[Jambrosky]

Just wondering which ones would work, new to mac so im not really sure if only certain ones (besides Apple's) work

[JackDain]

I'm also interested in the same. Anybody know?

[AC Rempt]

Ha! I came here looking for the same information.

I'll tell you what I know: it's not a matter of hardware as much as software. If you're looking to replace the optical drive in your Mac, you'll need some software like Patch Burn to help OS X see the thing. If you want to go external, any drive with the right kind of enclosure would work, as long as you have the software.

My plan is to get a Lacie or a Plextor, put it in an external case, and use Popcorn to burn dual layer discs.

Anyone wanna chime in on how this works or if they use any certain brand of burner?

[nJm]

I bought an external (Firewire + USB2) LG dual layer burner last year. Works perfectly on my macs. I just used patchburn and now it works in all the iApps etc. I use Toast 6.07 and FastDVDCopy at the moment, as I'm too cheap to buy DL discs

[AC Rempt]

What model, where and how much?

[Dr. Wahnsinn]

In November I bought an external FireWire LaCie d2 DVD±RW drive and I am very pleased with it. It came with Toast 6 and that's what I use for burning. Out of the box it has no OS X Disc Burner support, but LaCie has a plug-in available for free download that allows it to be recognised by Disc Burner.

LaCie sells their external optical drives both with and without Toast. you'll save some money not getting Toast, but I believe Toast is so much more flexible than the built-in Disc Burner.

Also note, that you'll pay more for one of their drives that has both USB and Firewire. If you have FireWire on your Mac, skip the USB unless you plan someday to sell it to someone using a PC.

Check out the LaCie store online for any discounted clearance products.

[Eug Wanker]

Most drives will work (except for some Samsung drives) with PatchBurn.

iTunes 4.7 and iDVD '05 work just fine with my external LG-Hitachi GSA-4160B dual-layer 16X burner.

[MindFad]

I just got a LaCie d2 DVD±RW (16x14x12x). How does one actually watch DVDs with it?

[MindFad]

Originally posted by MindFad:
I just got a LaCie d2 DVD±RW (16x14x12x). How does one actually watch DVDs with it?

Well, then. I was curious why I was only able to take files off a DVD at about 100K/sec, which was dreadfully slow. It was so slow, I couldn't even watch more than about a second of a DVD in clips. I changed the ports around and tried a different cable. It seems that the player is fine and will play a movie and take files off a DVD at good speeds when my iSight is not connected. As soon as I plug in the iSight (into the computer, not the drive), there goes the bandwidth. Mind you, the iSight is not actually on or in use. So I'm not sure what to do. It's pretty ridiculous to have to unplug your iSight when you want to use your DVD player or watch a movie.

Any ideas?

[DavidHossack]

Originally posted by MindFad:
Well, then. I was curious why I was only able to take files off a DVD at about 100K/sec, which was dreadfully slow. It was so slow, I couldn't even watch more than about a second of a DVD in clips. I changed the ports around and tried a different cable. It seems that the player is fine and will play a movie and take files off a DVD at good speeds when my iSight is not connected. As soon as I plug in the iSight (into the computer, not the drive), there goes the bandwidth. Mind you, the iSight is not actually on or in use. So I'm not sure what to do. It's pretty ridiculous to have to unplug your iSight when you want to use your DVD player or watch a movie.

Any ideas?

Do you have two FireWire plugs on your mac? I don't have an iSight to test but if you do have two plugs try connecting one device to each plug.

PS. I have a LaCie too. Nice drive and the only way I can tell it is even an external drive and not a Superdrive is that it sits beside my computer.

[MindFad]

Yes, I tested both ports separately and alone. Someone else I know has this same problem with other drives and an iSight. Apparently iSight doesn't play well with much of anything? It stinks, but I guess I'll manage. I got to watch a movie today, at least.

[MindFad]

Update: Now it seems fine. iSight and movie going at the same time. I plugged the iSight into the back of the LaCie d2 and now it's fine. Hmmph. Fine with me. Strange, though.