Is there a reliable UHD drive I can buy today from Amazon in the US that can work with MakeMkv? If so, which one should I get.
To be clear, I'm not interested in a drive from a forum user. I would like to buy one from Amazon.
UHD Drive from Amazon?
Re: UHD Drive from Amazon?
Buying from Amazon will not get you a "UHD-capable" drive directly, without after-market help.
Pioneer drives will not be "downgradable" to remove the blocks against general UHD reading, but non-Pioneer drives can have their firmware replaced to enable UHD reading.
Pioneer drives will not be "downgradable" to remove the blocks against general UHD reading, but non-Pioneer drives can have their firmware replaced to enable UHD reading.
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Re: UHD Drive from Amazon?
So a non pioneer drive such as LG Electronics WH16NS40 should be something I can change the firmware on and make usable?
Re: UHD Drive from Amazon?
Yes. Any current drive out there will refuse to read UHD disks, except under certain conditions. Non-Pioneer drives can have their firmware updated to remove that restriction.
That said, the Pioneer drives are reportedly better at reading UHD disks than the LG/Asus drives, especially 3-layer disks. You just need to find one with firmware older than December 2022, which you are unlikely to do at Amazon nowadays. Some of the third-party vendors you have excluded have access to non-US sources, and can obtain drives with the older (working) firmware.
That said, the Pioneer drives are reportedly better at reading UHD disks than the LG/Asus drives, especially 3-layer disks. You just need to find one with firmware older than December 2022, which you are unlikely to do at Amazon nowadays. Some of the third-party vendors you have excluded have access to non-US sources, and can obtain drives with the older (working) firmware.
MakeMKV Frequently Asked Questions
How to aid in finding the answer to your problem: Activating Debug Logging
How to aid in finding the answer to your problem: Activating Debug Logging