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webdweeb wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 06, 2025 10:11 pm

I am a recent lurker on the forum and have a question regarding 4 drives I currently own: Pioneer BDR-D207DBK (firmware 1.21, in OWC USB 2.0/FW 400/800/eSATA ext case), Pioneer BDR-209DBK (firmware 1.10, in OWC USB 2.0/FW 400/800/eSATA ext case), Asus BW-16D1HT (bare drive, unknown FW, build date on drive is 2018-05-15), Pioneer BDR-XD05S (firmware 3.01, Pioneer external USB 3.0 case). I recall reading that the Asus is flashable to allow read/write of UHD 4k disks, but I am unsure of the options for the other three drives. I am the original owner for all 4 drives, none of which have had their original firmware flashed. I have successfully used the 207 and 209 drives in the past to rip and burn double layer blurays and DVDs, SACD-Rs (using single layer DVD-Rs), DVD-Audio, standard single layer Blu-rays, along with Redbook CDs, but I am unsure if any of the Pioneer drives can be flashed to allow ripping or burning of higher capacity discs (4k, BDXL, etc). I've seen a couple of older threads that mention the 209D, but not the 207D, but I was unclear as to the post-flash capability of the drive, hence my question

Thanks for any input on my drive options.

webdweeb wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 07, 2025 12:18 am

Here is the info for the Asus:

Drive Information
Manufacturer: ASUS
Product: BW-16D1HT
Revision: 3.03
Serial number: xxxx
Firmware date: 2118-01-19 15:58
Bus encryption flags: 1F

LibreDrive Information
Status: Possible (with patched firmware)
Drive platform: MT1959
Harware support: Yes
Firmware support: No
Firmware type: Original (patched version available)
Firmware version: 3.03
DVD all regions: Possible (with patched firmware)
BD raw data read: Possible (with patched firmware)
BD raw metadata read: Possible (with patched firmware)
Unrestricted read speed: Possible (with patched firmware)

webdweeb wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 07, 2025 2:11 am

I am on a Mac, which can be problematic for firmware updates on certain devices. I have an older Intel Mini with VMware Fusion running Windows 7, as well as a newer M1 MacBook Pro with Windows 11 (ARM CPU version)-any idea if either of these would be suitable to flash the firmware?

webdweeb wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 07, 2025 3:27 am

Number 3, Pioneer BDR-209DBK (in an OWC external case):

Drive Information
Manufacturer: PIONEER
Product: BD-RW BDR-209D
Revision: 1.10
Serial number: xxxx
Firmware date: 2013-09-10
Bus encryption flags: 13

LibreDrive Information
Status: Enabled
Drive platform: RS8600
Firmware name: PIONEER BDR-209
Firmware type: Original (unpatched)
Firmware version: 1.10/ID61
DVD all regions: Yes
BD raw data read: Yes
BD raw metadata read: Yes
Unrestricted read speed: Yes

My fourth drive, the PIONEER BDR-207DBK, is bare and needs to be mounted in the OWC case, so I will post the particulars once I do that.

webdweeb wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 07, 2025 4:11 am

Billycar11, thanks for chiming in. Does your flasher work on a Mac, or will I have to use the Terminal as I do with the Asus drive? Also, does each Pioneer drive require a tailored flasher? Thanks again for the input!

webdweeb wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 07, 2025 4:27 am

Ok, thanks-maybe I can find another forum member with the same MacOS restriction and see how they handled it. Or I could just bite the bullet and get myself a low end PC for the various utilities that are Windows-specific. I have a similar challenge with programming some older URC universal remotes (wanted a Harmony, but Logitech pulled the plug on that option), as that SW also runs only on a PC, and a lot of the other disc and media manipulation SW also prefers the Windows environment.