Best Blu-ray Drives for Mac iMore 2021
Blu-ray discs are the gold standard in physical video formats right now. You probably have a decent Blu-ray collection of your favorite movies, but without one of the best mac Blu-ray drives, you can't play them on macOS Big Sur. But Blu-rays aren't just great for movies; they're also great as storage devices for backups or other relevant data. If you want to play, read, or write Blu-ray discs with your Mac, you're going to need to start with an excellent Blu-ray drive and one of the best USB-C hubs so you can plug the drive into your Mac. Here are the best mac Blu-ray drives you can buy.
- Windows and Mac compatible: ASUS BW-16D1X-U
- Budget option: SEA TECH Blu-ray drive
- A lot to offer: Pioneer BDR-XD07UHD Portable 6X Ultra HD 4K Blu-ray Burner
- M-Disc compatible: OWC Mercury Pro
Windows and Mac compatible: ASUS BW-16D1X-U
Staff FavoriteThe ASUS 12X Blu-ray drive has a 16X burning speed, which is among the fastest optical drives out there. Plus, by using a USB 3.0 connection, the ASUS BW-16D1X-U Blu-ray drive can also write data much faster than other drives that still use USB 2.0. The drive is formatted both for Mac and Windows, so you don't have to worry about reformatting the drive if you want to switch back and forth between operating systems.
Budget option: SEA TECH Blu-ray drive
Completely compatible with Mac, you won't need to reformat or install anything to get the SEA TECH Blu-ray drive to talk to your Mac. Plus, it uses a USB 3.0 connection, meaning all your data transferring is happening at the fast speed of USB 3.0!
A lot to offer: Pioneer BDR-XD07UHD Portable 6X Ultra HD 4K Blu-ray Burner
For both Mac and Windows, this beautifully designed reader offers BDXL support for high-capacity disc-writing for Blu-ray discs, DVDs, and CDs. It also includes M-Disc support for longer recordings. Included is the Cyberlink Media Suite, which offers Blu-ray and DVD burning and playback tools.
M-Disc compatible: OWC Mercury Pro
Housed in an aluminum casing, the OWC Mercury Pro may be a bit bulky and boxy, but what it lacks in looks it makes up for in performance. This 16X drive is fast at burning Blu-Ray discs, and it's even compatible with M-Disc, so your archives will last much longer. The drive also uses USB 3.0, giving you a much faster connection speed, and it comes with all the cable you need in the box!
Don't forget the software
When it comes to playing Blu-rays on your Mac, you're going to need software as well as one of the best mac Blu-ray drives. The software is typically expensive. For that reason, I think the SEA TECH Blu-ray drive is worth a look for people who just want to watch Blu-ray movies.
Of course, if you plan on using Blu-rays for hard copies of your work, documents, files, and general backups, it's probably worth dishing out the extra cash for a drive like the ASUS BW-16D1X-U. It just has way more power than those slimmer drives and will help you transfer all your data to the disc a lot faster.
Either way, you'll need one of the great drives listed above if you want to watch or burn any Blu-rays on your Mac.
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