Customer Reviews

Samsung SE-T084M/RSBD External Slim Slot Load USB Lightscribe DVD-Writer (Black/Silver)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

There is little to complain about the drive itself. I had no trouble connecting it to my full size Toshiba notebook and getting everything to work properly. HOWEVER, I bought the drive to use with my ASUS 1005HA-P netbook. The documentation with the drive says the CPU must be a P-4 2.8 GHZ or better but that is not mentioned in the specification I've found online. The ASUS processor is only 1.67 GHZ and, though I can load the TruDirect Software, I get a Windows compatibility error if I try to run it. I may decide to keep the drive, but am disappointed it is not suitable for my intended use.

I received the writer yesterday and decided to put it through the test. I wrote 15 discs in 2 hrs time and I was surprised at the performance. It was an awesome experience. All the discs were DVD5 Movies and the quality of recording was good too. I then tried the LightScribe on all the 15 discs - guess what, excellent output.
It is very slim and very light, requires no external power source (just eh power it draws from the USB port).
The installation was very simple - just plug it and it starts working the next second. Installed Nero and LightScribe software in 2 mins and all done.
I would recommend this to write to my friends and family for sure.

I bought this drive together with a NC10 Special Edition netbook, thinking that as both are Samsung products there would be little chance of compatibility issues. What did happen is that the NC10 place the drive as the primary boot item in the bios, with the result that the system did not see it, although it did supply power to it. Once the drive was moved down in the boot order I was able to access it.

When I tried to install the TruDirect software (which was the major selling point of this drive), a message popped up informing me that "TruDirect can not be installed on systems with screen resolutions smaller than 1024 x 768". This would be most netbooks available today, including Samsung's own NC series. I saw no mention of this restriction on the Amazon add for the unit. In fact not even the TruDirect manual supplied with the machine makes mention of this fact.

I am truly disappointed with this situation.


UPDATE: 22/04/2009

It turns out that there is a way around this mess, by temporarily changing the resolution setting as follows (curtesy of Forum on SammyNetbook.com):

1) right click on the desktop, properties
2) Settings tab
3) Advanced
4) Monitor Tab
5) Uncheck the "Hide modes that this monitor cannot display" checkbox, OK
6) Change the screen resolution to 1024x768 and Apply/OK (the desktop will now scroll)
7) Install TruDirect
Once installed set the resolution back to 1024x600

It worked, and the software seems to be operational. There is no difference between the way it appears in the higher or lower res.

This seem to be a really stupid oversight on Samsung's part.

Samsung SE-T084M/RSWD External Slim Slot Load USB Lightscribe DVD Writer (White)

I just recieved this burner today so this is an early review of the burner. All I can say at the moment is WOW!! what a good deal. The burner is small and light weight. It came with a carrying pouch, a USB cable, an extention cable for the USB cable and all the software you will need. Setup for the drive itself takes about 30 seconds and is real easy. Installation of the software takes a little longer. I tested it by first reading some disk (which it loaded fast) and then I burned an ISO file (about 3.8 GB in size) and it compiled, burned, and closed in about 10 minutes. It is the quietest drive I have ever worked with since burners first came out. I would recommend this drive to anyone, from the beginner to a seasoned vet.

UPDATE:
I have used this burner hard for a week. Still no problems. The only thing I haven't tried is the light scribe which I hope to try soon.

Software didn't load properly with Windows XP Pro. Perhaps this was due to an interaction with Symantec AV 11, though not sure. I had to go back two restore points to get OS back to where it was before attempting to load the included software. I've not had any issues with other applications loading on this stable XP installation, but the included software wouldn't load/run properly.

Transfer speed was exceptionally slow as well - 2.5X on DVD read, rather than 8X as advertised. Boot from USB DVD didn't work either, even with BIOS options set correctly. I expected far better performance for a product by Toshiba/Samsung joint venture. I'm baffled why I had issues while others have not, but it was what it was. I replaced this unit with an HP 8X DVD reader/writer that did work as advertised and did not have software issues. Unit is well-constructed, but disk-load performance wasn't smooth (nor was the HP's). By comparison, I have two other slim-line slot-load DVD reader/writers (Sony, NEC) (PATA interface) that work perfectly.

I got this DVD burner several weeks ago. I installed it on my laptop and both of my desktops. I got it mainly for the lightscribe ability and that part of it works great. I have burnt several dvds with no problems and also played several movies also with no problems. It does everything that I want to use it for.

I bought the external dvd writer few weeks back, since my laptops only has DVD reader. I am happy with this unit so far. Nero software that comes with the unit is great to capture and edit the video/ images. The TruDirect software is great if you just want to record directly to the DVD without storing and editing on the computer.

I have burned 2 DVDs so far and looks good.


To consider
1) When playing back the DVD in my dvd player (that is 5 yrs old), the video stops after every x mins for few seconds and then resumes (as if dvd player is searching for the track). However, if i play it back on my laptop dvd player, it plays perfect. Also, i tried playing it on my freinds dvd player and it was fine. Hence, i think that the DVD is fine and the issue is with the dvd player, but just to let u know.

Theexternal drive may be fully functional and error free however I have yet to receive a installation disc that isn't warped. Amazon kindly shipped a replacement unit after I called about the problem. I received a second unit and same thing...the disc was warped and could not be read by any of three different computers. I then called samsung support and was informed that I needed to fill out a form on their site. The support representative admitted they have had many problems with their installation discs. So I filled out the form and got an email regarding my RMA saying I need to mail the drive in for repair but not discs or cables as those wouldn't be returned. I really don't know if they even read the form I filled out. So I guess I have no option but to return the second one to amazon. I hope this is not the status quo for Samsung as I am seriously doubting their quality now.

I ordered the Samsung SE-T084M/RSBD External Slim Slot USB Lightscribe DVD-Writer a couple weeks ago and have used it a lot. However, like many mention in reviews on Amazon, reviews on other sites and talk in forums, I received a defective, warped disc with it. I noticed some have said Samsung support will send a new disc and some have said they will provide a link to obtain the Nero Essentials software. All software on the disc is available publicly and relatively easy to find. However, Nero 8 Essentials, which is not listed as compatible with Windows 7, is not available publicly other than trial versions nor can you obtain from Samsung's site or support. There is a page on Nero's site for a free upgrade to Nero 9 Essentials, which is Win7 compatible, but you need the "Nero serial number", which is not on any documentation with the drive. You must install the Nero 8 software to obtain it.

Overall, I like the product, which is the reason I went through the trouble I mention below. Without the issue of the warped disc and no ability to obtain Nero 8 software, this would receive a 3-star rating. It is 3-stars because I consider it average for the price paid. So far (after I updated firmware) it's done a good job reading and burning with an average number of errors. Lightscribe has worked great and it supports 1.2 coating so it is faster on 'lightscribing'. It is a very portable compact design and it has decent looks. It comes with an extension cable if your two available USB ports are not right next to each other. For $89, it's a good unit.

Why not be 4 or 5 stars (excluding warped disc & lack of software)? It uses 2 USB ports while all my other USB-powered external drives only require 1 USB port. It doesn't have USB ports on it to serve as a hub to compensate for using two USB ports. My other external drives do. One of my laptops only has 2 USB ports so lacking the hub functionality is a big negative. It is by no means the fastest out there - even the external DVD drive that came with my HP laptop has better specs in the read/write arena, but lacks lightscribe capability, which is why I decided to purchase this - OK trade-off. Finally, the unit I received was manufactured in May 2009 (almost a year ago) and was a couple versions of firmware behind. I didn't realize this (the software that would take care of it is on that warped disc) until I troubleshot some reading and writing problems I was having. I updated to the latest firmware version and it made a big difference in number of errors, improved media detection (kept recognizing DVD+R DL as DVD-R) and made a noticeable difference in speed. If you receive a warped disc and not that technically inclined, this would make it a -1 star rating.

The warped disc debacle:
I'll add that some call my house "the house of Samsung" because I like their products. I have A LOT of Samsung products. For the most part, they are all good, but I have had to call support a few times over the last couple years for a couple TVs and a blu-ray player. There are only two answers they seem to provide: you have to go through the "RA process" to send it in for repair or call a local dealer to setup service. So I have experience with Samsung prior to this.

For this DVD-Writer, because of the warped disc, I called twice after zero response on three support form submissions on their website (consistent with experience in the past). Whenever I have called Samsung for support, I have never waited on hold less than 40-minutes so I *hate* calling. Both times I called for this, I was on-hold 52-minutes and 1:02. So, if you are going to call, make sure you have speaker phone and have work to do while you are waiting.

When people mention they were able to get Samsung to send a link to download the software, my guess is all the software except Nero Essentials. Both people I spoke with at Samsung said they don't have access to the software, no serial number to provide (for the Nero site upgrade) nor can they just ship a new disc. What do I have to do? Go through the RA process and return it for "repair". I went back and forth with both people I spoke with more than underscoring that the drive isn't broken, I want the software so just ship me a new DVD. "Sorry, I fully understand, you'll have to go through the RA process on our site to get it repaired" - they obviously didn't "fully understand."

As odd as it may sound, the fact I have to return this to Amazon JUST to get a new disc, irks me enough to have me start looking at buying other than Samsung whether dvd writer, my next LCD TV or washer/dryer.

Bottom line, decent lightscribe reader/writer, but not 5-star awesome. Receiving a warped disc (as many others have) and not being able to resolve it easily: 0-star awesome. Only being able to use the "RA process" (by the way, they couldn't do it on the phone - they could only point me to a web page) and return the drive JUST to obtain a replacement software disc: absolutely ridiculous.

I bought this because my internal CD/DVD drive is dead. It is extremely thin (thinner than I even thought it would be) and the fact that is uses a 'slim-slot' loader makes it even more desirable. With this slim-slot, there is no drawer or mechanism externally, which, to me, means that there is less of a chance of anything breaking. All you do is put the CD/DVD in the slot, no open the CD drive or anything. It is very easy.
I plugged the drive into my USB slots (warning!: it uses two USB ports; one for power and one for information to the computer) and my HP laptop recognized it instantly and installed drivers. It was ready to use within a minute or two. Along with the drive comes a great CD with Nero 8 essentials program and TruDirect program. Both are very useful and supply you with the ability to burn DVDs or CDs. In addition, there is a live-update program that updates the firmware for your drive.
I have burned 2 DVD movies, several CDs, and a data DVD and have had great success with all of them. The drive is extremely quiet and burns things pretty quickly! This is exactly what I was looking for and Samsung has not disapointed. I would recommend this for anyone looking for a reliable and quiet CD drive.