Laptops haven't had disc drives for years, and yet the demand for a DVD drive keeps coming back — usually at the moment something needs to be done: digitizing an old family movie, installing software from a CD, or finally getting a collection of music CDs into your library. This article explains the different versions available, what to look for, and for which tasks an external drive is still the fastest answer in 2026.
Player or burner: what's the difference?
A player reads discs: playing DVDs, listening to CDs, or extracting files from a disc. A burner can also write: recording your own files onto blank DVDs and CDs. Most external drives today are both in one device — so you rarely buy just a player. The difference mainly lies in what you are going to do with it: just watching and copying to your laptop, or also creating your own discs for the car, family, or archives.
Which tasks do you still need one for?
- ✔ Securing old family DVDs — holiday movies, weddings, and birthdays are often only on disc. Discs slowly age; you're better off copying them to your computer or an external drive this year rather than in ten years
- ✔ Ripping music CDs — converting a collection of CDs into files that you can have on your phone or in your library
- ✔ Software and drivers on CD — equipment, machinery, and older programs that can only be installed with the included disc
- ✔ Car and collectors — car radios that play CDs and people who want to keep their collection on disc
- ✔ Sharing large files without internet — or simply: giving a disc to someone who doesn't use cloud services
In short: it's a device that you only need a few times a year, at which point it becomes indispensable — and the rest of the time it sits in a drawer. That is exactly why an external, compact model is more convenient than a built-in one.
What to look for when choosing
Connection. USB 3.0 is fast enough for ripping and burning without glitches. If your laptop only has USB-C, a simple adapter or hub will suffice — most drives work perfectly fine through such a connector.
Power. Make sure the drive receives power through the same USB cable as the data: this makes it completely portable, without a separate power adapter. Some older models require a second USB plug for extra power — good to know if your laptop has limited ports.
Compatibility. External drives work as plug-and-play on Windows and macOS: plug it in and the drive appears, no drivers required. You can burn using the standard software of your operating system — you generally don't need an extra program for that.
Protective case. A small detail that makes a difference in terms of lifespan: a drive that travels loose in a bag is exposed to dust and bumps. Models that include a case last noticeably longer.
Watching DVDs on TV instead of on the laptop
If you want your disc collection on the big screen, an external USB drive is not the right path: that works with a computer, not with a TV. For that, there is the standalone DVD player with HDMI which you connect directly to the TV and plays DVDs in 1080P — including self-burned discs with family recordings. For a true film night on a large scale, combine it with a projector; you can read how that choice compares to a TV in "Projector or TV: which one should you choose?".
Practical: how to digitize your old discs
- Connect the drive and wait for it to appear in your File Explorer or Finder
- Copy the files from the disc to a folder on your computer — give folders an immediately recognizable name including the year, otherwise you'll be looking at "VIDEO_TS" in a month without knowing what it is
- Put a copy in a second location — an external drive or cloud. One copy is no backup
- Do not discard the discs as long as you haven't reviewed the files; perform random checks to ensure everything is readable
If copying freezes on a single disc, try wiping it clean with a soft cloth from the inside out (not in circles) — scratches and fingerprints are the most common cause of read errors.
Frequently asked questions
Does an external DVD player work on every laptop?
Yes, via USB: plug it in and the drive appears automatically — plug-and-play on Windows and macOS, without separate drivers. If your laptop only has USB-C ports, it works with a simple USB adapter or hub.
Can I make my own discs with an external DVD burner?
Yes, most external drives are both a player and a burner: writing to DVDs and CDs works with the standard burning function of Windows and macOS. Useful for backups of family movies, music CDs for the car, and sharing large files without internet.
Do I need extra software to burn?
Usually not: Windows and macOS have built-in functions to write files to a disc. For special applications — for example, creating a DVD menu or cloning a disc image — you use additional software, but for regular files and music, the operating system is sufficient.
Can I watch DVDs on my TV with an external drive?
No, a USB drive works with a computer. For DVDs on a TV, you use a DVD player with an HDMI connection that you connect directly to the device — it plays both original movies and self-burned discs.
Want to make your disc collection usable again? Check out the external DVD players and burners from Strex — USB 3.0, plug-and-play, with or without a case. You can find more peripherals at computer accessories.
