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It is best to have a variety of brands and models. A reliable desktop Pioneer drive that I have had for more than a year, and a reliable desktop LG drive that I have had for nearly 10 years, have been able to read discs without errors that the other drive could not read or (sometimes) even mount. So...

Use multiple desktop drive models. I recommend starting with an ASUS or an LG with ASUS firmware. This disables the LG jamless playback feature which produces bad data in error regions. LG portable/laptop drives do not have ASUS firmware available, and I have my doubts about how Pioneer laptop drive...

No, I am copying the encrypted data and forming a disc image, not decrypted, from the DVD. Decryption happens later, after the data rescue step.

The list at the beginning of this thread suggests that this BDR-TD05AS might be able to have LibreDrive enabled. I sent a firmware dump, but am not sure what happens after that. Drive Information Current profile: BD-ROM Manufacturer: PIONEER Product: BD-RW BDR-TD05AS Revision: 1.01 Firmware date: 20...

Yes, the two colored lenses on a springy carriage are what to clean gently with alcohol on a cotton swab, then wipe dry with the dry end of the cotton swab. The red laser is under a lens that reflects blue light outward, and the blue laser is under a lens that reflects red light outward. My 9.5 year...

Yes, you read the data from the disc and copy it into an image file. That image file is mountable and can then be decrypted, or you can use MakeMKV integration to play the DVD image as if playing an encrypted DVD. Rescuing data is a lot easier if you have multiple copies of the disc, even if they ar...

New discs and disc cases can have oily residue on them from manufacturing. I was amused by the fingerprints on various discs in a new, shrinkwrapped box set that I purchased. I wash all discs and cases that I receive (new or used) before trying to read the discs. I have seen descriptions of elaborat...

A couple of times, I reached the Cloudflare connectivity page that shows good connections to Cloudflare, but no connection to the forum server.

I have an LG BH30N that I would like to disable jamless playback with, so I wonder if it any ASUS firmware can be used to flash the drive. Drive Information Current profile: BD-ROM Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST Product: BD-RE BH30N Revision: A102 Firmware date: 2009-09-14 12:34:56 Highest AACS version: 81 ...

I tried doing data rescue from a damaged DVD using ddrescue with a Pioneer BDR-TD05AS that is new to me, and was surprised that a rescue of supposedly 100% produced garbled video. I associate this behavior with LG drives and their "Jamless" playback feature, which handles damaged areas of ...

That is normal for LG drives. I note both serial numbers in my records. Pioneer drives use the same number for both the label and the internal reporting.

Yes, but mystified why a drive that is not obscure or recent, and seems to be listed in the known drives list, needs FW submitted.

MakeMKV 1.18.2 did a firmware dump for a Pioneer BDR-208DBK with a request to send it to support@, which was a surprise. It looks like this drive and FW revision are in the list of already known firmware versions. Drive Information OS device name: **** Current profile: BD-ROM Manufacturer: PIONEER P...

Also check the reliability of reading CDs and DVDs. That way you can figure out whether the mechanical functioning and the red laser are working well.

Yes, good plan. If you deal with problematic optical discs, it is worthwhile to have a variety of optical drives. Some people endlessly recommend Pioneer drives. I recommend having a variety of brands and models handy. With some optical discs, my old LG drive would have trouble reading them but my P...