ASUS External Slim Blu-ray Disc Combo SBC-06D1S-U Review

👤by Simon Green Comments 📅01-03-10
Packaging and Contents

ASUS as always have packaged the SBC-06D1S-U in an attractive glossy blue box with plenty of information on all sides.


The box front


The box front gives all the basic information about the device along with a large Blu-ray logo to leave you in no doubt as to it's capabilities. An angled picture of the drive shows just how thin it really is, and the casually scattered diamonds around it's base are a clear reference to ASUS' design aesthetics with both the clean lines of the drive and the blue led cross on the front side. There is also information on the write and read speeds for the most common disc types.


The box back


The rear of the box has information in 8 different languages about 6 of the major features of the drive and software which we will look into in greater detail later in this review. There is a diagram of the package contents and a list of system requirements.

One side of the box has a very brief general description of the device in 20 languages, the other side has all the part and serial number identification bar codes. The top and bottom of the box are basically cut-down versions of the front.


Inside the box


On opening the box you find more information behind the front flap, this time to the left there is a screen-shot and brief description of the included BluTuner software (used to control the led brightness) and to the right a diagram detailing how to mount the drive into the included stand.

The drive itself is well packaged in a protective sleeve and securely held in dense foam ends with the user manual and software disc beneath it, and inside the small cardboard section to the right of the drive is the included USB 'Y' cable and the stand.


The contents


The first thing you notice on unpacking the drive is it's gorgeous piano black gloss finish. It is protected by a tear-off plastic cover as are most things these days, and unfortunately once this has been removed it becomes a fingerprint and dust magnet all too soon.


The USB 'Y' cable


The USB 'Y' cable is a neat touch as it does away with the need for an external power supply which is a massive boon for a portable device such as this one. ASUS recommend that you plug in both USB connectors to the computer you are attaching the device to as they will provide sufficient power for the whole device. The only downside of this is that there is only about 10cm between the two USB connectors so you do really need to have two spare USB ports close together – taking one port from either side of a laptop would not be an option - (there is mention in the Quick Installation Guide of an optional extra extension lead that you can get should you not have two USB's close enough to use together.) Overall cable length is about 45cm which should be sufficient for most and means there isn't loads of spare cable to hide away.

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