While Blu-ray technology has been around for years, unfortunately external Blu-ray players have gone down in price. And now the Samsung external slim Blu-ray writer (SE-506CB) is under $80. But how does it work on a Mac or PC.
I will be focusing on playability of Blu-ray's for this review and later on, I will come back to this review for Blu-ray copying and how long it takes for both PC and Mac.
So, let's start...
I. What's inside the box?
Inside the box is the slim Blu-ray external writer with a short single USB cable to power the unit. It also comes with CyberLink Media Suite and other trial software.
Please note: Install the CyberLink software and update the firmware to T5001 as the version on your player may be T5000 (look under the player to find out which firmware is installed).
II. Testing it on a PC for Blu-ray Playability (Using Windows 7)
The good news is that the Samsung SE-506CB comes with CyberLink PowerDVD 10. But this software requires one to have a DV-I or HDMI connection, it will NOT work on VGA cables.
I was able to test the CyberLinkPower DVD 10 and it works perfectly.
But let's assume that you don't have DV-I or an HDMI connection on your monitor or laptop/computer, what can you do?
I was able to test the SE-506CB with Nero 2014 and using their Blu-ray player. While it worked, after I updated the software, it will not work and gave me a "Media will not play error". There are multiple threads on the Nero 2014 forums about this and as of July 27, 2014, there was no resolve for it.
I then tested Corel's WinDVD Pro 11 and while I was able to hear sound, I didn't get video. I'm still trying to troubleshoot this and if I am able to find a reason of why it shows a black screen or how I'm able to fix it and have it work with the Samsung SE-506CB, I will update my review.
I was able to test it out with VLC Media Player (using the copy files in two locations technique) and was able to get it to work but it was not the best quality and often skipped.
I tried a few free players but they took way too long just to load a disc.
So, testing the hardware, the best results I had was with a DVI and HDMI connection using the accompanying CyberLink software.
III. Testing on a Mac for Blu-ray playability (Using OS 10.9 Mavericks)
I tested the SE-506CB with a MacMini (early 2014) and I tried the VLC technique which did not work for me.
I then tested MacGo's Blu-ray player which worked perfectly. But it's not free and cost about $50. Also, it doesn't default to the menu screen like other players for the PC. So, if you want to find special features, you will need to use the title selection.
But this was the best software for the Mac.
JUDGMENT CALL:
For those wanting an external Blu-ray player, I can easily recommend the Samsung slim Blu-ray writer (SE-506CB). But it's a player that requires you to have a PC/Laptop and monitor to work with it. For one, if you have a DVI/HDMI monitor and your PC has DVI (white) on the back of your computer, then you are good to go.
I was able to get it to work with a VGA cable (blue) using Nero 2014 Blu-ray player but if you update your Blu-ray player, chances are, your software will stop working with your player. So, when you install the Nero 2014, you need to make sure that auto-update is off. It's a major caveat because Nero 2014 needs the upgrade but the Blu-ray fails to work afterward. According to the Nero forums, the majority of the people who have this "media won't play" error, are using an Intel video chipset.
As for VLC, I was able to get it to work but playback was not smooth and perfect.
But you do get the CyberLink Power DVD software on disc, which is a plus. But overall, for it's price at under $80, it's a low-price Blu-ray external player that works well.
I will definitely come back to this review on testing of Blu-ray writing capability on PC and Mac but for those who have been wondering about the Blu-ray playing capabilities of the SE-506CB, I hope this information helps.
| Brand | SAMSUNG |
|---|---|
| Series | SE-506CB/RSBD |
| Item model number | SE-506CB/RSBD |
| Operating System | Windows XP (SP1 or higher), Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Mac |
| Item Weight | 10.1 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 5.82 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 5.82 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches |
| Color | Black |
| Processor Count | 1 |
| Computer Memory Type | DDR3 SDRAM |
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
| ASIN | B00JJGFRIQ |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | March 3, 2014 |
