Are optical drives obsolete?

[KCmetro]

I'm considering getting an internal blu-ray burner for the new build.

 

Although, I keep wondering if it's really necessary.

 

With external drives, various other storage options.

 

Likewise with multimedia production/playback purposes.

 

...it just seems like CDs/DVDs/BDs are obsolete.

 

I need to have a means of storing backups of data as part of a recurring backup process.

 

I'll keep a studio of videos/audio, will use Plex server, which obviously doesn't require optical drives.

 

What's the point in even getting one anymore?

 

My work-in-progress build:

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/KCmetro/saved/gzTJxr

 

At the moment, I have a BD writer on my list, but I'm considering removing it and just going with other options.

 

What are the pros/cons of BD over other options? Any better/best option(s)?

[DeltaGames]

Unless you have a specific use case, optical drives are completely unnecessary in this day and age. For frequent backups, I'd recommend building a NAS.

[Techicolors]

CD/DVD/BD drives are still good for...

- those who have bad internet. though games as of late just have a disc with only the key + authentication on it. not all games do this of course. 

- lossless playback, such as 4K Blu-ray or FLAC. Or vinyls. so more for film/music buffs

- old stuff, like early 2000s games. I am currently searching for a game that only comes in a disc 

[ARikozuM]

I'd prefer to have a Blu-ray drive than not. Archives on disc are much better than flash drives. Having a player for movies and old games are still needed, unless you pirate.

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

Optical drives are definitely nice to have around for a desktop and it doesn't take up any extra space so why not. Blu-ray drives though are still quite expensive, the prices have barely budged since they were introduced while DVD drives can be found for 15 bucks new.

[ARikozuM]

1 minute ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Optical drives are definitely nice to have around for a desktop and it doesn't take up any extra space so why not. Blu-ray drives though are still quite expensive, the prices have barely budged since they were introduced while DVD drives can be found for 15 bucks new.

That's b/c Sony requires a license to be paid for the technology (which is pretty much a shorter wavelength beam).

 

#F#ckSony

[RS2007GOD]

only time ive used one in the last few years is for getting wifi drivers of the motherboard disk as was too lazy 2 plug it into the ethernet cable

[RS2007GOD]

3 minutes ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Optical drives are definitely nice to have around for a desktop and it doesn't take up any extra space so why not. Blu-ray drives though are still quite expensive, the prices have barely budged since they were introduced while DVD drives can be found for 15 bucks new.

yea i think i paid 10$ for my usb portable cd/dvd drive

[KCmetro]

8 minutes ago, Technicolors said:

games as of late just have a disc with only the key + authentication on it.

Do they? I thought games are all (or mostly) available without requiring disc anymore?

6 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

Archives on disc are much better than flash drives. Having a player for movies and old games are still needed, unless you pirate.

What's better than flash drives? NAS? A player for movies and old games makes sense, but I wonder if an external optical drive would be better for that, with the mobility giving it more flexibility of playback location options.

9 minutes ago, DeltaGames said:

Unless you have a specific use case, optical drives are completely unnecessary in this day and age. For frequent backups, I'd recommend building a NAS.

I am leaning in that direction. I currently have 1 WD Red on my list... although building a NAS is different. Or do you mean SAN?

9 minutes ago, wrathoftheturkey said:

They cost like 15 bucks and for that one time in a year that you might suddenly need one, it's there. But in practice, it's easier to just dig up a laptop since they basically all come with one anyways

Except the BD writer, it's much more $, unfortunately. Digging up an old laptop is a good idea.

1 minute ago, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

Blu-ray drives though are still quite expensive, the prices have barely budged since they were introduced basically while DVD drives can be found for 15 bucks new.

That's another reason I might take the BD burner off my life, I think it's overpriced.

[siberiansteel11]

TBH, I do have my fair share of fixing computers and laptops and there are times that I really need a cd drive because of drivers. its cheap so I don't see a reason not to get it except you don't want to see extra sata clutter in your computer

[DeltaGames]

2 minutes ago, KCmetro said:

I am leaning in that direction. I currently have 1 WD Red on my list... although building a NAS is different. Or do you mean SAN?

Nope, I mean NAS.

[KCmetro]

2 minutes ago, siberiansteel11 said:

TBH, I do have my fair share of fixing computers and laptops and there are times that I really need a cd drive because of drivers. its cheap so I don't see a reason not to get it except you don't want to see extra sata clutter in your computer

SATA clutter's not a big deal, unless I need the space to add more HDDs drives later (probably going to only ever have 1 SSD, at least on this build). The BD burner's not cheap, though, relatively speaking, I might get an external BD writer and pay a little more and have the advantage of mobility.

[KCmetro]

2 minutes ago, DeltaGames said:

Nope, I mean NAS.

What would be an example? Like a separate unit with multiple HDDs in it?

[KCmetro]

2 minutes ago, wrathoftheturkey said:

The problem with Blu-Rays is that it isn't just a one-time expenditure for the drive, every time you need the media you have to pay more

Another reason to reconsider.

[DeltaGames]

This should be informant on what a NAS is!

[ARikozuM]

1 minute ago, KCmetro said:

What's better than flash drives? NAS? A player for movies and old games makes sense, but I wonder if an external optical drive would be better for that, with the mobility giving it more flexibility of playback location options.

Flash drives degrade over a few years since they're electrical. Optical and magnetic media tend to hold their info for much longer even when unused. External drives usually have under-powered writing power due to the size and intensity of the laser being unable to go deep into the media. A pack of 50 BD-RW costs about 40 (DVD-RW is less by a few dollars) and can hold about 25GB of data on a single sided disc. It's very useful when needing to store or transfer information in a cost effective manner. I've found BD to be a great way to move data between hospitals since not every hospital has a hot-swap bay for HDD's and leaving a flash drive is reliably lost by the end of the day (or week if you're lucky).

[siberiansteel11]

7 minutes ago, KCmetro said:

SATA clutter's not a big deal, unless I need the space to add more HDDs drives later (probably going to only ever have 1 SSD, at least on this build). The BD burner's not cheap, though, relatively speaking, I might get an external BD writer and pay a little more and have the advantage of mobility.

mhm yeah External BD would be the better option

[KCmetro]

10 minutes ago, DeltaGames said:

This should be informant on what a NAS is!

Thanks!

 

7 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

Flash drives degrade over a few years since they're electrical. Optical and magnetic media tend to hold their info for much longer even when unused. External drives usually have under-powered writing power due to the size and intensity of the laser being unable to go deep into the media. A pack of 50 BD-RW costs about 40 (DVD-RW is less by a few dollars) and can hold about 25GB of data on a single sided disc. It's very useful when needing to store or transfer information in a cost effective manner. I've found BD to be a great way to move data between hospitals since not every hospital has a hot-swap bay for HDD's and leaving a flash drive is reliably lost by the end of the day (or week if you're lucky).

It seems like cost effective factors in when not buying lots of discs.  ...but I can see what you mean about the life of the storage.

 

4 minutes ago, siberiansteel11 said:

mhm yeah External BD would be the better option

That sounds like a win-win, get to still store opticals, and move even the burner around.

 

[ARikozuM]

9 minutes ago, KCmetro said:

It seems like cost effective factors in when not buying lots of discs.  ...but I can see what you mean about the life of the storage.

You can frequently find BD-RW 5-packs for $10. The cost is much lower than a comparable flash drive. As for buying in bulk, we get ours in 200-pack single-layer and they cost $70. That amounts to .035 cents per 25GB disc since the dual layer can have separate information on each side.

[KCmetro]

6 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

200-pack single-layer and they cost $70. That amounts to .035 cents per 25GB disc

That is a really good deal! I'd have to know that I'd actually need bulk amount before getting it, but having it all up front for that price would definitely be worth it. Where do you get that kind of deal at?

[ARikozuM]

6 minutes ago, KCmetro said:

Where do you get that kind of deal at?

I believe almost any medical media vendor/archival support would have that kind of pricing. I forget who we get it from since we don't chew through more than 17 a month since they're reusable. It's mostly for the mobile vans since they commonly need to make paperwork in the field, but can't give a folder or print-out, so the BD (or DVD) is an easy way of providing medical notes for ranchers and the sort without leaving the folder behind.

 

Edit: Best use we get from the discs is for transfer patients in conjunction with e-delivery for back-up purposes since we wouldn't need to carry radiographs, surgical recordings, and medical history on their respective devices.

[KCmetro]

That's a great deal. I'm guessing that considering I don't have that type of job that I'd be unable to get that deal. I'd be curious to see if it's available otherwise.

[Centurius]

1 hour ago, wrathoftheturkey said:

Basically, yeah. Unless you're into RedBox or have a bunch of old family movies that haven't been converted yet, no real point. I have one, but it was loud, whiney and basically useless, so I disabled it in device manager

It's basically a "why not?" thing. They cost like 15 bucks and for that one time in a year that you might suddenly need one, it's there. But in practice, it's easier to just dig up a laptop since they basically all come with one anyways

The ones capable of BDXL will actually set you back quite a bit more than that and even regular ones tend to be at somewhat of a premium.

 

---

 

I got an external one but that's really only because I like to buy the blu-ray versions of shows and movies I really like and then rip them for use by Plex. Beyond that they serve no significant purpose.

[KCmetro]

3 minutes ago, Centurius said:

 

I got an external one but that's really only because I like to buy the blu-ray versions of shows and movies I really like and then rip them for use by Plex. Beyond that they serve no significant purpose.

Sneaky!  ...and [cough]good_idea[/cough].