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Samsung SE-S084C
by danny691
Although technology has moved forward very quickly I have found that as certain products have become smaller and more affordable they are often missing some of the more important additions you would expect from the more bulkier and expensive versions. A case in point is the Netbook I bought last year. Yes, it is very compact and is ... intended for 'Net' useage, but I had also hoped for a few little extras, something that was missing was a DVD Burner. Understandably I didn't expect such a feature to come on my Netbook, but as technology is moving so fast it seems strange that even things like disc drives are being left out in order to cram the necessities into such a small product.
The Samsung SE-S084C is the DVD Burner which I chose. This was partly down to price, costing around £20-£25 it is very reasonable indeed. One of the other main reasons was the brand. Samsung are a brand I trust and I own/have owned a lot of their products, both past and present. I find that the looks are outstanding and this particular model is no different. The Samsung External DVD Writer is a sleek and sexy black number, with a slimline design and very unfussy detail. There isn't anything to particularly dislike about the design or finish, and operation is so simple, the design lends itself well to the product.
The design could be seen as plain, but this is what it is really. The vast majority of such a product are plain and simple, often giving little indication of what purpose they actually serve. The SE-S084C comes in various colours, including black, silver, white and red. I have the black one which I find matches my Netbook and equipment.
Within the package I purchased was the USB cable which connects the Writer to the Netbook/Laptop/PC, a 'quick-start' guide, a CD-ROM which contains the in-depth user manual and also some free software. This is Nero Express Essentials which makes the whole data transfer painless. Setting up the Writer is very simple. Nowadays with these products it is usually just a case of connecting them and installing the necessary software, something which I managed easily and there were no issues.
Operation of the Writer is also something I find simple to manage. The Nero Express Essentials is a programme which helps you through the whole process and allows you to manage the data stored on your DVD's. Data transfer is a doddle and the transfer process seems effortless for the Writer too, as there is little sound emitted during this time. DVD's can be inserted and ejected using the tray to the front of the device and it works just like your typical CD drive, for example. I usually write music onto CD's which I can play in my car, and the whole process can be done in 20 minutes, even allowing for me selecting which tracks to choose!
Overall I would strognly point anyone in the direction of the Samsung SE-S084C. That is, if you are in need of such a device due to lack of such a drive.
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Samsung SE-S084F
by calypte
As my new tablet PC didn't come with any integral disk function, an external DVD drive was the first accessory I deemed necessary. This model - the Samsung SE-S084 - won out for being very affordable - I paid less than £25 - and would also let me burn DVDs. It's not something I'd thought to be really necessary in the past, but a lot of ... software downloads these days require being burned to DVD (CDs are old fashioned and too small these days!) before you can install. Although there are software works-arounds for that, there are still loads of reasons why a drive is essential: not least accessing music, movie or game disks, and this gizmo saved my bacon when I needed to burn a CD of coursework for uni!
So yeah, this writes and burns CDs and DVDs, at 24x and 5-8x speed respectively, the latter depending on your type of DVD, but this will cope with all (+/-R(W)) saving me from the mega-confusion of which disk type to buy in the shop!
The whole thing was very easy to set up: really, plug and play. I'm running Windows 7, but it's compatible with Vista, XP and 2000, as well as Macs. The interface is via two USB ports, which might be a problem with some computers, but mine has 3 ports, so I can plug the printer in at the same time, thankfully! Those are USB 2.0 connections, too, meaning that the whole thing is as fast as it can be when transferring data, either way - very appreciated!
So far the whole thing has worked absolutely perfectly, both reading and writing - in just under six months I haven't had a disk error yet. My only slight issue is that as it's fairly light (320g) and the cable that comes with it is pretty short, it does have to sit very close to me and tends to shift about very easily (or, fall towards the ground only to dangle!) when I move the laptop it's connected to. This results in the otherwise very quiet machine emitting some pretty unhappy noises while it's working, more so if I put even a little pressure on the top as I'm picking it up. So far there's been no effect on the use, but then it wasn't doing anything when I dropped it. Ahem!
Looks-wise, I picked this for being unobtrusive if not desperately pretty. It's basically a non-glossy (and thus doesn't show any light scratches!) black box, not much bigger than the disk it takes. There's just one button on the front (which is grey, for no reason) to eject the disk - but only when it's plugged into your computer. The 'drawer' feels solidly attached, even when ejected, and the disks push and click into place.
Overall: it works, it's as portable as the laptop I bought it for, and at that price you really can't argue!
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