Pioneer BDR-XS07TS FW1.03 JUST FOR DVD and BLU RAY - NO UHD Requirement

[mkildare]

Hi - first post, so go gentle!
I am currently in the process of gradually ripping my DVD and Blu Ray discs to MP4 files using MakeMKV, and then Handbrake.

My current current slot load burner is the Matshita BD-MLT UJ265, which is nicely mounted just under my desk. While MakeMKV shows no LibreDrive info, all the Blu Rays and DVD's I've ripped so far with it have had no issues (apart from the drive being a bit slow).

I am in the UK, and Amazon currently has the Pioneer BDR-XS07TS for £116.45, albeit with FW vers. 1.03. I must stress that I have no requirement to Rip UHD. My collection is mainly vintage TV series and older films on DVD and Blu Ray.

My question is, based on my 'NO UHD' requirement, will I see an advantage moving to the Pioneer?

Any advice will be appreciated.

[MrPenguin]

I am in the UK, and Amazon currently has the Pioneer BDR-XS07TS for £116.45, albeit with FW vers. 1.03. I must stress that I have no requirement to Rip UHD. My collection is mainly vintage TV series and older films on DVD and Blu Ray.

Any Pioneer BluRay drive that you buy from Amazon will almost certainly have firmware dated 2022-Dec or later, making it incompatible with LibreDrive, non-downgradable, and non-crossflashable. (I suspect Amazon may even advertise these drives as having firmware from 2023.) As such, while that drive will be perfectly fine for DVDs and regular BluRays, it is highly unlikely that you will ever be able to use it for UHD .

However, UHD-compatible Pioneers may still be available from Asmcom.

FWIW the Pioneer BDR-XS07TS is also a fine drive that has proved itself highly adept at reading problem disks. But it will not provide you with a future upgrade path, should you wish to move to UHD disks later.

[mkildare]

Thank you for your helpful reply