Counterfeit LG WH16NS40 ?

[Grizzlberry]

I purchased a 5.25 LG WH16NS40 and couldn't tell the manufacture date from the listing, although otherwise it seemed fine. I was just getting started down this rabbit hole so didn't consider everything.

Well now that I have it, the sticker states it's from January 2026 (already suspicious), yet MakeMKV shows it's MT1939. I'm pretty certain it's a counterfeit and will never do UHD, but I just wanted confirmation before I confront the seller.

Is this drive total junk, or is there anything else I can do with/about it? I don't mind if it can serve as a fallback for standard Blu Ray, but my goal is UHD.

Any suggestions for reputable sites/sellers that aren't like $500 USD? I prefer LG (I'm a fanboy) and 5.25 if possible but could go for something like the BU40N if need be (and just find a 5.25 adapter).

Thanks

[babayaga]

Hi, im no expert, but i think the MT1939 platform is a old pre 2015 platform, and can't be modded for UHD at all, so you probably have a fake drive on your hand, though it might actually work for ripping dvd/bd Did you buy this one ebay? Ebay is FULL of fake drives these days, i was trying to find a internal pioneer drive there, but gave up, as some sellers of pioneer drives, even wrote in the description that they had LG internals, no clue as to if they could be flashed or not - so i turned to the japanese auction sites and got a drive there, but then, it's a gamble, cause even though the seller post the date of manufacture, they can have updated the firmware to something not being able to flash. But since you prefer LG, check out the threads on this forum for selling drives, maybe you get lucky, drives are expensive, but here in Norway you can get a verbatim (external drive) for about 150 euros, with LG internals. Hope this helped. also, next time, it's also easier if you paste all the information that makemkv shows you, not only MT1939, people on here rarely help if you doesn't, because its hard to really give a good answer.

[MartyMcNuts]

I purchased a 5.25 LG WH16NS40 and couldn't tell the manufacture date from the listing, although otherwise it seemed fine. I was just getting started down this rabbit hole so didn't consider everything.

Well now that I have it, the sticker states it's from January 2026 (already suspicious), yet MakeMKV shows it's MT1939. I'm pretty certain it's a counterfeit and will never do UHD, but I just wanted confirmation before I confront the seller.

Is this drive total junk, or is there anything else I can do with/about it? I don't mind if it can serve as a fallback for standard Blu Ray, but my goal is UHD.

Any suggestions for reputable sites/sellers that aren't like $500 USD? I prefer LG (I'm a fanboy) and 5.25 if possible but could go for something like the BU40N if need be (and just find a 5.25 adapter).

Thanks

Yes, that is a fake. The MT1939 platform is pre 2016 and cannot be flashed and certainly cannot be made UHD compatible. It can still serve as a standard blu-ray and DVD/CD drive but as it is 11+ years old, who realy knows how much use it has had and how much life it has left.

What they usually do is either:

1. If in good condition, clean up the old drive casing and slap on a new label.
2. Take the old drive guts out and put it in a new shell/casing and slap on a new label.

If you purchased it on eBay, read the listing carefully and report them if the drive doesn't match the description and return it if you can.