External burner needed. HELP! :-)

[Damnhor2]

Hey guys!
I want to buy an external DVD burner for my Imac 24" (2007 series).
Most important for me is reliability, and DVD-R, CD-R and DVD+R DL compatibility.

Can you please recommend on a good external DVD burner for the mac?

Thanks guys!

[Eidorian]

I've used LaCie drives myself.

There are plenty of them available on NewEgg if you're in the US.

[digitalnicotine]

Which OS are you using? You may need to install patchburn in order to get full functionality with integrated applications such as iTunes, and iDVD if you're using Tiger with a 3rd party burner. Otherwise, check out newegg.com, as suggested by Eidorian.

Note, the LG slim drive listed first was tested on Leopard by a reviewer who is pleased with it's performance. Good luck to you.

[Damnhor2]

The LG slim drive looks great!
However, both on the box and in the Lg website it says it is only compatible with windows. no Mac support...

Care to explain?

[digitalnicotine]

Originally Posted by Damnhor2

The LG slim drive looks great!
However, both on the box and in the Lg website it says it is only compatible with windows. no Mac support...

Care to explain?

I thought I did, but apparently not well enough. I asked you which version of OSX you are using. No answer. So if it's Leopard, then don't worry, the LG drive, as well as other 3rd party external drives will work. The included software, however, most likely will not. But OSX has built in burning tools, or you can opt for a Mac software for burning, such as Toast.

If you don't have Leopard, click the link in my previous post in order to download the file necessary to make your chosen burner work with the integrated tools that come with your Mac.

As for the LG, I asked you to read the reviews on the link I gave you, and if you had, you would have seen a Mac user post his satisfaction with the compatibility and function of the drive.

In the future, whenever you run up against a lot of hardware that touts it's lack of compatibility with Macs, it never hurts to look further, as many of these companies don't even bother to test them on Macs, and therefore do not list them as compatible. A quick query on Google can lead you to testing results from other Mac users, as well as work arounds, so it's worth looking into.

My guess with the LG drive, is that it was released prior to Leopard. It's not compatible with Tiger, but I gave you the workaround. Hope this is clearer. Good luck to you.

[Damnhor2]

Thanks mate. I did read that review you linked and that helped me realize that it is a good burner, I just didn't understand how he got it to work on mac if the box says otherwise.

I do have Leopard. I guess that's the one :-)

What about the lightscribe feature?
With which software can I do that?

[digitalnicotine]

Mac Lightscribe.

[Damnhor2]

Ok. I'm done. You rock.

[digitalnicotine]

LOL. Good luck, hope you are pleased with what you get.

[Damnhor2]

guess I'm not done...
Just installed what you linked and I got nothing new..., no app.
And in the requirements it says that I need "LightScribe Labeling Software."

Any ideas?

[digitalnicotine]

What happened when you downloaded? Did you follow the instructions and install it?

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Save any work in progress and close down all active programs, especially any labeling applications.
2. Click on above file download link for Mac.
3. Read and acknowledge the software legal agreement.
4. Choose “Save” or “Download” when prompted to start the file download process.
   1. Depending on your internet connection speed, the update file may take a few minutes to download, so please be patient.
   2. You may close the download screen when the download process is complete.
   3. The selected file will be downloaded onto your desktop.
5. Double click the downloaded file shown on your desktop to extract the installation file. The extracted file should have a similar name as the downloaded file, but will have a .pkg file extension.
6. Double click the extracted .pkg file on your desktop to start the installation process. Follow the directions on any message screens that may appear.
7. When the installation process is completed, both the original .tar and the extracted .pkg files may be safely deleted from your desktop.
8. If prompted, you may need to restart your computer for your update to take effect.

If so, then that part will be good to go. Next, just above instructions, there is this link to get labeling software. Looks like it'll cost you another $35 or so to buy it, though.