The Sony DRXS7OU/R External Portable Slim-Line USB 2.0 DVD Drive is a good choice for burning DVDs from your Laptop.

the external drive performed correctly right out of box. I found it to be easy to set up, and came with an AC adapter, and USB cable. Windows XP recognized the device immediately. It was easy to use with the enclosed Nero software and you are directed to the Nero website for the available (but not mandatory) deluxe upgrade. I have heard that some people have had some trouble setting it up using Windows Vista by only being able to get video but no sound.

The ultra slim design is very nice but I found it to need an external power supply. One review I read said that they were able to use the USB power on their machine without the power adapter but instead used a PSP USB cable bought from Bestbuy. They stated that they felt the some computers USB ports are under-powered and thus the need for an external power supply.

If you need the external power supply, it does make it bulkier to transport and a bit more cluttered on your desk. Otherwise, it is slim, compact and has a good design which in itself, makes it easy to transport.

If the unit is used to install a new operating system or boot the unit, the outside power supply is very advantageous. Also, the outside power supply will not be interrupted while burning DVDs unlike other USB power drives.

I would highly recommend the Sony DRXS7OU/R since it easy to use, has the added benefit of external power supply (at the expense of transportability), it has a slim and pleasing appearance as well. It is also a very fast unit. The included software runs well and is upgradable if your needs demand more capabilities.

The Slimline USB External Dual layer DVD + RW drive was initially well worth the money I paid for it. This slimline is plug and play and is very easy to set up using the provided USB cable.

This defiantly lives up to the name "slimline" and is very portable. I do question the sturdiness of the casing as it feels very flimsy and that any impact could knock it out of alignment, but after several weeks of use, it was still holding up without even a scratch and it was still working properly. I have been able to transport and store it without allot of extra bulk, weight or breakage. Eventually after several months of transporting and use, it did end up breaking rendering it unusable.

I also noticed that the slimline became very noisy making whirring and clicking noises and would actually vibrate across the table and sounded more like construction equipment than an external drive while in use.

I have read some reviews where the slimline did not work right out of the box with poor customer support, and some reports of it being able to play CDs but not DVDs, but this was not my experience.
I believe the Slimline USB External Dual Layer DVD + RW drive to be a decent value for the money only if it is not to be transported much at all. The casing is not as sturdy as it needs to be in order to hold up to impacts and vibrations which causes it fail in the long term. the overall system works well out of the box and is truly a plug and play.

I would recommend the Slimline USB CDROM Combo Drive. It easy to install, operates quietly, the speed is very quick and it is very affordable.

The Slimline USB External CDROM CDRW combo drive is a good deal for the money. this is a lesser known brand as such is less expensive than the top named brands. The unit is easy to set up and is basically a plug and play unit using the provided USB cable.

One of the benefits is that it can receive its power through the USB cable even though a power cord is also supplied. Another benefit to the slimline is that it is a very small unit being just a bit larger than a CD and less than an inch thick which makes this a very lightweight unit. I have been able to slip it into my backpack without allot of extra bulk or weight. The only complaint I have about the construction of the unit is that it feels a bit fragile and may not hold up to allot of traveling.

I was able to watch a DVD (after downloading a codec) and install some apps from it a very high rate of speed without a hitch. I was also able to burn some digital photos with ease. I also noticed that it is a very quiet piece of machinery being no noisier than an internal drive.

On the negative side, I have read some reviews saying that they needed to set the drive on Aspire machines to region 1 for the slimline to work. I also read one review that stated it would not work with many DVD's because of copy protection issues. Personally, I have not had either of these issues and am very pleased with how my slimline functions and holds up to the jobs.

I would recommend the Slimline USB CDROM Combo Drive. It easy to install, operates quietly, the speed is very quick and it is very affordable.

I found the SAMSUNG Gray and Black to be a Great drive. It works well and doesn't require an external power supply, which makes it very portable and perfect for a netbook. I really like the slim, attractive design and it runs very quietly. It is compact enough to tuck into a laptop bag when not in use.

One thing to be aware of is to make sure you have 2 free USB ports (next to each other) in order to accommodate the provided Y cable. Also, keep your computer charged up since this will be drawing its power from your computer and if your computer is low on battery, the external drive will not work.

The Y USB cable provides really fast transfers. For example I created an image file that was just shy of 7 gigs in less than 40 minutes. It is still not quite as fast as an internal drive, but I'm still very pleasantly surprised by its speed.

It has done a great job ripping my CDs to an MP3 collection and is easily outperforming my older Vaio desktop replacement.

I have had nothing but problems with the provided software but was able to use Nero Essentials that I already had on my desktop PC. I've also heard that Roxio works well. The bundled Nero they provided is useless.

I would recommend the SAMSUNG Gray and Black due to its slim design, portability, lack of external power cables, and quietness. There are a couple things to keep in mind before buying. You need to make sure you have two open USB ports next to each other, and you need to keep your computer charged up. Also make sure you have some other software to run the thing since the software provided does not work well at all.

The Samsung 2 tone 8x is more expensive than some other models, but it does work very well and it includes lightscribe which works really well and adds a professional touch. The unit is slim but a bit heavier than other external drives. The weight also means that it feels more sturdy and durable, but it is a little heavier to lug around than other external burners.

This unit burns both cds and dvds but it does not intake the discs themselves very well and does tend to skip while using it in the car. The slot loading is defiantly a benefit as it adds to the small footprint.

This unit also runs very quietly and is easy to set up as a plug and play. The burner runs off of 2 USB ports and does use an external power supply. It would be a benefit to have the availability of using an external power supply for when 2 USB ports are not available though.

The case is very white, which makes it appear dirty very quickly. Also, the eject button is almost hidden since it is flush with the black area of the drive.

A neoprene carrying bag is included. It is well organized with plenty of pockets for USB cables and includes pen loops and a couple of pockets for business cards. It is well constructed and even includes an integrated strap on the back. There is also a zippered are for items such as paper. The only faults I can find with the bag is there is not handle on the top which would add to a professional appearance and it is not the fit the burner very well.

I would recommend the Samsung 2-tone 8X burner. I like the slim size and the durable feel although the neoprene bag could be a little larger to fit the burner better. the lightscribe works well and is easy to use.

For the most part, I am very pleased with The Lite-On ESAU208 External Slim DVD Writer. It is very lightweight, easy to install, and attractive while performing many important functions for me.

I did have some problems playing DVD movies (which was to be its main function for me). After contacting both the Lite-On and Nero customer service departments several times and receiving absolutely no replies, I did discover through a posting on a message board that I needed a DVD decoder and I could there was a free VLC player available which included the needed DVD decoder. After installing the free VLC player software, my DVDs played without any problems. Eventually I did hear from Nero and they stated that I needed to purchase the Nero 9 software since the provided software did not include decoders/encoders needed to play DVDs. Of course they did not mention anything about any free software being available.

Once I had the decoder software installed, I have found it to be a terrific addition to my home office, making it so much easier to load programs instead of having to "share" my PC's internal drive. But I did find that loading the software was not very intuitive and the program itself took a long time to install and did not alert you when the installation was complete.

I would recommend the Lite-On ESAU208 External Slim DVD Writer. It is a good value for the money and works very well after installing the software and downloading the DVD decoders. It is very portable, easy to use and is light weight. I feel that the advertising is a little misleading in regards to the DVD functions and not including the necessary decoder, but after the decoder was installed, I have no complaints for the unit itself.

I found the LG GP08NU10 to be a really light weight DVD player/burner. I actually weighed it on my postal scale and it was only 12 oz. It also has the option of either black or white, which find to be really nice. When doing my preliminary research, I did find that Newegg.com offers only the white and a warranty and Best Buy only offers black and no warranty. I chose the Newegg route and am very pleased with my choice.

The LG GP08Nu10 is a very thin, lightweight, quiet machine that runs on a single USB port and does not require any extra power supply. This is a good feature because it eliminates some clutter due to extra cables. I think the DVD tray does feel a little flimsy. This is not a surprise since most of them do, but just to be careful, I have been supporting the tray from underneath while I'm loading DVDs and have not had any problems.

For the next test, I decided to hook The LG GP08Nu10 as a DVD player to the HD TV that we had just bought. The small size accommodated our dresser that is overloaded with both a 32" TV and a DVR and I was very happy with its performance as a DVD player as well as its appearance. So far it has played 3+ hour movies with no problems at all.

I was also able to burn a test DVD and it did a great job with that but I have not tested its burning capabilities completely yet.

I would highly recommend the LG GP08Nu10 because of its sleek design, light weight and functionality as both a DVD player and DVD burner. The fact that it does not need a power adaptor is a great feature as well.

I have tried other DVD burners and have not been very pleased with them. I will be keeping the ASUS 8X DVD+R. It feels sturdy, looks great, is lightweight and does not need an external power supply since it can be powered by only one USB port. A Y USB cable is provided so you can power it through to USB ports, but I did not find that necessary. The power management is also very good and it did not excessively run down the battery while operating.

I have found this burner to run very quietly and has been very reliable as well.

The ASUS burner is very easy to use and it fired up right away. It also comes with a stand so you can position it vertically as well as horizontally, but it is harder to extract the media out of the drive in the vertical position. The included software defiantly helps increase the speed but does not include any DVD playback decoders. The DVD decoders will have to be purchased or downloaded separately.

The faults I found are that the glossy surface does attract fingerprints, the included USB power cable is very short and a transport bag was not included, but these faults are minor compared to the functionality of the burner itself.

I would recommend the ASUS 8X DVD+R burner to anybody. I love the sleek design and the lightweight. I found the unit to be very durable and not needing to carry an external power supply has been a large benefit to me especially since the unit does not excessively run down my battery. The burner has worked well since the day I bought it and is still running like a champ! I have found very few faults with the burner and those I did find are merely minor grievances at most. It would be nice if it came in blue though.

Specifications

Write Speed:
DVD+R-8x
DVD+RW-8x
DVD-R-6x
DVD-RAM-5x

Read Speed:
DVD-ROM-8x

Interface-USB2.0

Operating Systems Supported : Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista Supported