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BestBlu-ray Drives for MaciMore2020

Blu-ray discs are the gold standard in physical video formats right now. You probably have a decent Blu-ray collection of your favorite movies, but without a Blu-ray drive, you can't play them on your Mac. Blu-rays aren't just great for movies; they also make great storage devices for backups or other relevant data as well. If you want to play, read, or write Blu-ray discs with your Mac, you're going to need to start with an excellent Blu-ray drive. Here are our favorite Blu-ray drives for Mac.

Budget option: SEA TECH Blu-ray drive

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Login to OneDrive with your Microsoft or Office 365 account. Microsoft Image Mastering API v2 must be installed. I inserted a blank DVD in my DVD-ROM drive, but the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool doesn't recognize it. If there are multiple drives on the system, the tool will select the first one that is capable of burning DVDs. If you have multiple DVD-R drives, try inserting the blank DVD into.

Completely compatible with Mac, you won't need to reformat or install anything to get the SEA TECH Blu-ray drive to talk to your Mac. Plus, it uses a USB 3.0 connection, meaning all your data transferring is happening at the fast speed of USB 3.0!

$87 at Amazon

Fast write speeds: Pioneer BDR-XD05

The Pioneer BDR-XD05's 6x write speeds on single-layer and dual-layer discs, and up to 4x max write speeds on quad-layer discs, which makes it one of the faster drives around. Compatible with Mac right out of the box, it also has a quiet mode, so it won't make a ton of noise when you're using the drive.

$110 at Amazon

Windows and Mac compatible: ASUS BW-16D1X-U

The ASUS 12X Blu-ray drive has a 16X burning speed, which is among the fastest of the optical drives out there. Plus, by using a USB 3.0 connection, the ASUS BW-16D1X-U Blu-ray drive can also write data much faster than other drives that still use USB 2.0. The drive is formatted both for Mac and Windows, so you don't have to worry about reformatting the drive if you want to switch back and forth between operating systems.

$148 at Amazon

Includes Cyberlink Media Suite: Buffalo MediaStation 6x Portable BDXL Blu-Ray Writer

Download Microsoft Access For Mac

For both Mac and Windows, this beautifully designed reader offers BDXL support for high capacity disc-writing for Blu-ray discs, DVDs, and CDs. It also includes M-Disc support for longer life recordings. Included is the Cyberlink Media Suite, which offers Blu-ray and DVD burning and playback tools.

$85 at Amazon

M-Disc compatible: OWC Mercury Pro

Housed in an aluminum casing, the OWC Mercury Pro may be a bit bulky and boxy, but what it lacks in looks it makes up for in performance. This 16X drive is fast at burning Blu-Ray discs, and it's even compatible with M-Disc, so your archives will last much longer. The drive also uses USB 3.0, giving you a much faster connection speed, and it comes with all the cable you need in the box!

$147 at Newegg

Don't forget the software

When it comes to playing Blu-rays on your Mac, you're going to need software as well as an external drive, and sometimes that software can be expensive. For that reason, I think the SEA TECH Blu-ray drive is worth a look for people who just want to watch Blu-ray movies.

Of course, if you plan on using Blu-rays for hard copies of your work, document, files, and general back up, it's probably worth the dishing out the extra cash for a drive like the ASUS BW-16D1X-U. It just has way more power than those slimmer drives and will help you transfer all your data to disc a lot faster.

Either way, you'll need one of the great drives listed above if you want to watch or burn any Blu-rays on your Mac.

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This article is for IT administrators managing OneDrive settings in work or school environments. If you're not an IT administrator, read Get started with the new OneDrive sync app on Mac OS X.

Manage OneDrive settings on macOS using property list (Plist) files

Use the following keys to preconfigure or change settings for your users. The keys are the same whether you run the store edition or the standalone edition of the sync app, but the property list file name and domain name will be different. When you apply the settings, make sure to target the appropriate domain depending on the edition of the sync app.

Microsoft Mac Downloads

Standalone	Mac App Store
PList Location	~/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.OneDrive.plist	~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.OneDrive-mac/Data/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.OneDrive-mac.plist
Domain	com.microsoft.OneDrive	com.microsoft.OneDrive-mac

Drive Microsoft Mac 2016

Deploy the sync app settings

Deploy the settings on macOS in the typical way:

1. Quit the OneDrive application.

2. Define the settings you want to change by creating a Plist with the values, or use a script to set the default values.

3. Deploy the settings onto the local computer.

4. Refresh the preferences cache.

   On the next start of OneDrive, the new settings will be picked up.

Overview of settings

The following table lists all the settings that are currently exposed for the OneDrive sync app. You need to configure the parameters in parentheses.

Setting	Description	Parameters	Example Plist Entry
Disable personal accounts	Blocks users from signing in and syncing files in personal OneDrive accounts. If this key is set after a user has set up sync with a personal account, the user will be signed out.	DisablePersonalSync (Bool): When set to true, this parameter prevents users from adding or syncing personal accounts.	<key>DisablePersonalSync</key> <(Bool)/>
Default folder location	Specifies the default location of the OneDrive folder for each organization	TenantID (String): TenantID determines which accounts the default folder location setting should apply to. Find your Office 365 tenant ID DefaultFolderPath (String): DefaultFolder specifies the default folder location. Mac App Store: The path must already exist when users set up the sync app. Standalone: The path will be created on users' computers if it doesn't already exist. Only with the Standalone sync app can you prevent users from changing the location.	<key>Tenants</key> <dict> <key>(TenantID)</key> <dict> <key>DefaultFolder</key> <string>(DefaultFolderPath)</string> </dict> </dict>
Automatic upload bandwidth percentage	Enables the sync app to automatically set the amount of bandwidth used based on available bandwidth for uploading files	AutomaticUploadBandwidthPercentage (int): This parameter determines the percentage of local upload bandwidth that the sync app can use. Accepted values are from 1 through 99.	<key>AutomaticUploadBandwidthPercentage</key> <int>(Bandwidth)</int>
Set maximum upload throughput	Sets the maximum upload throughput rate in kilobytes (KB)/sec for computers running the OneDrive sync app	UploadBandwidthLimited (int): This parameter determines the upload throughput in KB/sec that the sync app can use. The minimum rate is 50 KB/sec and the maximum rate is 100,000 KB/sec.	<key>UploadBandwidthLimited</key> <int>(Upload Throughput Rate in KB/sec)</int>
Set maximum download throughput	Sets the maximum download throughput rate in kilobytes (KB)/sec for computers running the OneDrive sync app	DownloadBandwidthLimited (int): This parameter determines the download throughput in KB/sec that the sync app can use. The minimum rate is 50 KB/sec and the maximum rate is 100,000 KB/sec.	<key>DownloadBandwidthLimited</key> <int>(Download Throughput Rate in KB/sec)</int>
Dock icon	Specifies whether a dock icon for OneDrive is shown	HideDockIcon (Bool): When set to true, this parameter hides the OneDrive dock icon even when the application is running.	<key>HideDockIcon</key> <(Bool)/>
Open at login	Specifies whether OneDrive starts automatically when the user logs in	OpenAtLogin (Bool): When set to true, OneDrive will start automatically when the user logs in on the Mac.	<key>OpenAtLogin</key> <(Bool)/>
Enable Files On-Demand	Specifies whether Files On-Demand is enabled. If you don't set this setting, Files On-Demand will be enabled automatically as we roll out the feature, and users can turn the setting on or off	FilesOnDemandEnabled (Bool): When set to true, new users who set up the sync app will download online-only files by default. When set to false, Files On-Demand will be disabled and users won't be able to turn it on.	<key>FilesOnDemandEnabled</key> <(Bool)/>
Disable download toasts	Prevents toasts from appearing when applications cause file contents to be downloaded	DisableHydrationToast (Bool): When set to true, toasts will not appear when applications trigger the download of file contents.	<key>DisableHydrationToast</key> <(Bool)/>
Block apps from downloading online-only files	Prevents applications from automatically downloading online-only files. You can use this setting to lock down applications that don't work correctly with your deployment of Files On-Demand.	HydrationDisallowedApps (String): Json in the following format [{'ApplicationId':'appId','MaxBundleVersion':'1.1','MaxBuildVersion':'1.0'}] 'AppID' can be either the BSD process name or the bundle display name. MaxBuildVersion denotes the maximum build version of the application that will be blocked. MaxBundleVersion denotes the maximum bundle version of the application that will be blocked	<key>HydrationDisallowedApps </key> <string> [{'ApplicationId':'appId','MaxBundleVersion':'1.1','MaxBuildVersion':'1.0'}, {'ApplicationId':'appId2','MaxBundleVersion':'3.2','MaxBuildVersion':'2.0'}]</string> <(Bool)/>
SharePoint Server Front Door URL	Specifies the SharePoint Server 2019 on-premises URL that the OneDrive sync app should try to authenticate and sync against	SharePointOnPremFrontDoorUrl (string): The URL of the on-premises SharePoint Server.	<key>SharePointOnPremFrontDoorUrl</key> <string>https://Contoso.SharePoint.com</string>
SharePoint Server Tenant Name	Specifies the name of the folder created for syncing the SharePoint Server 2019 files specified in the Front Door URL.	SharePointOnPremTenantName (string): The name that will be used when creating a folder to sync the on-premises SharePoint Server files. If specified, the folder names will take the form of: OneDrive – TenantName TenantName If not specified, the folder names will use the first segment of the FrontDoorURL as the Tenant Name. Example - https://Contoso.SharePoint.com will use Contoso as the Tenant Name	<key>SharePointOnPremTenantName</key> <string>Contoso</string>
SharePoint OnPrem Prioritization	For hybrid scenarios where the email is the same for both SharePoint Server on-premises and SharePoint Online, determines whether or not the client should set up sync for SharePoint Server or SharePoint Online first during the first-run scenario.	SharePointOnPremPrioritizationPolicy (int): This parameter determines which service to attempt to authenticate against for setting up sync. 1 indicates OneDrive should setup SharePoint Server on-premises first, followed by SharePoint Online.	<key>SharePointOnPremPrioritizationPolicy</key> <int>(0 or 1)</int>
BlockExternalSync	Prevents the sync app from syncing libraries and folders shared from other organizations.	BlockExternalSync (Bool): Set to true to prevent syncing OneDrive for Business and SharePoint libraries and folders from organizations other than the user's own organization. Set to false or do not include the setting to allow. Learn about OneDrive B2B Sync.	<key>BlockExternalSync</key> <(Bool)/>

You can also configure the OneDrive Standalone sync app to receive delayed updates.

PList Location	~/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.OneDriveUpdater.plist
Domain	com.microsoft.OneDriveUpdater

Drive Microsoft App

Setting	Description	Parameters	Example Plist Entry
Tier	Defines the update ring for the computer	UpdateRing (String): This parameter has two different values. Production - The default update ring for OneDrive updates. Insiders - This update ring receives updates that are 'pre-production' and will allow you to play with features before they are released. Note that builds from this ring may be less stable. Enterprise - This update ring receives updates after they have rolled out through the Production ring. It also lets you control the deployment of updates. For more info about the update rings and how the sync app checks for updates, see The OneDrive sync app update process.	<key>Tier</key> <string>(UpdateRing)</string>