Can anyone recommend an external blu-ray reader (specifically for the SP2)? I'm looking mostly just to watch movies, but also to rip movies so I can watch them when travelling, etc. Thanks
I bought this: Amazon.com: Rosewill Direct USB 3.0 External Slim Aluminum 6x Blu-Ray Writer RDED-12001: Computers & Accessories. Keep in mind that this uses a USB Y-cable, so you need two ports. The advantage is that at least you don't need a power adapter for it.
Im using this one without any Problem: Amazon.com: Samsung SE-506AB/TSBD 6X USB2.0 External Slim Blu-ray Writer Drive (Black): Computers & Accessories It requires only one USB port, so you don't need an Y-cable.
Check if they have an external power supply. Sometimes when you are burning the power coming from the USB is not "powerful" enough.
The Samsung is USB 2.0, that's why it will work with just the standard USB 2.0 cable. If that spec meets your use case, then fine; otherwise, per all the research I have done, if you want a USB 3.0-spec device, then it will either have a Y-cable or a power adapter.
So are you saying this actually works on your surface pro, which only has one USB port? Or that it needs a hub and a power supply for the hub to work? Does the Rosewill RDED-12001 have a power jack?
For a Y-cable device to work, it needs TWO ports. Therefore, by itself, the Rosewill does not work with the Surface Pro as-is. For my use case, I only need an optical drive in the rare occasion I can only access some software (e.g., legacy) via DVD/CD. This, for me, means I only need the optical device at home while docked and, in my case, "docked" means connected to a 10-port USB 3.0 hub. Thus, I have the additional free spare ports needed for the Rosewill's Y-cable; it does not require a power adapter (since it uses two ports).