Blu-Ray support

I'm new to the forums, and new to the notebook owner scene. I'm a fairly experienced desktop computer geek, though. My question is regarding the ODD of the ASUS laptops. My friend is wanting to sell me his N50v notebook. It's everything I'm looking for, except it doesn't have a BD-ROM. I've read the FAQ already, so I know that they can be upgraded/changed. What I'm unsure of has more to do with Blu-Ray drives and their compatibility in size and standard connections. Would something like

http://estore.asus.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=4624&catid=606

work in an N50v system? And for that matter, I was also considering an HP HDX or Gateway FX, neither of which come with the BD-ROM in the models I'm considering. Would I be able to replace the standard DVD-ROM with a BD later if I choose? Thanks ahead of time for any input I can get....

 

Most internal BD-ROM's will work

The model that is in my N50vn is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118010

Not sure about the Asus one you listed, I couldn't make sense of it. But either buy internal like the one above, or you could buy a USB enclosure and buy a desktop version for likely less money. You would also need Bluray Playback software such as Corel InterDVD, or Cyberlink PowerDVD Ultra.

 

Am I wrong to assume the software required (as well as the drivers) will come with an internal player? I know every DVD-ROM drive I've bought has come with whole suites of software I may or may not ever use.

I'm mostly just worried about the size of a 3rd party drive as well as connections.

 

You have to buy a retail player to get playback software. OEM drives won't have this with it.

 

Okay... now I have a few more questions (Sorry!). So my friend has the Asus g50vt, not the n50. I looked at the pics of it online and it appears that the optical drive has a face that's slightly angled toward the front of the machine. If I were to replace the drive, does that face plate come off so I could put it on the new blu-ray drive? Or will a standard OEM drive even fit in that slot?? Anyone with experience with this care to weigh in? Or at least someone with the g50vt that can tell me if it's the faceplate that's angled or the drive tray itself....

 

The faceplate is going to be angled (Asus has done this before on previous models), not the drive tray itself.

Std SATA OEM drive should fit, but a BD one will need its own drivers. OEM drives do NOT come with drivers, unless a disc is (sometimes) supplied along with the drive - you have to go hunt those up on your own, starting with the manufacturer.

As for the faceplate placement - these can generally be pulled off the Asus one, but whether it can be cleanly mounted on a different OEM one (via superglue or something else) is hit and miss since the G50 faceplate's contact points may be in different locations. So, you might have to use the faceplate that comes with the replacement (which isn't going to match the G50 chassis), and whether you can live with that is for you to decide.