Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

**UPDATE: Looks like LG changed their bundles on this drive. If you order the "Bare Bones" version you will NOT get any included software. **UPDATE 2: I'm now on Windows 10. Everything below still applies.** **UPDATE 3: Added software alternatives in bottom of the review. Amazon removes any links in a review, but you can find any of the software named below easily by typing the name of it into Google.** Most of the software included in these drives have better, free alternatives, or can be found in newer versions than what you'd get in the bundles, so this does not change my score.** I read some of the other reviews and want to comment on "compatibility" issues with Windows 8.1. It seemed odd to me, because windows uses a standard driver for optical drives and for this reason they rarely, if ever, suffer from the compatibility issues that less standardized hardware, such as printers and scanners, suffer from. Reading the reviews further I want to clarify that it seems the software that comes with the drive is not compatible with Windows 8.1 The drive itself works fine, as I can attest to. Truth is this drive costs way less than its competitors with similar features. For burning discs, lots of free software is available. For playback of Blu-Ray/DVD movies, you can use the money you save to purchase just about any suite you want, and get a full version for any OS. The drive itself works great. Much faster than my old Panasonic drive. Works with both Windows and Linux without incident. Low price. Recommended. Update: I recently tried out the software that comes with the drive. The drive is packed in with CyberLink Power Suite 10- most prominently PowerDVD10. That's an impressive bundle for an OEM drive. Unfortunately, as reported, PowerDVD 10 will not load in Windows 8.1 That being said, it WILL install, and by going through the program's menus I was given a link to purchase the far more powerful and Windows 8.1 compatible PowerDVD 13 Ultra at 50% off. Not too shabby. This being an OEM drive it's impressive it even comes with software. Hence, I provide this warning for potential buyers, but this issue does not affect my score. SOFTWARE: I've added in software that will work for this drive. I don't have a Mac so my recommendations are windows only. 1. For burning DATA disks (to be used on a computer): A. Windows 10 has built in support that works just fine. B. For Windows 8, and probably anything before that, you can use the free CDBurnerXP. 2. For movie playback: A. For DVD on Windows 10 you MAY be eligible for a free player from Microsoft. VLC MIGHT work, your mileage may vary: B. For Blu-Ray there are not any free players- mostly. There are complicated workarounds beyond the scope of this review. I recommend Cyberlink PowerDVD.