This $19 USB Gadget On Amazon Lets You Finally Watch All Your Old DVDs Again

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It's time for physical media to make a comeback. With streaming services constantly adding and removing content, it can be hard to find the location of your favorite shows and movies. Physical media eliminates this hunt, and it's one reason Gen Z is ditching streaming for physical media. For Amazon Prime members with an interest in dusting off their old media collection or starting a new one, there's an external disk reader on that has a rather sizable discount.

If you have some old DVDs or CDs lying around, the Rioddas External CD/DVD Disk Reader Drive can be good for playing old media, or you can take advantage of its writing capabilities to burn new discs. With a design that features a brushed textured shell and an option for embedding your cable so it doesn't get lost, it also has wide compatibility with a number of operating systems and media. Amazon users give this one the green light, and there are a couple of more features that can make it a nice option, as well.

Considering computers don't typically come with optical disk drives (ODD) anymore, this one can make a solid addition to your machine. A good thing to remember is that you can use it to make file backups aside from just watching your old physical media. However, remember that all Amazon Prime members are getting this deal. Along with free shipping discounts on certain items, there are also some hidden Amazon Prime Membership perks users may not know about.

The Rioddas External CD/DVD Disk Reader Drive is available to Amazon Prime members for $18.99, allowing them to save a good amount on the typical listing price. Though this drive relies on USB-A 3.0 (and is compatible with USB 2.0 ports), there is an option to add USB-C support through the available link for a higher price. However, note that this reader only supports CDs and DVDs — it does not support Blu-ray discs.

Connecting via the USB-A plug, this external CD/DVD drive automatically detects your machine when making a connection. It's compatible with Windows 11 through Windows XP, macOS 10.16 and up, and Linux. Unfortunately, it does not support ChromeOS. With max optical storage reading and writing speeds of 24x for CDs and 8x for DVDs, the drive is capable of supporting a variety of CD and DVD formats, including rewritables. There's also a physical eject button for removing media, even if your computer doesn't recognize the drive.

On Amazon, the drive holds a 4.3-star rating with over 40,100 reviews. Users give this one high marks for its overall functionality and plug-and-play capabilities, while also stating it can be a good value for the money. Rating it highly for its speeds, some customers do report having compatibility issues. Nonetheless, with 83% of customers giving this one four stars or higher, it can be a cool Amazon gadget you can get for less than $20.