HP bd530s

The once-standard internal optical drive is fast becoming the latest casualty in the unending pursuit of smaller gadgets. The HP bd530s ($149.99 direct) attempts to bridge the gap between past and present, allowing you to enjoy that new ultrabook of yours without forsaking your Blu-rays (and those DVDs you sentimentally hold on to). It's a simple, straightforward portable optical drive that can read Blu-rays, DVDs, and CDs. However, unlike either the Samsung SE-506AB External Slim Blu-ray Re-Writer ($149.99 direct, 4 stars) or the Pioneer BDR-XD04 ($149.99 direct, 4 stars), both Editors' Choice winning portable optical drives, the HP bd530s cannot record to standard Blu-ray or BDXL discs. It also pales in comparison to the breadth of features offered by the latter, and is consequently a good drive that could have been great.

Design and Features
Like the Samsung SE-506AB, the bd530s utilizes a tray-loading design. Since the tray pops out of the drive's front, it's primarily suitable for horizontal orientation. At 1 by 5.75 by 6 inches (HWD), it's a smidge thicker and wider than the Pioneer BDR-XD04 and the Samsung, though the .68 pound bd530s is not as heavy as the latter. Either way, it's difficult to imagine the bd530s being much of a nuisance in your backpack or laptop bag.

The drive's two-tone grey-black plastic finish is attractively subdued and suitably inconspicuous. The top of the drive sports a primarily sleek grey finish that's abutted by a thin sliver of rubberized black running along the upper right corner. As is often the case with portable optical drives, a USB Y-cable is included for plugging into the micro-USB port on the rear of the drive. Since the bd530s is bus-powered, there's no need for an extra AC adapter. While the thirty six inch primary strand of the Y-cable is generously sized, the ancillary strand is a paltry sixteen inches long, which may not be long enough to reach a USB port on the other side of a laptop. While it's worth noting, this is an admittedly minor gripe that hardly constitutes an egregious.

Like other portable optical drives from HP, the bd530s comes with CyberLink software suite. In this case, it's CyberLink BD Solution, which features the usual suspects (Power2Go, LabelPrint, and so on) along with some additional features that support Blu-ray playback. The software is simple and straightforward to use, though it bears noting that neither the software nor the HP bd530s are Mac-compatible, so Mac users, be warned: unless you're familiar with Boot Camp (or a similar multi-boot utility), your best bet is the Samsung SE-506AB External Slim Blu-ray Re-Writer, which works with both Windows and Mac.

Performance
During testing, the bd530s emitted a minimal amount of audible noise, save for the whirring of the disc. Moreover, four rubber feet on the drive's underside adequately absorbed a good amount of the accompanying vibration. Consequently, the drive did not disturb me during DVD and Blu-ray playback or while burning DVDs, a fact made all the more impressive considering that the drive was only a few inches away from me and I tend to be oversensitive when it comes to noise. The drive also stayed cool to the touch during playback and burning, never exceeding 86 degrees Fahrenheit (as measured via Fluke IR thermometer). As an added plus, I was able to fully test the bd530s while using only one USB port (thereby eliminating the Y-cable conundrum). HP advertises read and write speeds of 24x (CD) and 8x (DVD), and testing revealed that reading and writing media with the bd530s was a smooth, painless endeavor.

All said, the HP bd530s does what it purports to do, and does it with aplomb. It's a simple and straightforward portable optical drive that allows users to enjoy their newer, smaller gadgets without having to banish their DVDs and Blu-rays to obscurity. However, as far as features and versatility are concerned, it ultimately pales in comparison to the Samsung SE-506AB External Slim Blu-ray Re-Writer, which, in addition to writing to Blu-ray and BDXL formats, is also compatible with both Windows and Mac and even sports AV connectivity, all while carrying the same price tag as the HP bd530s. For these reasons, it remains our Editors' Choice for portable optical drives and continues to reign as the drive to beat.

COMPARISON TABLE
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