Unable to Read 4K UHD Movies on Brand New Verbatim 43888 BU40N

[Chairman941]

This is my first post here, and I'm brand new to this, so please excuse me if I say something wrong or don't understand something.

I just picked up a brand new Verbatim 43888 (with BU40N internals) from Microcenter. I've successfully read some DVDs and normal Blu-Rays so far; however, I cannot get it to read my 4K UHD Interstellar or 4K UHD F1: The Movie. I've read that this drive should work for 4K UHD, and there are YouTube videos showing it working, but I cannot get the Verbatim drive to spin up and read it (it makes a horrible creeking sound instead). After a bit of waiting, the drive stops trying to read the 4K UHD disc, and MakeMKV says no disc detected. Windows also cannot detect it. I've flashed the drive with SDF flasher to 1.03 (from 1.05 when I got it). In MakeMKV, it does show that LibreDrive is enabled. Again, normal discs work, but not 4K UHD BD-100 discs.

Can anyone help me with any other ways to try to get this to work?


Here is exactly what MakeMKV says:

Drive Information
OS device name: E:
Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST
Product: BD-RE BU40N
Revision: 1.03
Firmware date: 2118-10-24 19:34
Bus encryption flags: 17
Highest AACS version: 65

LibreDrive Information
Status: Enabled
Drive platform: MT1959
Firmware type: Patched (microcode access re-enabled)
Firmware version: 1.03
DVD all regions: Yes
BD raw data read: Yes
BD raw metadata read: Yes
Unrestricted read speed: Yes


My PC specs are:

Operating system: Windows 11 (latest version)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Aorus Pro Z690 v1
CPU: Intel 12-700k
GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3070 FE
RAM: 32GB Corsair Vengeance DDR5
SSDs: WD SN850X, Samsung EVO 970
PSU: 750 watts
Disc drive: Verbatim 43888 (LG BU40N internals, flashed to 1.03)

[MartyMcNuts]

This is my first post here, and I'm brand new to this, so please excuse me if I say something wrong or don't understand something.

I just picked up a brand new Verbatim 43888 (with BU40N internals) from Microcenter. I've successfully read some DVDs and normal Blu-Rays so far; however, I cannot get it to read my 4K UHD Interstellar or 4K UHD F1: The Movie. I've read that this drive should work for 4K UHD, and there are YouTube videos showing it working, but I cannot get the Verbatim drive to spin up and read it (it makes a horrible creeking sound instead). After a bit of waiting, the drive stops trying to read the 4K UHD disc, and MakeMKV says no disc detected. Windows also cannot detect it. I've flashed the drive with SDF flasher to 1.03 (from 1.05 when I got it). In MakeMKV, it does show that LibreDrive is enabled. Again, normal discs work, but not 4K UHD BD-100 discs.

Can anyone help me with any other ways to try to get this to work?


Here is exactly what MakeMKV says:

Drive Information
OS device name: E:
Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST
Product: BD-RE BU40N
Revision: 1.03
Firmware date: 2118-10-24 19:34
Bus encryption flags: 17
Highest AACS version: 65

LibreDrive Information
Status: Enabled
Drive platform: MT1959
Firmware type: Patched (microcode access re-enabled)
Firmware version: 1.03
DVD all regions: Yes
BD raw data read: Yes
BD raw metadata read: Yes
Unrestricted read speed: Yes


My PC specs are:

Operating system: Windows 11 (latest version)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Aorus Pro Z690 v1
CPU: Intel 12-700k
GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3070 FE
RAM: 32GB Corsair Vengeance DDR5
SSDs: WD SN850X, Samsung EVO 970
PSU: 750 watts
Disc drive: Verbatim 43888 (LG BU40N internals, flashed to 1.03)

1. Clean the discs. About 90% of the time, UHD discs require cleaning as they often have an invisible layer of film on them from the manufacturing process.

2. Always let windows initialise the disc and once you can see it in explorer, then open up the MakeMKV application.

3. If UHD discs are not seen or if MakeMKV gives time out errrors, the drive most likely needs more power. Use USB-C if possible and either ports direct from the motherboard (not case ports) or an AC self-powered USB hub of at least 24w.

[Chairman941]

1. Clean the discs. About 90% of the time, UHD discs require cleaning as they often have an invisible layer of film on them from the manufacturing process.

2. Always let windows initialise the disc and once you can see it in explorer, then open up the MakeMKV application.

3. If UHD discs are not seen or if MakeMKV gives time out errrors, the drive most likely needs more power. Use USB-C if possible and either ports direct from the motherboard (not case ports) or an AC self-powered USB hub of at least 24w.

1. I cleaned the disc using a microfiber cloth (going from the inside to outside, and not in circles).

2. Windows can't even see the disc because the drive won't spin up to read the 4K UHD disc.

3. I tried using USB-C, I plugged it straight into a USB 3.1 port on my motherboard, I tried using a USB Y-splitter to add more power, and I tried using an OWC 11 port thunderbolt dock to hopefully give it more power through a single cable. None of those worked.


Is there anything else I should try? Does it need to use the software that came with it? The Verbatim 43888 only has one USB-C port and doesn't have a dedicated AC input, so I don't really know how much or if it's getting extra power when I try using a dock or splitter.

I see you sell pre-flashed Verbatim 43888's. What does a setup look like for when you set one up? Does it only use the cable that comes with it into the motherboard?

Thanks for your reply.

[MartyMcNuts]

1. Clean the discs. About 90% of the time, UHD discs require cleaning as they often have an invisible layer of film on them from the manufacturing process.

2. Always let windows initialise the disc and once you can see it in explorer, then open up the MakeMKV application.

3. If UHD discs are not seen or if MakeMKV gives time out errrors, the drive most likely needs more power. Use USB-C if possible and either ports direct from the motherboard (not case ports) or an AC self-powered USB hub of at least 24w.

1. I cleaned the disc using a microfiber cloth (going from the inside to outside, and not in circles).

2. Windows can't even see the disc because the drive won't spin up to read the 4K UHD disc.

3. I tried using USB-C, I plugged it straight into a USB 3.1 port on my motherboard, I tried using a USB Y-splitter to add more power, and I tried using an OWC 11 port thunderbolt dock to hopefully give it more power through a single cable. None of those worked.


Is there anything else I should try? Does it need to use the software that came with it? The Verbatim 43888 only has one USB-C port and doesn't have a dedicated AC input, so I don't really know how much or if it's getting extra power when I try using a dock or splitter.

I see you sell pre-flashed Verbatim 43888's. What does a setup look like for when you set one up? Does it only use the cable that comes with it into the motherboard?

Thanks for your reply.

Nah, I don't have any 43888's and can't get any ATM. The Verbatim enclosures can be quite power hungry. When I flash and test them, I connect them (using my own USB-C cable) to the 10 Gbps USB-C ports of my AC self-powered USB hub (24w) and they work fine with zero issues.