Tech on the Go meets the ASUS SBC-04D1S-U USB 2.0 Blu-ray drive

Do you own a Blu-ray DVD player at home? Have you ever thought about being able to watch Blu-ray movies while traveling but do not want to spend a ton of money for a new laptop? I know that I have more than one laptop that cannot watch Blu-ray movies because at the time that I purchased them there was simply no option for it. Now to get that functionality I would have to spend quite a bit or get a bulky external drive and lug that around [and still spend a ton of money]. Well at least that is what I would have had to do. Thankfully Asus offers an option that removes the need for either of these.

This is the SBC-04D1S-U [try saying that three times fast] - an ultra slim portable USB 2.0 Blu-ray DVD player. Let us see if it lets us take some Blu-ray high-def love on the road or if it is just added weight in your laptop bag.

Package
The box that the SBC-04D1S-U ships in is classy. I actually like the dark blue color and scroll work on the front. The angled view of the drive itself gives you no doubt as to what you are getting when you pick this up.

Inside the box you get; in addition to the SBC-04D15S-U you also receive a stand and a copy of Cyberlink's Power DVD software.

The SBC-04D1S-U
The Asus SBC-04D1S-U is a pretty cool looking drive, well much cooler than most of the other “slim” external drives I have played with. Asus has chosen to make it out of a glossy black plastic. This gives it a sleek look, which goes nicely with the angled design. You can use this either horizontally or with the included stand to save on desktop space.  Its dimensions are; 157mm x 142mm x 21mm [6.18 x 5.59 x 0.82 inches] and weighs in at 412 grams [14.53 Ounces]. This is a nice size if you want to carry this one around with you in a small laptop bag without overloading.

To connect to your system Asus has included a dual USB 2.0 cable [2x USB B to 1x Mini-USB]. This provides power and a data path for the SBC-04D1S-U.

When plugged in the top [or right side] has a blue glowing… well for lack of a better word we will call it a star to show that the drive has the proper power to operate.  The front of the drive has the usual logos, eject button, and drive access light. Not much to talk about there.

Overall the SBC-04D1S-U feels like a solid well-built product despite its small size and weight.