www.makemkv.com

Hi!

is it possible to make this model UHD friendly?

ASUS SBW-06D5H-U

Since the Asus site does not claim BD-XL capability, which is the starting point for UHD, probably not. Even the manual does not mention anything above "regular" BD capability.

Is there anything I can do to check for BDXL capabilities of the drive except trying to write a bluray xl?

I got this drive too, and the article description on amazon does mention bdxl compatiblity, plus there are people claiming to have written bdxl successfully with this drive.

It would be fantastic if there would be a uhd friendly firmware for this one.

@Walker, hello! May I ask you to make a virtual memory dump from your drive? I'm working on a flashing tool for Pioneer drives, which is the true manufacturer of your ASUS. In theory it's possible to flash this drive with a BDR-UD03 or BDR-UD04 firmware, since they have identical hardware. But first I need to take a look on the memory dump. I will provide necessary software and instructions via PM.

Any other people having this drive are welcome, too.

Hello, I have the same drive. May I write you in PM?

Mag1ster wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:33 am

Hello, I have the same drive. May I write you in PM?

As a new user, you cannot send private messages yet.

I understand thanks, so how can I proceed?

Two options. The first is to just correspond within the public topic. The second is to ask the person you're trying to contact to send YOU a PM, with their contact information.

The former can often help others.

If you already have the drive, open MakeMKV with it connected, and MakeMKV will tell you if it is or can be UHD-capable. There is precedent for Asus putting different drives in the same model enclosure, and you cannot tell by the model number. When MakeMKV queries the drive hardware, though, the truth comes out.

This is the info shown in MakeMKV. Just let me know if I have to launch some other tool or look for something else.

Drive Information
OS device name: D:
Manufacturer: ASUS
Product: SBW-06D5H-U
Revision: E101
Serial number: TEDL173184WL
Firmware date: 2018-08-22
Bus encryption flags: 1B

LibreDrive Information
Status: Might be supported in future, keep fingers crossed
Drive platform: Pioneer RS8511
Firmware version: ID26

No disc inserted

The fact that the drive is a Pioneer says you're not going to be able to use it for ripping UHD disks yet.

However, it MAY be an "official" UHD drive, that can be used with PowerDVD to play UHD disks, but being built in 2018 makes that a slim possibility. Personally, I wouldn't buy PowerDVD to find out; it is a better long-term solution to get a UHD-friendly drive, if UHD is important to you.

Ok thanks for the answer. And what about what @Blackened2687 wrote about flashing this drive with a "BDR-UD03 or BDR-UD04" firmware?

Mag1ster wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 15, 2021 7:37 am

Ok thanks for the answer. And what about what @Blackened2687 wrote about flashing this drive with a "BDR-UD03 or BDR-UD04" firmware?

Still won't help you with UHD.

Ok, thank you for the info

MartyMcNuts wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 15, 2021 8:39 am

Mag1ster wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 15, 2021 7:37 am

Ok thanks for the answer. And what about what @Blackened2687 wrote about flashing this drive with a "BDR-UD03 or BDR-UD04" firmware?

Still won't help you with UHD.

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread, but I'm curious:

Could anybody elaborate on why this would not help with UHD? If I understand correctly the BDR-UD04 is UHD capable, it is listed among the recommended Pioneer drives in the ultimate flashing guide...
Or does this refer to the fact that before 2022 Pioneer drives were not supported generally?

astrea wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 10, 2023 3:03 pm

MartyMcNuts wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 15, 2021 8:39 am

Mag1ster wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 15, 2021 7:37 am

Ok thanks for the answer. And what about what @Blackened2687 wrote about flashing this drive with a "BDR-UD03 or BDR-UD04" firmware?

Still won't help you with UHD.

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread, but I'm curious:

Could anybody elaborate on why this would not help with UHD? If I understand correctly the BDR-UD04 is UHD capable, it is listed among the recommended Pioneer drives in the ultimate flashing guide...
Or does this refer to the fact that before 2022 Pioneer drives were not supported generally?

Exactly. Comment was made well before support was added.