Drive suggestion with focus on writing instead of ripping?

[SourRot]

I want to store my videos on Blu-Ray discs rather than drives because it can be cheaper (or about the same price for the 8x ones it looks like) as the collection grows and lasts longer than an SSD. EDIT: I was wrong about the longevity, thank you for your corrections. I do currently use HDDs to store everything, however I'm still more interested in discs as I have concerns about an HDD's durability and potentially losing everything on it if it's dropped rather than losing maybe one season/movie from one disc. Not just that, but another reason I'm interested is because I like the idea of having a physical collection and want the nostalgia of playing things off a disc, so I'm still looking for a drive that can write. Unfortunately, I've fallen down this confusing rabbit hole and I'm not sure what I need. I'm not interested in ripping Blu-Rays, I'm only interested in burning my collection to Blu-Ray discs. The video files aren't explicitly meant to be Blu-Ray but I do plan on doing Blu-Ray in the future.

Essentially, what I'm doing is trying to take MP4 and MKV files and burn them onto Blu-Ray discs and I need to know what writer I can get that's reliable. I'll also be using it as a player as well as my PC does not have a drive of its own. From what I understand, that USED to be the Verbatim 43888, but not so much anymore? Apparently it now has LG internals instead of Pioneer, which is bad from what I've gathered, but I've also seen something about flashing its firmware which makes it not terrible? I'm very lost here. I'm sorry if you've gotten this question a lot, but the forums I've seen so far are a little hard for me to understand from a lot of the jargon and different uses.

I'm really just not sure what issues there would be exactly. Is the only problem with the new LG Verbatim just that it doesn't work for ripping? Would it still be perfectly fine for burning a Blu-Ray disc and for watching? No skipping or stuttering when watching?

Other info I'm not sure is relevant to the writer as much as the software I use but will include anyway, just in case:
Hoping to burn multiple files onto one disc (for shows), but also some discs as just a movie
Some series will have a mix of file types (MKV, MP4, and AVI) burned on the same disc
Subtitles are a must as the majority of my collection is in Japanese (I believe it's a mix of SRT and SSA subtitles and are already part of the video files)

[Billycar11]

a disc is not going to last longer than an ssd
you can make the argument if its unpowered for years but still thats not a normal use case

[SourRot]

a disc is not going to last longer than an ssd
you can make the argument if its unpowered for years but still thats not a normal use case

I thought SSDs only last about 10 years and discs last about 30. What's the realistic longevity of the two (assuming they're not manhandled)? Also, I should've mentioned that I'm interested in the idea of having as a physical collection as well, so I'd still enjoy burning my own discs.

[Coopervid]

This is what the seller Asmcom writes and I fully agree:

Important Usage Recommendation: To preserve the lifespan of your Blu-ray drive, we do not recommend using it for direct playback of movie discs. Continuous playback can lead to premature laser wear. Our drives are ripping-optimised, not for use as regular movie players.

Instead, use trusted third-party software like MakeMKV to convert your 4K discs into a digital file or ISO container, which is a more reliable and drive-friendly solution for playback on your device. Once ripped, your content can be viewed repeatedly without further stressing the drive.

Let’s be smart about it:

Don’t use your drive for playback (or burning, I add here..). The laser will wear out.

These drives are built for ripping, not repeated movie watching.

Use MakeMKV to create a digital copy. Then play it all you want, guilt-free and drive-friendly.

In short: Use your drive like it’s a tool, not a television.


In addition: Use an external HDD. The price per GB or TB is at least competitive or cheaper than burning the cheapest discs.

Buy a Pioneer in your region while a few are still available. Not long anymore.

viewforum.php?f=20

[dcoke22]

I think most people are storing their movie collection on spinning hard drives, not SSDs. The cost per TB is much lower which makes having a backup an affordable option.

[flojo]

... lasts longer than an SSD.

Incorrect, writable filesystems have the ability to heal themselves.

I've burned out quite literally several thousand CDs and about a thousand DVDs and when or if I read one today I never trust that they read error free, it's hit or miss. The oldest "media" CD I have burned is a CAM VCD of "Run Lola Run" on 2 Taiyo Yuden's and about half way through either disc, the discs seemingly vanishes from the drive (1 disc has obvious bit rot). But I have a 2 disc CAM VCD of Toy Story 2 on Verbatim "Azure" (deep blue, thermal printable) where both discs read fine. It's always hit or miss with optical discs, don't trust it long term.

Contrast the above with the fact that I have a couple Quantum HDDs older than those VCDs that still read fine without anything fancy.

[SourRot]

In addition: Use an external HDD. The price per GB or TB is at least competitive or cheaper than burning the cheapest discs.

Buy a Pioneer in your region while a few are still available. Not long anymore.

Thank you for the recommendations. Currently I do use HDDs but my worry is that if it gets dropped or something then I might lose a big portion of my collection, but if I drop a disc then the worst case is that I'll lose a small part of it. Either way though I'd still like to have a physical collection for novelty and nostalgia. Would Pioneer still be a good choice?

[SourRot]

I think most people are storing their movie collection on spinning hard drives, not SSDs. The cost per TB is much lower which makes having a backup an affordable option.

That's what I'm doing currently, but I'm worried about losing a large part of my collection if it gets dropped/damaged. I also like the idea of having a physical collection. I submitted an edit to my original post to reflect that as well

[SourRot]

... lasts longer than an SSD.

Incorrect, writable filesystems have the ability to heal themselves.

I've burned out quite literally several thousand CDs and about a thousand DVDs and when or if I read one today I never trust that they read error free, it's hit or miss. The oldest "media" CD I have burned is a CAM VCD of "Run Lola Run" on 2 Taiyo Yuden's and about half way through either disc, the discs seemingly vanishes from the drive (1 disc has obvious bit rot). But I have a 2 disc CAM VCD of Toy Story 2 on Verbatim "Azure" (deep blue, thermal printable) where both discs read fine. It's always hit or miss with optical discs, don't trust it long term.

Contrast the above with the fact that I have a couple Quantum HDDs older than those VCDs that still read fine without anything fancy.

Ah I see. I'll definitely be keeping all the original files on hard drives then. At this point my goal has turned into keeping a physical collection instead of a means of storage as it looks like I was way off base with the SSD remark lol. Thank you