Ultimate UHD Drives Flashing Guide Updated 2025

[savagedane]

I figured I'd give this a go and ask - can this drive be flashed to read UHDs?

Drive Information
OS device name: G:
Manufacturer: PIONEER
Product: BD-RW BDR-S09
Revision: 1.54
Serial number: XXXXXXXXXXXX
Firmware date: 2020-07-21
Bus encryption flags: 1B
Highest AACS version: 81

LibreDrive Information
Status: Enabled
Drive platform: RS8600
Firmware name: PIONEER BDR-209
Firmware type: Original (unpatched)
Firmware version: 1.54/ID43
DVD all regions: Yes
BD raw data read: Yes
BD raw metadata read: Yes
Unrestricted read speed: Yes

[Billycar11]

I figured I'd give this a go and ask - can this drive be flashed to read UHDs?

Drive Information
OS device name: G:
Manufacturer: PIONEER
Product: BD-RW BDR-S09
Revision: 1.54
Serial number: XXXXXXXXXXXX
Firmware date: 2020-07-21
Bus encryption flags: 1B
Highest AACS version: 81

LibreDrive Information
Status: Enabled
Drive platform: RS8600
Firmware name: PIONEER BDR-209
Firmware type: Original (unpatched)
Firmware version: 1.54/ID43
DVD all regions: Yes
BD raw data read: Yes
BD raw metadata read: Yes
Unrestricted read speed: Yes

Yes email me that info see below I can send you the flasher

[MartyMcNuts]

Hi guys,
I bought a Pioneer BDR-XS07TUHD risking that it would be revision 1.03 which it is. Is it possible to get into a libredrive mode or not?

Code: Select all

Product: BD-RW BDR
Revision: 1.03
Firmware date 2023-01-06
Drive platform: Pioneer RS8E21
Firmware version: ID05

No. You will have to wait until newer drives are supported. Could be quite a while...

[Rodger_dodger54]

To Billy et al.

I inherited my brother’s 500 disk 4K blu-ray collection (and only 4K) but I am a digital guy with NAS. Enter MakeMKV and a drive. Been reading many posts on this forum. I have studied this post and others. It appears Pioneer is the most reliable/best/recommended drive.

From what I read, they were not flashable, but now they are, but now they will no longer be sold or are near the end. Your PSA “PSA now most Pioneers come with new fw that prevents them from be crossflashed or downgraded do not buy one for UHD at this time” has me a little confused what to go after — do I try and find a pioneer? Do I avoid and go after Asus or LG? I read the LibreDrive discussion and saw Asus and LG are compatible. Is that better to be Libre and non-Pioneer or buy the pioneer and wait?

I found the Pioneer drive (Pioneer BDR-XD08UMB-S) in stock on Amazon and it appears from the updated flashing guide that it will work. I’m comfortable in command line but don’t want to make rookie mistakes, hence my inquiry. I saw you have some for sale but I’m on a newer (usb-c) mac and want something lightweight that does not require me to get an additional computer for windows. Otherwise, I’d just buy one of your pre-flashed drives and be done with it. Is the drive I mention appropriate/supported? Is this something that would theoretically be libre compatible in the future? Is there an auto-flash option for the drive I mentioned that I can pay (Billy) for to take the guess work out?

Many thanks for your good work.

[MartyMcNuts]

To Billy et al.

I inherited my brother’s 500 disk 4K blu-ray collection (and only 4K) but I am a digital guy with NAS. Enter MakeMKV and a drive. Been reading many posts on this forum. I have studied this post and others. It appears Pioneer is the most reliable/best/recommended drive.

From what I read, they were not flashable, but now they are, but now they will no longer be sold or are near the end. Your PSA “PSA now most Pioneers come with new fw that prevents them from be crossflashed or downgraded do not buy one for UHD at this time” has me a little confused what to go after — do I try and find a pioneer? Do I avoid and go after Asus or LG? I read the LibreDrive discussion and saw Asus and LG are compatible. Is that better to be Libre and non-Pioneer or buy the pioneer and wait?

I found the Pioneer drive (Pioneer BDR-XD08UMB-S) in stock on Amazon and it appears from the updated flashing guide that it will work. I’m comfortable in command line but don’t want to make rookie mistakes, hence my inquiry. I saw you have some for sale but I’m on a newer (usb-c) mac and want something lightweight that does not require me to get an additional computer for windows. Otherwise, I’d just buy one of your pre-flashed drives and be done with it. Is the drive I mention appropriate/supported? Is this something that would theoretically be libre compatible in the future? Is there an auto-flash option for the drive I mentioned that I can pay (Billy) for to take the guess work out?

Many thanks for your good work.

It will have firmware that is too new and cannot be flashed. Really, the only Pioneer you can get from a store that can be flashed is the BDR-212V. If you want any other model, the only place to get a UHD comaptibel one is from a seller on these forums.

[Mr_Orange]

To Billy et al.

I inherited my brother’s 500 disk 4K blu-ray collection (and only 4K) but I am a digital guy with NAS. Enter MakeMKV and a drive. Been reading many posts on this forum. I have studied this post and others. It appears Pioneer is the most reliable/best/recommended drive.

From what I read, they were not flashable, but now they are, but now they will no longer be sold or are near the end. Your PSA “PSA now most Pioneers come with new fw that prevents them from be crossflashed or downgraded do not buy one for UHD at this time” has me a little confused what to go after — do I try and find a pioneer? Do I avoid and go after Asus or LG? I read the LibreDrive discussion and saw Asus and LG are compatible. Is that better to be Libre and non-Pioneer or buy the pioneer and wait?

I found the Pioneer drive (Pioneer BDR-XD08UMB-S) in stock on Amazon and it appears from the updated flashing guide that it will work. I’m comfortable in command line but don’t want to make rookie mistakes, hence my inquiry. I saw you have some for sale but I’m on a newer (usb-c) mac and want something lightweight that does not require me to get an additional computer for windows. Otherwise, I’d just buy one of your pre-flashed drives and be done with it. Is the drive I mention appropriate/supported? Is this something that would theoretically be libre compatible in the future? Is there an auto-flash option for the drive I mentioned that I can pay (Billy) for to take the guess work out?

Many thanks for your good work.

It will have firmware that is too new and cannot be flashed. Really, the only Pioneer you can get from a store that can be flashed is the BDR-212V. If you want any other model, the only place to get a UHD comaptibel one is from a seller on these forums.

Just to clarify, the BDR-212V can be flashed by the end user, i.e. me?

[MartyMcNuts]

To Billy et al.

I inherited my brother’s 500 disk 4K blu-ray collection (and only 4K) but I am a digital guy with NAS. Enter MakeMKV and a drive. Been reading many posts on this forum. I have studied this post and others. It appears Pioneer is the most reliable/best/recommended drive.

From what I read, they were not flashable, but now they are, but now they will no longer be sold or are near the end. Your PSA “PSA now most Pioneers come with new fw that prevents them from be crossflashed or downgraded do not buy one for UHD at this time” has me a little confused what to go after — do I try and find a pioneer? Do I avoid and go after Asus or LG? I read the LibreDrive discussion and saw Asus and LG are compatible. Is that better to be Libre and non-Pioneer or buy the pioneer and wait?

I found the Pioneer drive (Pioneer BDR-XD08UMB-S) in stock on Amazon and it appears from the updated flashing guide that it will work. I’m comfortable in command line but don’t want to make rookie mistakes, hence my inquiry. I saw you have some for sale but I’m on a newer (usb-c) mac and want something lightweight that does not require me to get an additional computer for windows. Otherwise, I’d just buy one of your pre-flashed drives and be done with it. Is the drive I mention appropriate/supported? Is this something that would theoretically be libre compatible in the future? Is there an auto-flash option for the drive I mentioned that I can pay (Billy) for to take the guess work out?

Many thanks for your good work.

It will have firmware that is too new and cannot be flashed. Really, the only Pioneer you can get from a store that can be flashed is the BDR-212V. If you want any other model, the only place to get a UHD comaptibel one is from a seller on these forums.

Just to clarify, the BDR-212V can be flashed by the end user, i.e. me?

The flasher for Pioneer is not public. You should contact Billycar11 for assistance once you have the drive.

[chronomac]

Got a new BP50NB40 to test out (as I'm having trouble with another internal drive). Followed the firmware update instructions, writing the BP50NB40-NB50-1.03MK and then using recover to change it to BP60NB10 1.00MK. It's reading a disc now without trouble but it's topping out at 4.1X in the read rate. That normal for a triple layer disc? Also, any advantage to upgrading to 1.02MK?

[MartyMcNuts]

Got a new BP50NB40 to test out (as I'm having trouble with another internal drive). Followed the firmware update instructions, writing the BP50NB40-NB50-1.03MK and then using recover to change it to BP60NB10 1.00MK. It's reading a disc now without trouble but it's topping out at 4.1X in the read rate. That normal for a triple layer disc? Also, any advantage to upgrading to 1.02MK?

No advantage with 1.02-MK.

Yeah, 4.1x is ok. Disc maybe a little hard to read. Usually read between 4.0 and the 6.0x max, which it might get to at some point in the rip.