Is it worth getting the original Apple Superdrive for 90 EUR? Or should i go with a third party on amazon, of which there are many and some are 4 times less in price?

My mane purpose, to watch DVD's, i wanna get me a Game of Thrones collection and other collections on DVD, since HBO is not in Europe!

I haven't burnt a DVD in probably a decade though!

I run a M1 Powered MBP

 

[MarkC426]

Not sure how noisy it would be while playing.
My drive on my Mac Pro is a bit noisy when importing CD's.

Have you considered the iTunes versions.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I see no reason not to go third party. I have a blu-ray player for my Mac laptops which works fine.

 

[Boyd01]

Have you considered the iTunes versions.

I would (and did) go that way. Purchase the iTunes versions and download them, get an external disk drive for the files instead of a DVD drive. Much more convenient, with fast access to all your media in one small package instead of a noisy, slow DVD drive and a stack of individual DVD's.

But to answer the original question, I got a superdrive with my first MacBook Air in 2011 because I was worried that it didn't have a DVD drive like my 2008 MBP. LOL, I think I used it twice. Gave it to a friend a couple years later. But it was well-made and I would be surprised if a no-name Amazon version at 1/4 of the price has that level of quality. Better check the specs though, I think the Apple drive only works on certain macs.

 

[TrancyGoose]

Not sure how noisy it would be while playing.
My drive on my Mac Pro is a bit noisy when importing CD's.

Have you considered the iTunes versions.

Can't find it, googled it, and it is available if i look in browser, but once clicked, it's not available in Europe .....

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Can't find it, googled it, and it is available if i look in browser, but once clicked, it's not available in Europe .....

Sorry, if I misunderstood but do you mean the external usb Superdrive is not findable in the Store? I've got it listed in DE

 

[TrancyGoose]

Sorry, if I misunderstood but do you mean the external usb Superdrive is not findable in the Store? I've got it listed in DE

No no, the TV show i want! I can purchase the supedrive with no issues. I think @MarkC426 suggested I purchase the TV series on Apple TV. It's not there, at least for EU.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

No no, the TV show i want! I can purchase the supedrive with no issues. I think @MarkC426 suggested I purchase the TV series on Apple TV. It's not there, at least for EU.

Good grief...sooo off base. Misunderstandings that could start actual wars lol. I was excited by HBO coming to EU until the time I heard of Discover Channel gobbling it up. But anyways, it's a long ways (if ever) we'll see it here.

Now to GoT. I don't use Apple TV but just looked it up. It does seem available for purchase in Germany.

Game of Thrones - Das Lied von Eis und Feuer - Apple TV (DE)

Das preisgekrönte, spektakuläre Fantasy-Epos, nach den Bestsellern von George R.R. Martin: Im geheimnisvollen Westeros kämpfen die Adelshäuser des Kon…

tv.apple.com

 

[TrancyGoose]

Good grief...sooo off base. Misunderstandings that could start actual wars lol. I was excited by HBO coming to EU until the time I heard of Discover Channel gobbling it up. But anyways, it's a long ways (if ever) we'll see it here.

Now to GoT. I don't use Apple TV but just looked it up. It does seem available for purchase in Germany.

Game of Thrones - Das Lied von Eis und Feuer - Apple TV (DE)

Das preisgekrönte, spektakuläre Fantasy-Epos, nach den Bestsellern von George R.R. Martin: Im geheimnisvollen Westeros kämpfen die Adelshäuser des Kon…

tv.apple.com

Lol, and this is what i get!

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Lol, and this is what i get!

Content Unavailable..not sure I've seen that show

Netflix is hopeless too, it shows in the search bar as you type each letter, but never appears in the preview shot. So you know some "other" country has it instead.

Whereabouts in the EU are you, not to have GoT? I mean..winter is coming!

 

[TrancyGoose]

Content Unavailable..not sure I've seen that show

Netflix is hopeless too, it shows in the search bar as you type each letter, but never appears in the preview shot. So you know some "other" country has it instead.

Whereabouts in the EU are you, not to have GoT? I mean..winter is coming!

Ireland. Hence why i thought getting a dvd player, as we can buy dvds here. Hence super drive, then i realised that its only 480p for dvd which is a shame on 4K monitor i have and a macbook screen. You then realise you need blueray and ordinary dvd player won’t cut it. Its a mindf****ck. i feel like i am in the early 2000s, i swear.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Ireland. Hence why i thought getting a dvd player, as we can buy dvds here. Hence super drive, then i realised that its only 480p for dvd which is a shame on 4K monitor i have and a macbook screen. You then realise you need blueray and ordinary dvd player won’t cut it. Its a mindf****ck. i feel like i am in the early 2000s, i swear.

Ireland, very nice (except for your AppleTV). Did used to work with some of your countrymen back in Australia. Certainly would love to visit Ireland and Scotland one day.

The Super Drive! Geez I've had quite a few number of those in the old MBP replaced over the years. Turfed even to make room for an additional SSD but somehow its always found its way back again. I really think an external BR player might just be the best bet. Or off course a dedicated BR player if it's a decent TV you've got.

 

[MiniMoke]

Hmmmm, why not read the books instead

No, honestly much much better than the show though you'll have to wait some more years to get the two final 'seasons'....

 

[Shirasaki]

No need for apple SuperDrive. Outside of “maybe” slightly better compatibility there’s no reason why you pick SuperDrive over regular third party drives, with BluRay option as well.
I just grab a cheap DVD drive to rip some of my CD here and there. Works fine On my M1 MacBook Pro.

I would (and did) go that way. Purchase the iTunes versions and download them, get an external disk drive for the files instead of a DVD drive. Much more convenient, with fast access to all your media in one small package instead of a noisy, slow DVD drive and a stack of individual DVD's.

Do keep in mind Tho those video files have DRM, and apple checks the license every now and then. Should HBO terminates the license With Apple, all of those shows are no longer accessible.
Also the regional iTunes account may not have access to those shows.
I believe there are ways to address that but that’s discussion for another day.

 

[ian87w]

If you must have a DVD writer drive, then it's worth it. The nice thing about Apple's SuperDrive is it only requires a single USB-A port. Most other drives require 2 USB-A ports, which can be a challenge depending on the mac you have. I think there are Samsung ones that only require 1, but these tend to not be described anywhere until you open the box.

 

[playtech1]

The annoying thing about the Superdrive is its short and non-detachable USB cable. That cable broke and the drive went in the bin. I never worried about lack of Blu-Ray as I don't have any, but also an issue. It did look and feel nice though with the slim metal enclosure.

I went with a cheap external LG DVDR drive and it's done the job for years now.

The slightly annoying thing about USB DVD drives is that they can be a bit picky about working via a hub (even a powered one), which is problematic given the lack of USB-A ports on modern Macs. I seem to recall that was the same even with the SuperDrive, although it was long enough ago I can't be sure!

 

[Boyd01]

Do keep in mind Tho those video files have DRM, and apple checks the license every now and then. Should HBO terminates the license With Apple, all of those shows are no longer accessible.

In my post that you quoted, I suggested downloading the media that you purchase from Apple. It's true that Apple pulls things from the store sometimes, there's a long thread about that here. However (AFAIK), nobody has said they lost a purchase after it was downloaded. I download all my purchases and have never encountered that.

Anyway, it's a moot point if the show isn't available in your region.

 

[Shirasaki]

In my post that you quoted, I suggested downloading the media that you purchase from Apple. It's true that Apple pulls things from the store sometimes, there's a long thread about that here. However (AFAIK), nobody has said they lost a purchase after it was downloaded. I download all my purchases and have never encountered that.

Anyway, it's a moot point if the show isn't available in your region.

So you say the downloaded video can be watched as long as you can and as many times as you can, even with DRM? That's something new to me if it is the case, cause I have downloaded a couple movies I bought a while ago, under the assumption that those movies might no longer be available to watch if it was pulled from iTunes Store.

But yeah, if the show is not available then it's a moot point.

 

[Boyd01]

So you say the downloaded video can be watched as long as you can and as many times as you can, even with DRM?

A little confused by this, but AFAIK, if you download your purchases you will be able to watch them even if Apple pulls the media from the store. I'm a little reluctant to link to these threads because they get rather contentious, but here are a couple anyway. I don't recall anyone claiming their downloads were de-activated, just complaining that they take too much room to store, can't be downloaded on an Apple TV, etc.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/disappearing-movies.2311757/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/sad-day-for-movies-purchased-on-itunes-o.2343782/

 

[ascender]

I would (and did) go that way. Purchase the iTunes versions and download them, get an external disk drive for the files instead of a DVD drive. Much more convenient, with fast access to all your media in one small package instead of a noisy, slow DVD drive and a stack of individual DVD's.

But to answer the original question, I got a superdrive with my first MacBook Air in 2011 because I was worried that it didn't have a DVD drive like my 2008 MBP. LOL, I think I used it twice. Gave it to a friend a couple years later. But it was well-made and I would be surprised if a no-name Amazon version at 1/4 of the price has that level of quality. Better check the specs though, I think the Apple drive only works on certain macs.

I'm still using my original SuperDrive from when they were first released which is kind of weird to think how old it is now. I think the only time I actually need it is to rip the occasional CD I buy but its still going strong.

 

[MisterSavage]

Be careful because I think some hubs have issues with SuperDrives. I plug mine directly into my Mac.

 

[EugW]

The SuperDrive is a USB 2.0 drive that requires more than the usual power provided by USB 2. However, macOS comes with pre-installed drivers that support the higher power output from Mac USB 2 ports. Similarly some CalDigit docks have macOS drivers that will instruct the docks to provide more power when the SuperDrive is plugged into the hub.

Cheap no-name USB 2.0 DVD drives are generally crap. They aren't specifically built to be used under normal USB power, so they'll provide a 2-USB-port cable to provide the extra power, but even then they may not work properly. Name brand USB 3 / USB-C drives will have access to more power and should work off a single cable. I still wouldn't recommend a no-name drive even if it was USB 3 / USB-C.

In my case I have multiple giant 5.25" drives. However, they require external power of course. One is a DVD burner that I've flashed to be region free, and the other is a Blu-ray burner. Yes you can watch Blu-ray on macOS. There are free macOS Blu-ray players that are janky but work, and there are paid apps for Blu-ray that are more slick. Despite this, I only use these drives about once every 6-12 months.

 

[Fishrrman]

I WOULD NOT recommend the Apple SuperDrive under ANY circumstances.
Just not a good buy.

Get a "3rd-party" USB drive. I've been using a Samsung BD/DVD/CD drive for years now.

My additional suggestions:
- DO NOT get a "slot loading" drive. Instead...
- Get one that is either a "top loader" or has a slide-out tray.
- Don't just get a DVD drive, get a BluRay/DVD/CD drive. You might want BluRay in the future.
- Get a drive that also has "M-DISC" burning capabilities.

BE AWARE that some drives require a "Y-cable" so that they get enough bus power to work (one USB port may not provide enough power). My Samsung drive works fine with a single USB connection. Check user reviews before you buy.

 

[GMShadow]

You can usually get old stock or lightly used SuperDrives on eBay.

 

[EugW]

I WOULD NOT recommend the Apple SuperDrive under ANY circumstances.
Just not a good buy.

Get a "3rd-party" USB drive. I've been using a Samsung BD/DVD/CD drive for years now.

My additional suggestions:
- DO NOT get a "slot loading" drive. Instead...
- Get one that is either a "top loader" or has a slide-out tray.
- Don't just get a DVD drive, get a BluRay/DVD/CD drive. You might want BluRay in the future.
- Get a drive that also has "M-DISC" burning capabilities.

BE AWARE that some drives require a "Y-cable" so that they get enough bus power to work (one USB port may not provide enough power). My Samsung drive works fine with a single USB connection. Check user reviews before you buy.

I agree, the preferred disc loading mechanism is not slot load.