I bought a Sandberg USB DVD drive for my 2021 MacBook Pro, but connecting it does not produce any indication that the Mac recognizes it. I have tried four movie DVDs, and VLC reports that it cannot play "non-UDF" DVDs. The drive came with two USB cables, and I'm unsure whether both need to be connected or whether the drive is receiving enough power. Is there a way to diagnose the connection and play these DVDs?
3 Answers
Start by checking whether the drive itself is being detected, rather than troubleshooting VLC first. Try connecting both USB cables as described in the drive’s instructions, since the second cable may provide additional power. Then check the Mac’s System Information or Disk Utility to see whether an optical drive appears. Restarting the Mac with the drive connected is also worth trying.
Test the drive with different media if possible, such as a data DVD or audio CD. If it cannot read any disc, the likely causes are insufficient USB power, a faulty cable, or a defective drive. Since you’re using a MacBook with USB-C ports, make sure the adapter or hub supports the drive properly and try another port. If the drive works but movie discs fail, then the issue is more likely DVD format or playback support in VLC.
The “non-UDF” message suggests VLC is having trouble reading the disc’s filesystem, but that error does not prove the drive is working correctly. First confirm that macOS sees the optical drive and that the disc appears in Finder or Disk Utility. If the drive is detected but commercial movie DVDs still fail, the discs may be copy-protected or incompatible with the drive/software, and another macOS-compatible DVD playback method may be needed.
I connected the drive but nothing appeared on screen, so I wasn’t sure whether macOS had detected it or whether VLC was simply failing to play the discs.