Newbie looking for a new drive...

[alninek]

Hello everyone!

I hope I'm not Off Topic! If I am, I ask the admins to delete or move this post to the appropriate section!

My Pioneer BDR-208D recently stopped working. I used it to burn data Blu-rays and watch a few movies on my PC. Now I'm looking for a new Pioneer burner to replace my 208 (I've always had a good experience with Pioneer burners), and I stumbled upon a Reddit discussion explaining how some of the newer drives don't read 4K discs...

Meanwhile, I searched online, but it seems that Blu-ray burners are becoming increasingly rare and almost impossible to buy.

So I’m asking the experts here:

1 What is the best drive on the market that reads UHD and burns data reliably?
2 Which drive has the best quality/price ratio?
3 Once the drive is purchased, is it possible to flash the firmware so that it can read UHD Blu-ray discs?
4 Where can I get the modified firmware?
5 From what I've read on the forum, it seems like the firmware discussed here is not 'official,' so could it void any potential warranty?

Thanks in advance for your patience and any replies!

[Woodstock]

I've just updated the topic at the HEAD OF THIS FORUM to use "2024" instead of 2023 in its title, since people can't seem to find it. It's now "Ultimate UHD Drives Flashing Guide Updated 2024" to be more obvious.

The first message explains all the details you've asked about, and more.