Weak Macbook super drive

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Liver

Supreme [H]ardness
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Oct 24, 2005
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My Macbook specs: Core Duo (not C2D), 2 gigs, and superdrive that came with that model (I don't know which one), fully updated (including the latest firmware upgrade from Apple).

I think one of the true tests of an optical drive's error correction is the ability to read disks from Netflix. I am using my Macbook as my primary DVD player as I am moving around alot. I am outputting from the digital port to an HDTV.

However that is not the issue. The disks have to be in PRISTINE condition for the drive to read them. Any blemish sends the video crashing.

Compared to my Windows gamer, which will read anything. however it is a desktop, with an NEC drive in it. Do not want to get it in the living room. So now I have to rip on the gamer and transfer over the network to play movies, if I really want to see that title.

Is there a better way given what I got? Is there a better way spending just a little more?

Like get an external drive and connect via firewire?

Is the drive in the current Mac Book Pros (santa rosa) better?

I'd much rather NOT get a standalone DVD player, seems like a waste. Also I like ripping the disks to the drive and playing. Smoother playback.

Advice?
 
Hey, not trying to be a smart ass, and I know you said it's a waste and you might be right for your case, but you can buy a DVD player for like 20 bucks. If I watched a lot of DVDs (and hell, you have a netflix subscription!) I don't think I could handle lugging my laptop and hooking it up to a cable and power and etc, etc, etc every time I wanted to watch a DVD. My vote is buy a DVD player :p


edit: OP: sorry for not helping with your actual problem. I know next to nothing at the moment about Apple products, and certainly not much about their optical drives :(
 
yea buy a dvd player, and just use your mac on the go. as for the whole "my desktop dvd drive is better than my mac drive"... Size does matter, those 5.25" drives will always probably be better AND FASTER cause of the size they have. the slot loads on the macs are a litle different. My MBP matshita (or whatever haha) is udder garbage. the drive inside my CD MB 1.83 is just a cdrw, but it reads everything, even stuff my HOME DVD PLAYER wont.

thats why im a little surprised.
 
Have you tried cleaning it? A dusty laser will cause all sorts of problems.
 
you might have a faulty drive or something might be in there.....
also, what are you using to play the DVD's? VLC locks up on me sometimes while playing DVD's.
A lot of people are suggesting to buy a DVD player for a TV......I for one don't own a TV....just my macbook, and I watch all my DVD's on it fine.
 
His Superdrive should be playing DVDs.... Buying a standalone player shouldn't be an option to circumvent the problem.

Is the MB still under warranty? If so try calling Apple or visit an Apple store.
 
synergyo1 said:
His Superdrive should be playing DVDs.... Buying a standalone player shouldn't be an option to circumvent the problem.

Is the MB still under warranty? If so try calling Apple or visit an Apple store.
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I agree. Which is why I said sorry for my less than 10% helpful comment :(
 
The original Macbooks had that sorry ass Matsushita POS drive in them, so there isn't much you can really do about it unless you're brave and you purchase something better like one of the Pioneer slot loaders (a PROPER SuperDrive, I might add) and swap the drives out.

One reason I returned two different Macbooks last year was that drive because it really is the definition of "Piece Of Shit."

CDFreaks has a lot of people that hate it, the MacRumors forums people can't stand it, and at some forum online I found in the past, someone had made reports about how bad that drive was and Apple sicked their lawyers on the guy for some oddball reason to shush him up.

Didn't work. :D

But this only relates to the Core Duo Macbooks which is what the OP said he's got. They replaced the drives in the C2D series with a slightly better (note I said slightly) Matsushita model, but even so it's still a POS compared to a real Pioneer drive.
 
bbz_Ghost said:
The original Macbooks had that sorry ass Matsushita POS drive in them, so there isn't much you can really do about it unless you're brave and you purchase something better like one of the Pioneer slot loaders (a PROPER SuperDrive, I might add) and swap the drives out.

One reason I returned two different Macbooks last year was that drive because it really is the definition of "Piece Of Shit."

CDFreaks has a lot of people that hate it, the MacRumors forums people can't stand it, and at some forum online I found in the past, someone had made reports about how bad that drive was and Apple sicked their lawyers on the guy for some oddball reason to shush him up.

Didn't work. :D

But this only relates to the Core Duo Macbooks which is what the OP said he's got. They replaced the drives in the C2D series with a slightly better (note I said slightly) Matsushita model, but even so it's still a POS compared to a real Pioneer drive.
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That is EXACTLY what is happening. I had not an idea that it was widespread, but I thought it might be given the cheap hardware.

It is still under warranty (three year), but like I mentioned it plays DVDs, but once a small error is encountered . . . game over.

Sucks to know that the MacBook Pros suffer from the same fate. I will upgrade in the next 6 months, and sucks that this specific problem will continue.

What Pioneer superdrive do you recommend, or additional link to research? Any guides on drive replacement?

Thanks
 
The problem with the Macbooks - and this is why Apple couldn't do anything about it with the 1st generation Macbooks - is that the particular Matsushita drive they chose is shorter than a "normal" laptop drive is. Normal drives are about 12.5 mm (1/2 inch) and that Matsushita one is 9.5 mm; it's a custom drive Apple required from Matsushita specifically for the Macbooks.

The Macbook Pros have full height 12.5 mm drives in them, so you can easily see the issue: there really was no other drive they could fit into a Macbook, and even now they're still using Matsushita drives in the newest Macbooks, but newer and better operating models. Your only real option would be to purchase a bare OEM drive that's currently in the newer Macbooks and then replace yours with that one.

No one makes 9.5 mm height optical drives except Matsushita that I'm aware of. Sorry. :(

You could always use an external, of course. At least it would work.
 
mine wasn't an issue at all until recently... now it just kinda growls and throws the disc back out. it used to read anything just fine; might be dirty?

I know how to take apart the MacBook and get to and remove the drive, but I don't know how to clean it. any links to a how-to there?
 
Optional87 said:
mine wasn't an issue at all until recently... now it just kinda growls and throws the disc back out. it used to read anything just fine; might be dirty?

I know how to take apart the MacBook and get to and remove the drive, but I don't know how to clean it. any links to a how-to there?
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Just get Apple to fix it. I'm having my DVD drive replaced. All I did was say that it's noisy and reads discs "poorly" and they're giving me a new one.
 
CEpeep said:
Just get Apple to fix it. I'm having my DVD drive replaced. All I did was say that it's noisy and reads discs "poorly" and they're giving me a new one.
Click to expand...

alright. guess i will do that in the upcoming week then.
 
CEpeep said:
Just get Apple to fix it. I'm having my DVD drive replaced. All I did was say that it's noisy and reads discs "poorly" and they're giving me a new one.
Click to expand...


Excellent. That is what I will do then. Unfortunately I have all my financial information on this computer. Don't want to give up the computer for the data. I will replace it once I replace the computer. Thanks for the excellent help.
 
Liver said:
Excellent. That is what I will do then. Unfortunately I have all my financial information on this computer. Don't want to give up the computer for the data. I will replace it once I replace the computer. Thanks for the excellent help.
Click to expand...

Uh, they don't replace the computer, just the DVD drive. If you're worried about some tech snooping around your data (they have better things to do, I assure you), zero the drive before sending it to Apple.
 
the Superdrive sucks in the macbook speedwise. I mean it does do what I wat it to do, but its extremely slow.
 
CEpeep said:
Uh, they don't replace the computer, just the DVD drive. If you're worried about some tech snooping around your data (they have better things to do, I assure you), zero the drive before sending it to Apple.
Click to expand...

I know they will not replace anything else.

The may get my information or they may fark it up. So when I get the MBP, I'll transfer the data, and then do a fresh, clean install. Then send it back. Gotta love the three year warranty.
 
Just take your hard drive out before shipping it off. There is no reason they'd need it at all, so remove it and just keep it at home. I'd even pull out my RAM if I'd purchased some better or higher capacity sticks.

After working with computers for 30+ years, I don't take chances after all the horror stories I've heard and seen firsthand, especially when it comes to sending equipment back to the factory/manufacturer.

"If it can go wrong it will..."

Murphy was a fuckin' genius. :)
 
bbz_Ghost said:
Just take your hard drive out before shipping it off. There is no reason they'd need it at all, so remove it and just keep it at home. I'd even pull out my RAM if I'd purchased some better or higher capacity sticks.

After working with computers for 30+ years, I don't take chances after all the horror stories I've heard and seen firsthand, especially when it comes to sending equipment back to the factory/manufacturer.

"If it can go wrong it will..."

Murphy was a fuckin' genius. :)
Click to expand...

you think they would even work on it if I took out the memory and hard drive? That would be ideal. Maybe I should call a retail store. Any experience with sending the laptop missing the hard drive and memory?
 
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