Undoubtedly, in addition to online movie streaming like Netflix and Prime Video, watching Blu-ray movies disc through an external Blu-ray DVD drive is another best way. With it, not only can you watch Blu-ray movie discs on your laptop, but you can also use an external Blu-ray drive to rip movie files and move them to your mobile device, computer, or NAS.
Maybe you think it’s not difficult to find the best external Blu-ray drive for ripping through better rankings, higher customer ratings, or lower prices, but please don’t trust those data easily, unless you don’t care if it may damage your discs or get a device that runs like a snail. We have collected some points that need attention for choosing the external Blu-ray drives as below.
- Brand – Choosing a famous brand product can at least guarantee the quality of the product, or you can get the most professional help in time when you encounter a problem.
- Reading & WritingSpeed – This is an important point that we need to consider when choosing an optical drive because the faster the speed means the less time we need to wait. With the increase in layers and capacity, the read and write speeds become lower, so we need to pay special attention to the read and write speed of large-capacity and multi-layer optical discs.
- Compact and portable – It should be slim and portable if you often carry an external Blu-ray drive. The ASUS BW-16D1X-U as we recommend below may not be suitable for you.
- Features – An external Blu-ray drive with more features can intelligently control the speed of reading, writing, and ripping according to the capacity of the disc.
- Connection – Most external Blu-ray drives are equipped with USB-A or USB-C data cables, you can choose according to your needs.
- Disc layers – It’s better if an external Blu-ray drive supports BDXL (for up to 128GB data storage) and M-Disc (for long-term data protection).
- Compatible systems – Most external Blu-ray drives on the market are basically compatible with all versions of Windows systems, but there may be only some versions of Mac OS that can be compatible.
- Price – It is recommended to choose one from famous brands according to your budget.
Below are the 6 best external Blu-ray drives for ripping and watching Blu-ray movies.
😉 Tips: Obtaining the right external Blu-ray drive is only the first step, you also need to prepare a Blu-ray media player program, Blu-ray burning software, or Blu-ray ripping programs to complete the reading, writing, and ripping process.
1. ASUS Powerful External Blu-ray DVD Drive – BW-16D1X-U
Features:
- Connector: USB 3.0
- Work with Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP
- Work with Mac os x 10. 6 or higher
- Support M-Disc
- Support BDXL, Blu-ray, DVD, and CD media
- 16x Blu-ray fast writing speed
- Cyber Link Power2Go 8 disc-burning process with optional encryption functionality for extra private files protection
- Comes with an online backup solution for Android smartphones and tablets
- Come with a power adapter and power cord
This is a powerful external Blu-ray drive writer if you don’t care about its bloated size. With it, you can use it to easily complete the tasks of reading, burning, and ripping on your laptop or desktop computer. This drive supports BDXL and M-DISC format and can read and write to all BDXL discs including BD-R triple-layer 100GB media, BD-R quad-layer 128GB media, and BD-RE triple layer 100GB media, as well as conventional Blu-ray discs (single-layer 25GB media and dual-layer 50GB media).
2. Pioneer BDR-XD07B Portable Burner & DVD Player w/Carry Case (Black)
Features:
- Connector: USB 3.0
- Work with Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP
- Work with Mac OS X 10.11, macOS Sierra 10.12, macOS High Sierra 10.13, macOS Mojave 10.14
- Support M-Disc
- Support BDXL, Blu-ray, DVD, and CD media
- Up to 16 writing on BD-R single-layer discs, 14x on BD-R DL discs, and 8x writing on BD-R triple-layer discs.
- PowerRead can provide smoother movie playback when a disc has fingerprints or minor surface scratches.
- Auto Quiet mode intelligently adjusts the disc rotation speed to reduce noise.
- PureRead3+ automatically adjusts the drive parameters to minimize speakers’ sound glitches during music playback.
- Cyberlink Software included for Windows
- Super Lightweight (230g) and Portable
This is a portable Blu-ray drive, comes with the included CyberLink Media Suite, you can easily read, write, and rip BDXL, M-disc, Blu-ray, DVD, CD discs. This device also comes with a premium protective carry case to ensure that your new external drive stays in great condition and portable. It’s a pity that application software for Mac is not included.
3. Archgon Premium Aluminum External USB 3.0 UHD 4K Blu-Ray Writer Super Drive for PC and Mac
Features:
- Connector: USB 3.0 + USB-C
- Work with Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP and Mac OS
- 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray playback through CyberLink PowerDVD software (not included) on Windows PC
- Support M-Disc
- Support Blu-ray, DVD, and CD media
- 6x writing on BD-R SL/DL
- Come with a protective carrying case
- CNC aluminum body
This is a relatively cheap optical drive that supports M-disc and 4K Blu-ray disc reading, writing, and ripping, which is compatible with Mac and PC, however, you need to install 3rd party blu-ray software in order to play or write blu-ray disc. Another shortcoming of this product is that the reading and writing speed is obviously lagging behind the other recommended products.
4. Pioneer BDR-XD07UHD Portable 6X Ultra HD External 4K Blu-ray Drive Burner
Features:
- Connector: USB 3.0 + USB-A to USB-C cable
- Work with Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP
- Work with Mac OS X 10.11, macOS Sierra 10.12, macOS High Sierra 10.13, macOS Mojave 10.14
- 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray playback
- Support M-Disc
- Support BDXL, Blu-ray, DVD, and CD media
- Up to 16x writing on BD-R single-layer discs, 14x on BD-R DL discs, and 8x writing on BD-R triple-layer discs.
- PowerRead can provide smoother movie playback when a disc has fingerprints or minor surface scratches.
- Auto Quiet mode intelligently adjusts the disc rotation speed to reduce noise.
- PureRead3+ automatically adjusts the drive parameters to minimize speakers’ sound glitches during music playback.
- Cyberlink Software Included for Windows
- Super Lightweight (230g) and Portable
This is another external Blu-ray drive that can support 4K video playback through the included Cyberlink PowerDVD in Windows computers. With a slim and portable design, you can easily carry and use it to read, write, and rip BDXL, M-Disc, Blu-ray, DVD, and CD discs. It’s a pity that this device doesn’t come with software for Mac OS.
5. Verbatim External Slimline Blu-Ray DVD CD Writer USB 3.0 M-DISC Ready Compatible with Windows and Mac – Metallic Black (70102)
Features:
- Connector: USB 3.0 + USB-A to USB-C cable
- Work with Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP
- Work with Mac OS X 10.6 or higher
- Supports M-Disc
- Supports BDXL, Blu-ray, DVD, and CD media
- 6X Blu-ray Write Speed, 8X DVD Write Speed, 24X CD Write Speed
- Comes with Nero Burn and Archive software for Windows
- An AC adapter is included in case your laptop can’t deliver the necessary power
- Slim design based on aluminum enclosure
This is an ultra-thin optical drive with a metal shell, also supports M-Disc, BDXL, DVD, and CD media, you can use it to finish common movie playback, burning, ripping, and backup tasks. This optical drive is also equipped with additional power to prevent some USB ports from not being able to provide enough power to the device. This device also comes with Nero Burn and Archive software, but it’s also for Windows only.
6. Pioneer BDR-XS07S Silver 16X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache Serial ATA Revision 3.0 Blu-ray Burner
Features:
- Connector: USB 3.1 Gen1(3.0) + USB-C
- Work with Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP
- Work with Mac OS X 10.11 and higher
- Support M-Disc
- Support BDXL, Blu-ray, DVD, and CD media
- Up to 16 writing on BD-R single-layer discs, 14x on BD-R DL discs, and 8x writing on BD-R triple-layer discs.
- Up to 6x writing speed on BD-R & BD-R DL media
- PowerRead can provide smoother movie playback when a disc has fingerprints or minor surface scratches.
- Auto Quiet mode intelligently adjusts the disc rotation speed to reduce noise.
- PureRead4+ automatically adjusts the drive parameters to minimize speakers’ sound glitches during music CDs playback.
- Slot Loading Mechanism
This is the only slot-loading Blu-ray drive in our recommended product that both dependable dustproof and excellent quietness have been realized. This drive supports BDXL and M-DISC format and can read, write, rip all BDXL discs including BD-R triple-layer 100GB media, BD-R quad-layer 128GB media, and BD-RE triple layer 100GB media, as well as conventional Blu-ray/DVD/CD discs. Unfortunately, this device doesn’t come with application software, you need to purchase the Cyberlink Software yourself.
Conclusion
We always believe that the best product has reliable quality and reasonable price. If you need a cheaper option, please ensure that its warranty is valid and you can feel free to contact the manufacturer or seller for help, because those external Blu-ray drives that may use the second-hand optical drive removed from the laptop cannot guarantee the product life.
FAQs:
Q: Can any computer play 4K video via 4K Blu-ray drive?
A: No! If you want to play UHD 4K Blu-ray, please make sure your hardware (including monitor) supports Ultra-HD 4K Blu-ray playback.
Q: Can I use the devices to play Blu-ray movies directly?
A: No! You need to either purchase or find a free download of Blu-ray player software to work.
