Having extensively studied the internal DVD writers (all cheap, but often there is a catch, either: noise, burning quality, no cable or hardware, no software, etc.), and returned an internal burner Plextor too noisy for my taste, DVD playback, what a pleasure to have this Samsung! And all this is cheaper and less complicated than the Blu-ray, including consumables. Most: + Compact, attractive design + Relatively silent reading (1,80m me, I do not hear it when I'm watching a DVD with soundtrack) + Accepts lot of reading and writing formats + 12 comes with Nero Express. + The DVD to burn 8.5 GB are affordable (USB sticks backups are not ideal) + There is still money to buy the Blu-ray later if necessary. Cons: - USB cable too short.