Need to get an external DVD player for Imac, which one?

Hey (again),
I've had a terrible time getting my imac up and running properly since I got it back from its HD replacement yesterday.
It's gotten to the point where I'm going to wipe the system and then do a time machine reinstall.
My problem is that my imacs dvd player doesn't play DVD's anymore, it just spits out the install DVD. Could I use any cheap external DVD (usb) drive and wipe and install my OS from there or does it need to be in the internal one? I found a couple of really cheap ones that I'm wondering would do the trick or does it need to be a specific brand?
Or do I need to have my imac which is out of warranty serviced and have the original dvd player replaced?
Any input on this is greatly appreciated.

In my experience just about any external DVD drive works. I've found them way cheaper at a big technology store like "Fry's".

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Hi,
i am Thinking about a extern DVD ROM - it must only read DVD/CD.
1. only Plug at Play.
2. without an Trafo. for High Volt.
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Hi Alberto,
thx a lot for your Info.
I looked about it. Its quiet good and i take it.
Have a good new 2014.
All is answered.
bye

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Go to:
www.macsales.com
or go right to them with this link:
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All PowerBooks starting the G3 "Pismo" dating to Feb 2000 have Firewire Ports. On the 17" G4, the FireWire 400 port is the only labeled "2" in this image of the right edge of the computer:
!http://km.support.apple.com/library/APPLE/APPLECAREALLGEOS/HT2369/862835.gif!
FireWire is an Apple trademark for the IEEE 1394 interface. Other companies will usually use the IEEE designator to avoid mentioning Apple.

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iMac 27" (late 2009). Internal DVD is region locked. I would like to use an external DVD player to watch DVD's from other regions.
I can't use the new Apple SuperDrive because they say it's not compatible with iMac's before 2012. (Is it??)
My iMac doesn't have Thunderbolt. It has mini displayport.
I have resigned to getting a generic DVD player and plugging it into the screen.
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Can I use the iMac in TDM as a display for my gaming console, DVD player, or other device?
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First try VLC.
<http://www.videolan.org>
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sudo nvram boot-args="mbasd=1"
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<http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/optical-drives/superdrives/>
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<http://www.macblurayplayer.com>
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<http://www.kanexlive.com/xd>
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Thank you.

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If you have to purchase an iLife disc in order to obtain the iDVD application remember that the iLife 11 disc only provides themes from iDVD 5-7. The Software Update no longer installs the earlier themes when starting from the iLIfe 11 disk nor do any of the iDVD 7 updaters available from the Apple Downloads website contain them.
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This shows the iDVD contents in the iLife 09 disc via Pacifist:
You then can upgrade from iDVD 7.0.3 to iDVD 7.1.2 via the updaters at the Apple Downloads webpage.
If you're creating a slideshow in iPhoto and want to add it to an iDVD project export the slideshow out of iPhoto as a QT movie file via the Export button in the lower toolbar. Select Size = Medium or Large.
Open iDVD, select a theme and drag the exported QT movie file into the open iDVD window being careful to avoid any drop zones.
Follow this workflow to help assure the best qualty video DVD:
Once you have the project as you want it save it as a disk image via the File ➙ Save as Disk Image menu option. This will separate the encoding process from the burn process.
To check the encoding mount the disk image, launch DVD Player and play it. If it plays OK with DVD Player the encoding is good.
Then burn to disk with Disk Utility or Toast at the slowest speed available (2x-4x) to assure the best burn quality. Always use top quality media: Verbatim, Maxell or Taiyo Yuden DVD-R are the most recommended in these forums.

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Hi rgneil:
Yeah, keeping an older machine running has it's challenges.
Have you tried one of the DVD burners from Other World Computing? Their sales support can probably guide you to one that should work. The OWC burner that I use with my 2009 17-inch MacBook Pro has FireWire and USB2 connectors.
Are you using iMovie/iDVD or Final Cut Pro/DVD Studio Pro? And, do you have Roxio Toast?
If all else fails, you could try a stand alone DVD-Recorder. You'd want to pick a model that supports external video input. I have a LiteON DVD-Recorder that I patch VHS, Regular8 and Hi8 decks to now and again just to get stuff off tape to DVD-R.
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What external DVD player plays commercial movies with a 2008 iMac?

What external DVD player plays commercial movies with a 2008 iMac?
I have a Samsung external player/writer but it will not play movies.
Only shows data in it's finder window!

Mr Pixel wrote:
What are the ones that did play commercial movies then?
Toshiba & LaCie.
I must have spent ten hours researching this.
What did the manufacturer tell you?
but even VLC wouldn't play it.
VLC plays anything you throw at it. At least 99.999999%. What type of file (suffix) is this movie file? Where did you get the movie from?
iMac 2008, OS 10.9.1
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Change DVD region on external DVD Player

I have a DVD player that was set to region 1. It now is not. It says that I have 3 DVD region changes left (yeah, I know you only get 5). I don't know how it changed to a different region, but now I need it to change back to region 1, so I can watch movies again. I have a samsung external dvd player. Any suggestions?

Hi V
Yes there are several possible origins to this:
• burning the DVD with x16 speed often gives so much errors that they doesnt work
• using a cheap brand - same
• wrong type of DVD
• to little free space on internal (start-up) hard disk
1. I make a DiskImage then use Toast™ to burn with x1 speed (one can use Apple Disk Util tool to do this - in iDVD08 one can select burn-speed)
2. I use Verbatim DVD-R
3. I use -R no +R or +/-RW disks
4. iDVD needs 25Gb free space on internal (start-up) hard disk. 10Gb might work but slow.
<5Gb if it reaches to goal - most probably an useless DVD disk is the result.
Yours Bengt W

Need to get an external DVD player for Imac, which one?

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