Does it play bluray right out of the box or do I need extra software? What about DVD and CD?

This optical drive can read data off of CD, DVD, and bluray discs, but to play the specially-formatted *presentations* typically found on each media (i.e. commercial movies) you will need appropriate software, none of which is included with this drive. These days most operating systems come with free CD audio and DVD video player software, but due to costly licensing most systems do *not* include bluray video player software, and likewise don't expect expensive multimedia suites like Nero to include an actual *bluray player* unless explicitly stated in the product description (I believe Nero 2014 was the last Nero suite to include it). You can find free bluray player software like VLC and Media Player Classic (MPC-HC), but they may not work properly if you don't have *other* software installed with the necessary drivers. I recommend AnyDVD which unlocks your optical drive on a per-disc basis so that not only can you use *any* free video player software, but it also disables annoying features like unskippable advertisments, and most importantly it lets you watch videos from any global region.

What are the key differences between the WH16NS40 and the BH16NS40 models?

I'm not sure about the "B" drive, but the Specification Sheet on Amazon and LG (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71pm4u6bGdL.pdf) clearly says the WH16NS40 includes software: "Cyberlink Software Included - Power2Go - PowerDVD - PowerBackup - PowerProducer"

Does this drive work with double layer disks?

Yes, most BR (blu ray) drives will read\write double layer DVDs. If they are a Double layer BR, they will read double layer BR discs. This is a BDXL drive... ...quad layering blu ray. Blu ray is like quad layer DVD, and quad of that... ...Well, you get the idea. 16 times the space at least, although, in binary terms that's more like 20 to 24 times, with the overhead of added metadata per track. The tracks are closer together, the material thinner, and less friendly in a mobile situation. However, recent tech has put out materials that are harder and less scratch prone even though thinner than CD\DVD coatings. M-disc is one such tech. Yes LG will give you a list of the disc brands they have tested with the drives at the factory. Most of those will work almost every time. But they do go bad. The material will get zapped by IR eventually unless it is written to before it deteriorates too much. Factory plates are much higher quality and carry far more resillient coatings, so you are better off getting media from an online factory plating company than from a store brand or other. Sony, and Verbatim are the most reliable, and are a bit more costly than the others. They will hold out much longer without use, and will work far more reliably. Others use lesser material and manufacture guidelines, are transported poorly contained and don't hold up to the wear and tear of shelves, let alone the spinning in a drive. Why not in the description? It's pointless to try and describe somebody else's poorly made product in the description of your well made product. It makes no sense. That would be like telling people that only certain kinds of chocolate syrup taste right in your specially farmed milk product (okay, bad puns abound, now stop laughing or and OMG-ing already). "Don't use the syrup from this company because they cannot tell the difference between cocoa and feces. Fair warning." Even M-Disc comes in several flavors... ...functional and "maybe". Functional would be the brands LG listed and especially those I confirmed. "Maybe" or "nope" would be those other guys (TDK, Memorex, pinnacle, pennex, etc). I've had decent luck even with the "Maybe" guys when I use discs with inkjet printable tops. The added layer of substrate protects the sensitive material that you burn data to. Other "printable" or "Marker" tops are thinner substrate. The thicker one also seems to be of help with the weight of the disc, as the burn speed, and even the spinup speed seem more consistent and smoother. This is even more evident with external burners that have limited power available, and lack the finer control and stability of an internal device. Note, however, that the device being sold here is an internal model, but can be put into an enclosure to make it external. I have had some luck with this as well.

Anyone running this Blu-Ray drive with Windows 10? Any known issues ?

Yep, working great with Windows 10. have only used it to watch Concerts and Movies. But I am on the Insider preview track for Win10 and I've had no issues with any of the builds. best drive for the price

Brand	LG
Product Dimensions	17.27 x 14.48 x 4.06 cm; 698.53 g
Item model number	WH16NS40
Manufacturer	LG ODD
Series	WH16NS40
Colour	Black and Grey
Form Factor	5.25 inches
Hard Drive Size	100.0, 128.0 GB
Hard Drive Interface	SATA 6 GB/s
Hardware Platform	PC
Operating System	['Windows XP', 'Windows']
Are Batteries Included	No
Item Weight	699 g
Guaranteed software updates until	unknown

LG WH16NS40 - Internal 16X Blu-ray Disc Rewriter, SATA, Black, PC, Windows XP/Vista/7/8 Compatible

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