SAMSUNG Ultra-Slim Optical 8X DVD Rewriter SE-218GN/RSBD

I use this with both an old Sony VAIO laptop (WIN XP PRO) that has only a CD drive and a brand new Dell 2 in 1 (WIN 8.1) that has neither a CD or DVD drive. Except for the hiccup noted below, it worked perfectly right out of the box with both PCs, requiring no trips to Windows Update, or anywhere else. The unit is incredibly light, well made and sturdy considering its slim profile. Just a bit thicker than my Droid Turbo.

For some reason, the unit seems to prefer a specific USB port. I found this to be the case on both PCs. If you have similar problems, please try a different port (and some patience) before returning it or contacting anyone.

I use it on the old WIN XP laptop for transferring VHS home movies to DVD. Have transferred about 30 tapes so far. On the WIN 8.1, 2 in 1 I use if for everything. I’ve not wasted a single DVD.

Es un aparato que cuenta con un diseño muy cuidado. No atrae huellas digitales como otros que tienen una apariencia lustrosa y terminan luciendo sucios. La velocidad de grabación es aceptable y es silencioso. Es algo que no debe faltar como compañia de las ultrabooks de hoy en día.

Excelentes materiales, buena marca, buen precio, no puede faltar si tu máquina es de nueva generación y no tiene unidad óptica de fábrica. Compatible con Mac, plug n play. Graba otro tipo de formatos y discos, buena sorpresa.

Finally, a low power DVDRW that will work with my Surface Pro 3 and the Kid’s Asus T100 2-in-1 computers including on battery power. I have several other external USB drives and none of them get enough power from the USB ports on any of our portable computers. Finally glad to find something that requires less power to be able to work on all of my devices. Also works on my old Dell Latitude 10 and several 10″ netbooks.

I have now purchased a few of these and also use them in my IT work. NOTE that the other similar model SE-218CB/RSBS does NOT have the low power feature and does not work on the Surface Pro 3 or the Asus T100 series 2-in-1’s.

I have always loved Samsung products and have bought two of these based upon the name. The first one I purchase and six month later it died. DVDs were no longer recognized. Okay, these things break, but the reviews were so positive and I believe in Samsung. So I bought a replacement last September and now in April its dead. Both with the same symptoms, they stopped working after six months. With the last one I made the mistake of buying the Amazon recommended insurance. It wasn’t expensive, so I opted for the two year insurance plan. I was hoping the insurance would provide a hassle free exchange. Instead they rejected my claim saying the DVD was still covered under the manufactures one-year warranty. (Thank goodness I didn’t chose the one year warranty, I would have been buying nothing.) Anyway, I can’t burn the DVD I need to burn. I am sure I won’t get a timely replacement of my DVD from Samsung. I have to buy something else. I have always loved Samsung products but it won’t be them this time.

Update: I am not sure this DVD is made by SAMSUNG but rather a third party. You can’t even register the product on Samsung’s customer support website. I contacted Samsung support and all they do is forward you on to Intelisol Inc. I made a point that it was covered by a Samsung warranty, but still no help. I will update you on how responsive Intelisol Inc is in honoring the warranty.

Further Update: I submitted my DVD to Intelisol Inc, under the manufacturer’s warranty. I initiated the process on April 26th and just received a replacement DVD drive today, May 18th. Twenty-two days, not that bad, but I still had to buy another drive. I got an LG this time and it seems to work. Ask me again in another six months.