Originally published at: Apple's SuperDrive heads to gadget Valhalla - Boing Boing
…
2 Likes
I’ll be honest; I’ve gone full USB for optical drives, and my next system build will most likely not have any 5.25" mounting bays.
If I was in the market for a replacement optical drive at this point, It’d be what I currently have, which is capable of reading UHD discs AND using the LibreDrive firmware.
1 Like
(Meekly raises hand) I still use mine to rip CDs on occasion. Yeah, it’s probably generally easier for even the indie-est of indie bands to find some kind of digital outlet at this point, but merch and touring, not downloads, is what pays the bills.
7 Likes
So do I. I never bought an external SuperDrive, but I pulled one out of an old laptop and got a usb adaptor ~10 years ago. It’s been used for ripping hundreds of CDs since
4 Likes
Well, I was going to bring up Homicide: Life On The Street, which has been unavailable to stream from any provider… until now.
So… nevermind.
(Guess I finally need to subscribe to the bird… sigh…)
That paywall is keeping us in suspense! That show was great.
My latest desktop did not come with CD/DVD drive. So a LG brand for around $30 does just fine, for the few times I’ve used it
3 Likes
Cool! What brand/model, if you don’t mind me asking? (Back in the day, Plextor was king of the rippers!)
I use my Super Drive to rip CDs to ALAC with X Lossless Decoder, and would miss it, should it crap out… Perhaps an upgrade is in order!
LG BP60NB10 is the drive I bought for ripping UHDs and everything else.
The MakeMKV forum has a guide for getting LibreDrive installed on the drive, which is straight forward, if a little scary. (swapping firmware on any device presents a chance of bricking said device unless the original firmware is backed up first.)
Also, a note for anyone working for the Motion Picture Ass of America: I use this to convert my legally obtained media, paid at going retail rates to a format that allows me to park it on a private media server to preserve the integrity of the physical disc. It’s a legal backup as permitted by the copyright laws you so very much like to sue people into oblivian with, ya jerks. 
3 Likes
Thanks for the tips!
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
