Asus SBC-04DIS-U Slim External Blu Ray Reader
Packaging
Packaging is an odd mix. Whilst it is bordering on professional on the outside, I think the packaging looks an little cluttered. At least it features a decent image of the drive on the outside though.
Moving onto the insides of the box, we see that as usual, Asus have packaged up the drive very tightly. With foam inserts and a compartment for the wiring, the protection is topped off with a covering over the drive itself.
All in all then, Asus have done a decent job of packaging up the drive, if it might possibly look a little lack-lustre on the shelves of a retailer.
Appearance
Several things really strike you when you first open up that box. Firstly the drive really is a stylish object. Gloss black with a cross on it (for the LED lighting), the drive wouldn’t look out of place sitting next to any modern HTPC setup. Secondly, the drive really is as slim as Asus advertise it and is worthy of it’s title.
Above you can see the sleek front styling.
The drive looks nice from the front too, with a silver bezel for the eject button. Notice the Blu Ray disc logo proudly displayed on the front. Above also you can see I’ve grabbed an old LG drive to compare sizes. Excuse my finger marks on the drive, but it’s worth illustrating a slight downfall of the glossy surface!
After plugging in, the cross on the front of the drive lights up. Whilst this isn’t hugely bright it does become a little disconcerting in a darkened room when watching a movie. Luckily, as we’ll see, Asus thought of that. Notice I’m using the stand provided to keep the drive upright. There are rubber feet to allow you to lay it flat too.
All in all then, Asus have provided a great looking, very slim Blu Ray drive you can carry around easily and not be embarrassed to take out and sit next to your stylish Vaio laptop.
Package
Asus have provided you with what you need to get going in the SBC-04DIS-U and not a huge amount more.
We have:
* Mini USB to 2 x USB cable
* SBC-04DIS-U driver and software disc
* Quick install guide
* Gloss black drive stand
Whilst the bundled software does include Cyberlink PowerDVD software, it perhaps would have been nice to see a cheap bundled Blu Ray included to get your collection started, especially at the £150 RRP Asus are asking for the player.
