R.I.P. Optiarc A7170-A. You sucked.

[TheStrudel]

When iTunes & Amazon sell CD quality/Better than CD digital albums or video rentals and netflix can equal Bluray quality then I will share the sentiment that "optical media is dead".

You can already buy and download lossless formats from some outfits.

It's simply that the largest retailers haven't gotten onboard.

There's no reason that you can't right now, only that they don't feel like there's sufficient demand. Music is easy. Video is still plenty possible, but I would tell you already that few consumers have good enough screens, or even would be equipped to notice the difference between iTunes quality and blu-ray quality.

There aren't that many pixel hunters.

 

[Negritude]

SuperDrives have always sucked. The firmware that Apple loaded on their optical drives was always crippled and buggy. None of them worked that well until you cross-flashed them into their original OEM versions.

And for the record, the Optiarc AD-7200x series were some of the best DVD burners ever. You unfortunately got the previous generation of drives that were not so good.

 

[chaosbunny]

Disc media is dead in general. Don't think I've inserted a disc in my computer for the last 3 years, except for os install discs.

Since YOU didn't insert a disc in YOUR computer for the last 3 years it's obviously dead. After all you are the measurement for all the other people.

I don't get this "this or that is dead" thing. Both exist and it's good that one can choose how to buy music/movies/software/etc. Choice is good.

 

[gpzjock]

Silver cookies not dead yet shocker!

Read on McDuff: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/03/26/ifpi_2011_global_report/

 

[scottsjack]

Since YOU didn't insert a disc in YOUR computer for the last 3 years it's obviously dead. After all you are the measurement for all the other people.

I don't get this "this or that is dead" thing. Both exist and it's good that one can choose how to buy music/movies/software/etc. Choice is good.

Cindori is correct, optical is dead. Heck, I haven't even used mine since. . . yesterday (twice!)