My iMac keeps telling me that a DVD that clearly has content on it, is blank.

Question

Hello:  My iMac keeps telling me that a DVD that clearly has content on it, is blank.  I thought, at first, that maybe the disc was blank.  But then I inserted a DVD movie that I created using iMovie and it told me the same thing.  No matter what DVD I inserted, I got the same response..Does this mean that the Optical Drive is dead?  Do I need to purchase a "Super Drive"?  Any and all assistance is greatly appreciated...Thanks

Answer 1

There are two schools of thought on external optical drives.
You can go with cheap drives (anything under $50) and know going in that you may have to replace the drive in a year or two if you use the drive regularity.
The other thought is to purchase more expensive drives that will last longer than two or three years that are faster and are bulit to be more durable and rugged.
I am in this camp.
Here is one I would recommend.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MRF82SD24S/
This one has no burning software included. If you have burning software already, this shouldn't be an issue.
Here's the one I use, but the used price for this is too high, IMO
I only paid $179 for this new, locally.
http://www.amazon.com/LaCie-Blu-Ray-FireWire-Drive-301906U/dp/B003D4OXCQ/ref=sr_ 1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1378224570&sr=8-14&keywords=LaCie+optical+drives
IF you want to add additonal Blu-ray Capabilites, there are many other drives listed here in different price ranges.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/optical-drives/
I prefer the OWC Mercury Pro line of drives,  prefer tray loading drives that have multiple connections (in case one connection scheme goes bad) and drives that have their own power supplies and do not rely on bus power from the computer, itself. These drives come in a very durable and rugged enclosure.