Ultimate UHD Drives Flashing Guide Updated 2026

[MasterZoen]

So, from what I'm reading here, by skipping through 20 pages at a time, is that there's basically no new drives that are UHD Official and work for ripping? Man, that's a bummer.

[d00zah]

So, from what I'm reading here, by skipping through 20 pages at a time, is that there's basically no new drives that are UHD Official and work for ripping? Man, that's a bummer.

Non-Pioneer drives listed in the 1st post remain generally available, although the more expensive Pioneers are considered more reliable. 'Local' sellers are still able to provide non-crippled Pioneer drives. Look for one in your region.

[MartyMcNuts]

So, from what I'm reading here, by skipping through 20 pages at a time, is that there's basically no new drives that are UHD Official and work for ripping? Man, that's a bummer.

Of course there is!

Verbatim 43888 (contains a Pioneer BDR-UD04) - Official UHD drive, no flashing required.
LG BU40N - Official UHD drive, flashing required.
LG BP60NB10 - Official UHD drive, fashing required.

[Mr_Orange]

So, from what I'm reading here, by skipping through 20 pages at a time, is that there's basically no new drives that are UHD Official and work for ripping? Man, that's a bummer.

Of course there is!

Verbatim 43888 (contains a Pioneer BDR-UD04) - Official UHD drive, no flashing required.
LG BU40N - Official UHD drive, flashing required.
LG BP60NB10 - Official UHD drive, fashing required.

It's a shame that these are all slimline so would need to go in an enclosure to be mounted in my desktop.

[MartyMcNuts]

So, from what I'm reading here, by skipping through 20 pages at a time, is that there's basically no new drives that are UHD Official and work for ripping? Man, that's a bummer.

Of course there is!

Verbatim 43888 (contains a Pioneer BDR-UD04) - Official UHD drive, no flashing required.
LG BU40N - Official UHD drive, flashing required.
LG BP60NB10 - Official UHD drive, fashing required.

It's a shame that these are all slimline so would need to go in an enclosure to be mounted in my desktop.

If you want to mount it in a desktop PC, look at the BU40N and check Amazon / eBay for a 9.5mm to 5.25" drive bay adapter thingy.

The LG WH16NS60 was the go to official UHD drive but LG stopped producing it. The Pioneer UHD Official internal drives (with older firmware) really are the way to go. Far superior to any other manufacturer. Check with a seller on this forum or in my signature.

[Mr_Orange]

Of course there is!

Verbatim 43888 (contains a Pioneer BDR-UD04) - Official UHD drive, no flashing required.
LG BU40N - Official UHD drive, flashing required.
LG BP60NB10 - Official UHD drive, fashing required.

It's a shame that these are all slimline so would need to go in an enclosure to be mounted in my desktop.

If you want to mount it in a desktop PC, look at the BU40N and check Amazon / eBay for a 9.5mm to 5.25" drive bay adapter thingy.

The LG WH16NS60 was the go to official UHD drive but LG stopped producing it. The Pioneer UHD Official internal drives (with older firmware) really are the way to go. Far superior to any other manufacturer. Check with a seller on this forum or in my signature.

Thank you. I'm OK for the moment, I have an LG BH16NS55 flashed to the WH16NS60 which is performing flawlessly. I was just thinking about getting a backup. There are still some shops selling the BH16HS55 locally so I might get one of those and cross flash it when I need to.

[MasterZoen]

So, from what I'm reading here, by skipping through 20 pages at a time, is that there's basically no new drives that are UHD Official and work for ripping? Man, that's a bummer.

Of course there is!

Verbatim 43888 (contains a Pioneer BDR-UD04) - Official UHD drive, no flashing required.
LG BU40N - Official UHD drive, flashing required.
LG BP60NB10 - Official UHD drive, fashing required.

I guess I'll try for that Verbatim drive, then. I was really bummed because my old WH14NS40 drive just died as I've started to rip my discs now that I have the storage for them.

[AntoninHS]

Hello, I dont get what I'm supposed to do from here, I have a Pioneer drive. The model is the BDR-XD08EMB-S.

What am I supposed to do now ? Where do I find the firmware ?

[Coopervid]

My drive is a Pioneer BDR-2212 (built in to computer). Can it work or be added to the list?

Thank you, kindly,

Dave

Post your Makemkv info of the drive.

[MartyMcNuts]

Hello, I dont get what I'm supposed to do from here, I have a Pioneer drive. The model is the BDR-XD08EMB-S.

What am I supposed to do now ? Where do I find the firmware ?

Post your MakeMKV drive info

[AntoninHS]

Hello, I dont get what I'm supposed to do from here, I have a Pioneer drive. The model is the BDR-XD08EMB-S.

What am I supposed to do now ? Where do I find the firmware ?

Post your MakeMKV drive info

Actually I tried to just use MakeMKV without changing the firmware, and it seems to work so far, with my DVDs and Blu Ray, I've had no issue with like 15 discs. Here are the infos :

Informations lecteur
Nom du lecteur SE : \Device\CdRom0
Profil actuel : BD-ROM
Fabricant : PIONEER
Produit : BD-RW BDR-XD08U
Révision : 1.02
Numéro de série : [redacted]
Date micrologiciel : 2022-12-27
Marqueurs d'encryptage bus : 1B
Version AACS la plus haute : 66

LibreDrive Information
Status: Possible, not yet enabled
Drive platform: Pioneer RS9331
Firmware version: ID05

Aucun disque

[MartyMcNuts]

Hello, I dont get what I'm supposed to do from here, I have a Pioneer drive. The model is the BDR-XD08EMB-S.

What am I supposed to do now ? Where do I find the firmware ?

Post your MakeMKV drive info

Actually I tried to just use MakeMKV without changing the firmware, and it seems to work so far, with my DVDs and Blu Ray, I've had no issue with like 15 discs. Here are the infos :

Informations lecteur
Nom du lecteur SE : \Device\CdRom0
Profil actuel : BD-ROM
Fabricant : PIONEER
Produit : BD-RW BDR-XD08U
Révision : 1.02
Numéro de série : [redacted]
Date micrologiciel : 2022-12-27
Marqueurs d'encryptage bus : 1B
Version AACS la plus haute : 66

LibreDrive Information
Status: Possible, not yet enabled
Drive platform: Pioneer RS9331
Firmware version: ID05

Aucun disque

Yeah, no, that can't be downgraded for UHD readability as the firmware is too new. The firmware date must be prior to Dec 2022.

[Billycar11]

Hello, I dont get what I'm supposed to do from here, I have a Pioneer drive. The model is the BDR-XD08EMB-S.

What am I supposed to do now ? Where do I find the firmware ?

Post your MakeMKV drive info

Actually I tried to just use MakeMKV without changing the firmware, and it seems to work so far, with my DVDs and Blu Ray, I've had no issue with like 15 discs. Here are the infos :

Informations lecteur
Nom du lecteur SE : \Device\CdRom0
Profil actuel : BD-ROM
Fabricant : PIONEER
Produit : BD-RW BDR-XD08U
Révision : 1.02
Numéro de série : [redacted]
Date micrologiciel : 2022-12-27
Marqueurs d'encryptage bus : 1B
Version AACS la plus haute : 66

LibreDrive Information
Status: Possible, not yet enabled
Drive platform: Pioneer RS9331
Firmware version: ID05

Aucun disque

flashing is only needed for 4K UHD blurays not dvd and regular bluray

[AntoninHS]

Okay, thank you for all these infos, and for your time !

[spud_gun]

Hi folks, I'm new to MakeMKV and I'm looking to backup some UHD movies I own to digital copies

I'm going to purchase a drive for this and looking to get one that doesn't require flashing

It seems the Verbatim 43888 is the best option for now based on the last few pages, can someone confirm if this is the case?

Will any drive of that model work or do I need to ensure they're manufactured before a certain date?

Also, my understanding is they're actually a Pioneer drive in an enclosure, but the latest Pioneer drives from the factory can't be flashed with older firmware and aren't useful

Maybe someone could clear this up for me?