SilverStone presents the 0.37-inch TOB03 ODD CD/DVD/BD/BDXL burner

Ever since music, movies and video games became available through online platforms like iTunes, Netflix and Steam, the optical discs took a step back from being the medium of choice for content distribution, and, subsequently, the optical disc drive (ODD) market shrunk to the point many optical media manufacturers refocused on other markets. Nowadays, the optical discs might still have the edge when it comes to data cold storage, as people need to free up space on their storage drives. Unlike all those companies that abandoned the ODD market, SilverStone is now looking to expand their product portfolio with their first ultra-slim CD/DVD/BD/BDXL burner. Primarily known for their quality chassis, PSUs, and coolers, Silverstone is making a bold move by introducing an (otherwise technically unexciting) drive, the 0.37-inch thick TOB03.

Thanks to its ultra-slim design, the drive is a viable solution for compact desktops or laptops. It looks like SilverStone has done some outsourcing as far as manufacturing goes, as the TOB03 drive is actually derived from Panasonic’s three-year old SATA 3.0 UJ272 drive. The ODD comes with a 2 MB underrun protection buffer, and is able to record BD-R SL/DL (25 GB/50 GB) discs at 6X CAV speeds, while BR-R TL/QL (100 GB/128 GB) can be recorded at 4x PCAV. UHD Blu-ray is not yet supported. SilverStone is shipping the drive with a slimline SATA adapter.

The TOB03 supports reading and writing for the following standards:
•    CD (CD, CD-R, CD-RW, HS-RW, US-RW)
•    DVD (DVD, DVD±R, DVD±R DL, DVD±RW, DVD-RAM)
•    Blu-ray (BD, BD-R SL/DL/TL/QL, BD-RE SL/DL/TL)  

SilverStone states that their ODD will be available from select partners in the coming weeks. Pricing for the TOB03 drive should vary between US$70 – 90, depending on retailer.

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