Trouble deciding on drive

[pocketdrummer]

I'm stuck between getting the following:

• LG BP60NB10 ($107)
• Verbatim 43888 ($152)
• LG WH16NS40 w/ Vantec NexStar DX2 ($125)

The LG only has USB 2.0, but I'm not sure if it matters for this use case. Verbatim has USB-C, and the Vantec uses a USB type-b 3.0 connector.

Which of these would work best? I like the idea of a compact drive, but not if it will break faster than an internal.

[MartyMcNuts]

I'm stuck between getting the following:

• LG BP60NB10 ($107)
• Verbatim 43888 ($152)
• LG WH16NS40 w/ Vantec NexStar DX2 ($125)

The LG only has USB 2.0, but I'm not sure if it matters for this use case. Verbatim has USB-C, and the Vantec uses a USB type-b 3.0 connector.

Which of these would work best? I like the idea of a compact drive, but not if it will break faster than an internal.

Of the 3, I'd choose the Verbatim. At least it contains a pioneer drive inside.

[pocketdrummer]

So, I kept checking back to see if my thread posted, but I apparently kept clicking on the UHD Discs and not UHD Drives and thought it never went through. So, I ended up with the LG WH16NS40 w/ Vantec NexStar DX2.

Maybe I should make another thread for this, but I am having some issues ripping. I was able to go through maybe 5 Blurays, and then I got to a few that just sit there after I select the title file and start. The elapsed time keeps going up, but there's no progress bar or estimated time. Also, I can't cancel the operation. I've tried cleaning the disc, restarting the computer, trying an old version of MakeMKV, opening and closing the drive, and trying a different USB port. Those discs just won't rip.

I also ran into a new problem today where I got two hash type errors, but it says it finished "successfully". Clicking the link says it usually means a failing drive:

Code: Select all

The source file '/BDMV/STREAM/00003.m2ts' is corrupt or invalid at offset 6841516032, attempting to work around
The source file '/BDMV/STREAM/00003.m2ts' is corrupt or invalid at offset 6841516032, attempting to work around
The source file '/BDMV/STREAM/00003.m2ts' is corrupt or invalid at offset 6841516032, attempting to work around
Too many AV synchronization issues in file '/BDMV/STREAM/00003.m2ts' (title #-) , future messages will be printed only to log file
AV synchronization issues were found in file 'G:/Video/LOGICAL_VOLUME_ID/m_t00.mkv' (title #1)
AV sync issue in stream 0 at 0:35:47.228 : video frame timecode differs by +41.705ms
AV sync issue in stream 0 at 1:49:32.524 : video stream has 1 frames with invalid timecodes
AV sync issue in stream 3 at 0:00:00 : Forced subtitles track #3 turned out to be empty and was removed from output file
AV sync issue in stream 5 at 0:00:00 : Forced subtitles track #5 turned out to be empty and was removed from output file
Encountered 2 errors of type 'HashCheck Error' - see http://www.makemkv.com/errors/hashcheck/...

Is this common, or should I be concerned and return this thing?

[dcoke22]

As a general rule of thumb, if MakeMKV produces an output file, then it is good. If MakeMKV encounters an error it can't recover from, the rip fails and no output file is produced.

Messages like this:

Code: Select all

The source file '/BDMV/STREAM/00003.m2ts' is corrupt or invalid at offset 6841516032, attempting to work around

mean the drive was having trouble reading data at that location. Usually it is because the disc is dirty or damaged. It might also be because the optics of the drive are dirty or because the drive is failing. It is hard to tell from just one message on one disc. The standard advice is to gently clean the disc and try again if MakeMKV didn't produce a rip.

There's a lot of empirical data to suggest that Pioneer drives deal with marginal discs better than other drives. This is why MartyMcNuts suggested the Verbatim 43888 from the 3 on your list; the innards of that unit are made by Pioneer, although it is an older design.

There are even better Pioneer drives than the Verbatim, but to get one with old firmware that'll work with MakeMKV, you have to buy them from a seller in your region.

At a minimum, you should probably return the LG and get the Verbatim. They're roughly the same cost and the Verbatim is probably better. If you can afford one of the better Pioneers, that's the best option. No drive is perfect, but my Pioneer seems to be able to read a lot of discs that my LG drive stumbles on.

If you do this long enough, you'll end up with multiple drives.