(Asmcom:) Pioneer UHD 4K Drives, MakeMKV Discounted Software £39.99, Worldwide Service, Excellent Service!!!

[CE6AT]

Hi, i am new to this site.
i have an asus flashed internal sata drive , but some uhds give me errors.
I am thinking of byuing a pioneer drive. I am loacated in the EU.
Is there anything available?

[nicholfd]

Hi, i am new to this site.
i have an asus flashed internal sata drive , but some uhds give me errors.
I am thinking of byuing a pioneer drive. I am loacated in the EU.
Is there anything available?

Always start by reading at least the first post of any thread.

[seant]

Hi Asmcom

Previously bought from you and been very happy with an LG BH16NS55 with WH16NS60 v1.02mk

I have started to have errors with all disks recently when using MakeMKV , an example error message is ''Scsi error - ILLEGAL REQUEST:COPY PROTECTION KEY EXCHANGE FAILURE - KEY NOT PRESENT'.

I think this mean the drive is failing?

If it is time for a new drive what would you recommend.

Thanks for the support and service

Asmcom,
Just following up on this to work out what is best to order once the shop reopens in February. Preference is slightly for an internal drive but this would be outweighed by reliability view.

Thanks for advice and hope recovery is progressing well

[laudrupn10]

https://shop.uhdfriendlydrives.co.uk/

UHD Friendly Drives – Industry Position & Outlook for 2026

Hello everyone,

As we approach the end of the year, we would first like to thank all our customers and members of the MakeMKV community for their continued support and trust. Your feedback, discussions, and engagement are what allow this ecosystem to continue to exist. We would also like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

This post is shared purely as an industry update and market outlook. It is not intended to claim credit for technical breakthroughs, nor to promote products, but to help forum members understand where the optical drive market now stands, what choices realistically remain, and how to plan going forward.

Before going further, it is important to be absolutely clear on one point:

All credit for LibreDrive, PC UHD Blu-ray playback, and the ecosystem we have today belongs entirely to Mike Chen and the MakeMKV project.
Without Mike’s work, there would be no LibreDrive, no viable UHD ripping path, and no community like this. This is his forum and his software, and it is only proper to recognise that.

UHD Friendly Drives is simply posting this update as a long-standing participant in the ecosystem, with visibility into hardware supply and lifecycle trends.


1. The manufacturing reality

In 2025, the consumer UHD Blu-ray drive market has crossed a critical threshold.

This year alone, the following HLDS (Hitachi-LG Data Storage) models have reached End of Life (EOL):

Hitachi BH-16NS40

Hitachi BH-16NS55

Hitachi BU40N

These are not random SKUs.

They Represent:

The last reliable internal SATA UHD-capable drives

The last truly viable slimline UHD laptop drive (BU40N)

Well-understood firmware families that underpin much of the MakeMKV ecosystem

Crucially:

There are no announced successors

No silent OEM refreshes

No new consumer UHD optical silicon appearing

From our perspective, this is controlled contraction, not normal product lifecycle behaviour.

As of today, HLDS appears to be the only remaining large-scale optical drive manufacturer, and even that output is clearly winding down rather than evolving.

2. Pioneer did not simply shut down, it was sold

When Pioneer exited the optical drive market, an important detail is often overlooked. Pioneer did not just close the division.

Its optical drive business (Pioneer Digital Design and Manufacturing) was sold outright to Shanxi Lightchain Technology Industrial Development Co., Ltd.

3. Why we believe Shanxi Lightchain bought Pioneer’s optical business

From an engineering and industrial standpoint, we do not believe this acquisition was about reviving consumer Blu-ray drives.

The real value Pioneer brought was optical R&D capability, not retail products:

• Multi-wavelength laser decoding (CD / DVD / BD / UHD).

• RF signal extraction at the analog boundary

• Error behaviour modelling on marginal media.

• Servo control algorithms.

• Precision opto-mechatronics.

• Decades of optical-storage failure analysis

• Engineers with deep understanding of optical physics

This expertise is Rare and Extremely difficult to recreate.

Highly transferable to industrial, medical, scientific, sensing, and metrology applications

There has been:

• No new Pioneer-branded drive roadmap.

• No re-entry into consumer channels.

• No indication of UHD-capable successors.

All signs point to capability and knowledge acquisition, not consumer product continuation.

4.Direct communication with Shanxi Lightchain

We would also like to clarify something based on direct communication rather than speculation.

UHD Friendly Drives has been in direct contact with Shanxi Lightchain Technology to understand whether there were any plans to restart or continue consumer optical drive manufacturing.

We were clearly advised that:

• There are no plans to manufacture new consumer optical drives.

• The former Pioneer optical business is not being positioned for consumer Blu-ray products.

We specifically enquired whether a limited production run could be considered for UHD Friendly Drives and a third party partner in Taiwan.

Their response was that they would only consider a production run if there was a minimum order quantity of approximately 50,000 units.

This is far beyond what is financially realistic or commercially viable for a specialist market such as ours, and therefore not something we could pursue.

We share this information so forum members understand that this avenue has been explored directly, and that the lack of new drives is not due to lack of interest, but to industrial-scale constraints.

5. Why PC UHD playback was abandoned deliberately.

It is important to address a common misconception.

PC UHD Blu-ray playback did not fail because it was technically impossible.

Early PC UHD playback relied on:

• Intel CPUs with SGX.

• Licensed AACS 2.x software stacks

• Host authentication enforced by CPU and OS vendors.

When Intel removed SGX support from newer processors, and Microsoft stopped positioning Windows as an AACS host platform, licensed UHD playback on PC effectively ended.

This aligned with:

• Reduced platform liability.

• Streaming-first priorities.

• Removal of ownership-based playback paths.

In short, PC playback was abandoned by vendors, not defeated by technology.

6. LibreDrive and the MakeMKV ecosystem

What survived and continues to thrive is the MakeMKV ecosystem, entirely due to the work of Mike Chen.

LibreDrive:

• Removed dependence on fragile licensed playback stacks.

• Restored direct, reliable access to optical media.

• Made long-term UHD preservation possible on PC.

This post does not claim otherwise.
LibreDrive, MakeMKV, and the current state of PC UHD playback exist because of Mike’s work, and the community built around it.

7. Streaming didn’t kill discs it starved them

Streaming services require:

• Revocable access.

• No permanent ownership.

• Centralised control.

• Geo-restriction and removal capability.

Physical media does the opposite. Rather than banning discs, the industry:

• Tightened AACS rules.

• Abandoned PC playback support.

• Reduced hardware investment.

• Allowed manufacturing capacity to wither.

The decline appeared natural, but the ecosystem was deliberately starved.

8. The vinyl parallel

This situation mirrors vinyl almost exactly.
Vinyl:

• Should have disappeared decades ago.

• Was abandoned by mass manufacturers.

• Survived through specialists and enthusiasts

• Became a preservation format rather than a convenience format.

UHD Blu-ray is now in the same phase:

• Smaller market.

• Highly knowledgeable users.

• Finite hardware.

• Long lifespan through care, expertise, and preservation.

[/bManufacturing ends. Playback does not.

9. What this means going forward

We want to be clear and factual:

• No new generation of consumer UHD Blu-ray drives is coming.

• Existing drives are finite.

• Once HLDS fully exits consumer production, manufacturing will not restart.

• Optical media has entered a preservation era.

This is the same pattern seen with:

• DAT.

• MiniDisc recorders

• Broadcast tape mechanisms

10. Why are we posting this?

UHD Friendly Drives is sharing this information solely to help forum users make informed decisions:

• Understanding hardware availability

• Understanding long-term risks

• Planning preservation strategies realistically

This post is not about claiming credit, nor about promoting any solution over another.
The technical foundation of this ecosystem is MakeMKV, and that credit belongs where it is due.

Final thoughts

UHD Blu-ray is not dead. But consumer optical drive manufacturing effectively is.

What survives now is:

• Knowledge

• Careful hardware stewardship

• File-based preservation

• Communities like MakeMKV

We hope this perspective is helpful, and we welcome informed discussion.

Once again, thank you to Mike Chen for MakeMKV, and thank you to the community for another year of support.

Kind regards,

Asmcom

UHD Friendly Drives Team


Special Notice for US Customers & Import Duty:

Important: New $12 International Collect on Delivery (ICOD) Fee for U.S. Customers

UPS has introduced a new $12 USD ICOD (International Collect on Delivery) Fee for shipments to the United States if duties, taxes, or other government-related charges ("Duties") are not paid prior to delivery.
This fee will be collected directly from the recipient at the time of delivery. This will be an additional fee on top of any import duty that is liable for the US. It is impossible for us to know what import duty is for every state in the US, so please check this out.

How to Avoid Paying the Fee on Delivery

To avoid the $12 ICOD fee, recipients can prepay Duties online before delivery using one of the following methods:

• Apple Pay
• Google Pay
• Credit card (Visa, Mastercard, or Discover)

Prepayment can be made through the UPS Import Payment Processing Application (IPPA).

Ensure Accurate Contact Details Are Provided

To receive the prepayment notification and secure payment link, it's essential that the following recipient details are entered correctly when placing your order:

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number

Please double-check these details to avoid delays or unexpected charges.

Both recipients and shippers are responsible for providing accurate contact information to ensure a smooth delivery process.

A payment link will also be available through the tracking page on UPS.com, enabling recipients to pay in advance and avoid the ICOD Fee.


**Warranty Policy — this policy supersedes any previous posts**

As you may know, Pioneer has unfortunately ceased global manufacturing and official support for optical drives. **UHD Friendly Drives are no longer able to offer direct manufacturer support or warranty for Pioneer Blu-ray drives.**

That said, our commitment to you remains unchanged. Here’s how we’ll continue to assist:

**12-Month Customer Support**
For any Pioneer Blu-ray optical drives purchased from us, we offer 12 months of customer support, which includes troubleshooting assistance, setup guidance, and technical help for any issues that may arise during this period. We're here for you!

**30-Day Money-Back Guarantee**
If you're not completely satisfied with your Pioneer Blu-ray Writer Drive for any reason, we offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can return the product within 30 days of receipt for a full refund, provided the product is in its original condition, including all packaging and accessories. While Pioneer's direct warranty support is no longer available, we remain confident in the reliability of these drives, which have earned their reputation as top-tier products.

We understand that this change may be disappointing, and we want to emphasise that Pioneer Blu-ray optical drives are incredibly reliable and of the highest quality. We highly recommend them to anyone who has not yet experienced the exceptional performance of these products. They continue to be one of the best choices in the market for those seeking superior optical drive performance.

Thank you for being so understanding and for continuing to trust us. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to support you every step of the way!

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out.

Kind regards,
**Asmcom**
UHD Friendly Drives Team.



Note: Special Offer for MakeMKV Forum Members!!! Hitachi BP55 Super Slim External Blu-ray Drive. You must use the weblinks below, or you will not get the offer.





Important

Important Usage Recommendation: To preserve the lifespan of your Blu-ray drive, we do not recommend using it for direct playback of movie discs. Continuous playback can lead to premature laser wear. Our drives are ripping-optimised, not for use as regular movie players.

Instead, use trusted third-party software like MakeMKV to convert your 4K discs into a digital file or ISO container, which is a more reliable and drive-friendly solution for playback on your device. Once ripped, your content can be viewed repeatedly without further stressing the drive.

Let’s be smart about it:

Don’t use your drive for playback. The laser will wear out.

These drives are built for ripping, not repeated movie watching.

Use MakeMKV to create a digital copy. Then play it all you want, guilt-free and drive-friendly.

In short: Use your drive like it’s a tool, not a television.

[/color]BP55EB40WBU40NCC1-00DE - Drive with Carry Case Option. Hitachi BP55 Super Slim External Blu-ray Drive with Hitachi BP60-NB10 firmware BU40N 1-00DE, " 1-00DE Supports: DVDfab, MakeMKV, Xreveal Pro & AnyDVDHD, Drive with Carry Case Option". External Super-Slim USB 2.0 / 3.0 Compatible, Firmware 1-00mk, Reads 4K UHD Discs, Libre-Drive Friendly Drive with Carry Case Option. Costs £129.99 Plus Postage

- [/color]BP55EB40WBU40ND1-00DE - Drive Only Option. Hitachi BP55 Super Slim External Blu-ray Drive with Hitachi BP60-NB10 firmware BU40N 1-00DE, " 1-00DE Supports: DVDfab, MakeMKV, Xreveal Pro & AnyDVDHD, Drive Only Option". External Super-Slim USB 2.0 / 3.0 Compatible, Firmware 1-00mk, Reads 4K UHD Discs, Libre-Drive Friendly Drive Only. Costs £119.99 Plus Postage

[/color]BP55EB40WBU40NCC1-00MK - Drive with Carry Case Option. Hitachi BP55 Super Slim External Blu-ray Drive with Hitachi BP60-NB10 firmware 1-00MK, " 1-00MK Supports: MakeMKV, Xreveal Pro & AnyDVDHD, Drive with Carry Case Option". External Super-Slim USB 2.0 / 3.0 Compatible, Firmware 1-00mk, Reads 4K UHD Discs, Libre-Drive Friendly Drive with Carry Case Option. Costs £129.99 Plus Postage

[/color]BP55EB40WBU40ND1-00MK - Drive Only Option. Hitachi BP55 Super Slim External Blu-ray Drive with Hitachi BP60-NB10 firmware 1-00MK, " 1-00MK Supports: MakeMKV, Xreveal Pro & AnyDVDHD, Drive Only Option". External Super-Slim USB 2.0 / 3.0 Compatible, Firmware 1-00mk, Reads 4K UHD Discs, Libre-Drive Friendly Drive Only. Costs £119.99 Plus Postage

Good morning and happy new year. I am very interested in buying one unit of the model Pioneer BDR-X13E-S.Please Contact Please contact me to make the payment.

[Rip4kmovies]

Hello,
I live in the UK and wish to purchase a drive. Please contact me regarding this - how to proceed ahead and do you have any drives currently?
Thanks

[nicholfd]

Hello,
I live in the UK and wish to purchase a drive. Please contact me regarding this - how to proceed ahead and do you have any drives currently?
Thanks

Please at least try to first help yourself, by reading at LEAST the first page of a thread & the last page or two.

Instructions for purchasing from this seller are all over this thread. This seller is on holiday until February.

[Rrobynne]

[/color]BP55EB40WBU40NCC1-00DE - Drive with Carry Case Option. Hitachi BP55 Super Slim External Blu-ray Drive with Hitachi BP60-NB10 firmware BU40N 1-00DE, " 1-00DE Supports: DVDfab, MakeMKV, Xreveal Pro & AnyDVDHD, Drive with Carry Case Option". External Super-Slim USB 2.0 / 3.0 Compatible, Firmware 1-00mk, Reads 4K UHD Discs, Libre-Drive Friendly Drive with Carry Case Option. Costs £129.99 Plus Postage

[/b] - [/color]BP55EB40WBU40ND1-00DE - Drive Only Option. Hitachi BP55 Super Slim External Blu-ray Drive with Hitachi BP60-NB10 firmware BU40N 1-00DE, " 1-00DE Supports: DVDfab, MakeMKV, Xreveal Pro & AnyDVDHD, Drive Only Option". External Super-Slim USB 2.0 / 3.0 Compatible, Firmware 1-00mk, Reads 4K UHD Discs, Libre-Drive Friendly Drive Only. Costs £119.99 Plus Postage

[/color]BP55EB40WBU40NCC1-00MK - Drive with Carry Case Option. Hitachi BP55 Super Slim External Blu-ray Drive with Hitachi BP60-NB10 firmware 1-00MK, " 1-00MK Supports: MakeMKV, Xreveal Pro & AnyDVDHD, Drive with Carry Case Option". External Super-Slim USB 2.0 / 3.0 Compatible, Firmware 1-00mk, Reads 4K UHD Discs, Libre-Drive Friendly Drive with Carry Case Option. Costs £129.99 Plus Postage

[/color]BP55EB40WBU40ND1-00MK - Drive Only Option. Hitachi BP55 Super Slim External Blu-ray Drive with Hitachi BP60-NB10 firmware 1-00MK, " 1-00MK Supports: MakeMKV, Xreveal Pro & AnyDVDHD, Drive Only Option". External Super-Slim USB 2.0 / 3.0 Compatible, Firmware 1-00mk, Reads 4K UHD Discs, Libre-Drive Friendly Drive Only. Costs £119.99 Plus Postage

Sorry, other than the carry case, can someone explain what the functional difference is between these options? Confused by the formatting here I think. "1-00MK" supports less programs (DVDfab) but costs the same? I'm a rare media archivist-hobbyist, not a tech person fyi. All I need is a drive that can rip all optical media as bit-for-bit as feasible. My previous ascom drive from ~2020 is starting to perform inconsistently (I rent in the UK and my flat is often close to zero Celsius which I think may have not helped extend its functional lifetime), so looking to replace it.

[MartyMcNuts]

[/color]BP55EB40WBU40NCC1-00DE - Drive with Carry Case Option. Hitachi BP55 Super Slim External Blu-ray Drive with Hitachi BP60-NB10 firmware BU40N 1-00DE, " 1-00DE Supports: DVDfab, MakeMKV, Xreveal Pro & AnyDVDHD, Drive with Carry Case Option". External Super-Slim USB 2.0 / 3.0 Compatible, Firmware 1-00mk, Reads 4K UHD Discs, Libre-Drive Friendly Drive with Carry Case Option. Costs £129.99 Plus Postage

[/b] - [/color]BP55EB40WBU40ND1-00DE - Drive Only Option. Hitachi BP55 Super Slim External Blu-ray Drive with Hitachi BP60-NB10 firmware BU40N 1-00DE, " 1-00DE Supports: DVDfab, MakeMKV, Xreveal Pro & AnyDVDHD, Drive Only Option". External Super-Slim USB 2.0 / 3.0 Compatible, Firmware 1-00mk, Reads 4K UHD Discs, Libre-Drive Friendly Drive Only. Costs £119.99 Plus Postage

[/color]BP55EB40WBU40NCC1-00MK - Drive with Carry Case Option. Hitachi BP55 Super Slim External Blu-ray Drive with Hitachi BP60-NB10 firmware 1-00MK, " 1-00MK Supports: MakeMKV, Xreveal Pro & AnyDVDHD, Drive with Carry Case Option". External Super-Slim USB 2.0 / 3.0 Compatible, Firmware 1-00mk, Reads 4K UHD Discs, Libre-Drive Friendly Drive with Carry Case Option. Costs £129.99 Plus Postage

[/color]BP55EB40WBU40ND1-00MK - Drive Only Option. Hitachi BP55 Super Slim External Blu-ray Drive with Hitachi BP60-NB10 firmware 1-00MK, " 1-00MK Supports: MakeMKV, Xreveal Pro & AnyDVDHD, Drive Only Option". External Super-Slim USB 2.0 / 3.0 Compatible, Firmware 1-00mk, Reads 4K UHD Discs, Libre-Drive Friendly Drive Only. Costs £119.99 Plus Postage

Sorry, other than the carry case, can someone explain what the functional difference is between these options? Confused by the formatting here I think. "1-00MK" supports less programs (DVDfab) but costs the same? I'm a rare media archivist-hobbyist, not a tech person fyi. All I need is a drive that can rip all optical media as bit-for-bit as feasible. My previous ascom drive from ~2020 is starting to perform inconsistently (I rent in the UK and my flat is often close to zero Celsius which I think may have not helped extend its functional lifetime), so looking to replace it.

Yes, MK firmware only works with MakeMKV and Xreveal for UHD discs.

[iamnewtoallofthis]

I am interested in purchasing a uhd friendly drive, please contact me. Very new to all of this.

[vmware-fanboy]

UHD Friendly Drives – Industry Position & Outlook for 2026

Hello everyone,

As we approach the end of the year, we would first like to thank all our customers and members of the MakeMKV community for their continued support and trust. Your feedback, discussions, and engagement are what allow this ecosystem to continue to exist. We would also like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

This post is shared purely as an industry update and market outlook. It is not intended to claim credit for technical breakthroughs, nor to promote products, but to help forum members understand where the optical drive market now stands, what choices realistically remain, and how to plan going forward.

Before going further, it is important to be absolutely clear on one point:

All credit for LibreDrive, PC UHD Blu-ray playback, and the ecosystem we have today belongs entirely to Mike Chen and the MakeMKV project.
Without Mike’s work, there would be no LibreDrive, no viable UHD ripping path, and no community like this. This is his forum and his software, and it is only proper to recognise that.

UHD Friendly Drives is simply posting this update as a long-standing participant in the ecosystem, with visibility into hardware supply and lifecycle trends.


1. The manufacturing reality

In 2025, the consumer UHD Blu-ray drive market has crossed a critical threshold.

This year alone, the following HLDS (Hitachi-LG Data Storage) models have reached End of Life (EOL):

Hitachi BH-16NS40

Hitachi BH-16NS55

Hitachi BU40N

These are not random SKUs.

They Represent:

The last reliable internal SATA UHD-capable drives

The last truly viable slimline UHD laptop drive (BU40N)

Well-understood firmware families that underpin much of the MakeMKV ecosystem

Crucially:

There are no announced successors

No silent OEM refreshes

No new consumer UHD optical silicon appearing

From our perspective, this is controlled contraction, not normal product lifecycle behaviour.

As of today, HLDS appears to be the only remaining large-scale optical drive manufacturer, and even that output is clearly winding down rather than evolving.

2. Pioneer did not simply shut down, it was sold

When Pioneer exited the optical drive market, an important detail is often overlooked. Pioneer did not just close the division.

Its optical drive business (Pioneer Digital Design and Manufacturing) was sold outright to Shanxi Lightchain Technology Industrial Development Co., Ltd.

3. Why we believe Shanxi Lightchain bought Pioneer’s optical business

From an engineering and industrial standpoint, we do not believe this acquisition was about reviving consumer Blu-ray drives.

The real value Pioneer brought was optical R&D capability, not retail products:

• Multi-wavelength laser decoding (CD / DVD / BD / UHD).

• RF signal extraction at the analog boundary

• Error behaviour modelling on marginal media.

• Servo control algorithms.

• Precision opto-mechatronics.

• Decades of optical-storage failure analysis

• Engineers with deep understanding of optical physics

This expertise is Rare and Extremely difficult to recreate.

Highly transferable to industrial, medical, scientific, sensing, and metrology applications

There has been:

• No new Pioneer-branded drive roadmap.

• No re-entry into consumer channels.

• No indication of UHD-capable successors.

All signs point to capability and knowledge acquisition, not consumer product continuation.

4.Direct communication with Shanxi Lightchain

We would also like to clarify something based on direct communication rather than speculation.

UHD Friendly Drives has been in direct contact with Shanxi Lightchain Technology to understand whether there were any plans to restart or continue consumer optical drive manufacturing.

We were clearly advised that:

• There are no plans to manufacture new consumer optical drives.

• The former Pioneer optical business is not being positioned for consumer Blu-ray products.

We specifically enquired whether a limited production run could be considered for UHD Friendly Drives and a third party partner in Taiwan.

Their response was that they would only consider a production run if there was a minimum order quantity of approximately 50,000 units.

This is far beyond what is financially realistic or commercially viable for a specialist market such as ours, and therefore not something we could pursue.

We share this information so forum members understand that this avenue has been explored directly, and that the lack of new drives is not due to lack of interest, but to industrial-scale constraints.

5. Why PC UHD playback was abandoned deliberately.

It is important to address a common misconception.

PC UHD Blu-ray playback did not fail because it was technically impossible.

Early PC UHD playback relied on:

• Intel CPUs with SGX.

• Licensed AACS 2.x software stacks

• Host authentication enforced by CPU and OS vendors.

When Intel removed SGX support from newer processors, and Microsoft stopped positioning Windows as an AACS host platform, licensed UHD playback on PC effectively ended.

This aligned with:

• Reduced platform liability.

• Streaming-first priorities.

• Removal of ownership-based playback paths.

In short, PC playback was abandoned by vendors, not defeated by technology.

6. LibreDrive and the MakeMKV ecosystem

What survived and continues to thrive is the MakeMKV ecosystem, entirely due to the work of Mike Chen.

LibreDrive:

• Removed dependence on fragile licensed playback stacks.

• Restored direct, reliable access to optical media.

• Made long-term UHD preservation possible on PC.

This post does not claim otherwise.
LibreDrive, MakeMKV, and the current state of PC UHD playback exist because of Mike’s work, and the community built around it.

7. Streaming didn’t kill discs it starved them

Streaming services require:

• Revocable access.

• No permanent ownership.

• Centralised control.

• Geo-restriction and removal capability.

Physical media does the opposite. Rather than banning discs, the industry:

• Tightened AACS rules.

• Abandoned PC playback support.

• Reduced hardware investment.

• Allowed manufacturing capacity to wither.

The decline appeared natural, but the ecosystem was deliberately starved.

8. The vinyl parallel

This situation mirrors vinyl almost exactly.
Vinyl:

• Should have disappeared decades ago.

• Was abandoned by mass manufacturers.

• Survived through specialists and enthusiasts

• Became a preservation format rather than a convenience format.

UHD Blu-ray is now in the same phase:

• Smaller market.

• Highly knowledgeable users.

• Finite hardware.

• Long lifespan through care, expertise, and preservation.

[/bManufacturing ends. Playback does not.

9. What this means going forward

We want to be clear and factual:

• No new generation of consumer UHD Blu-ray drives is coming.

• Existing drives are finite.

• Once HLDS fully exits consumer production, manufacturing will not restart.

• Optical media has entered a preservation era.

This is the same pattern seen with:

• DAT.

• MiniDisc recorders

• Broadcast tape mechanisms

10. Why are we posting this?

UHD Friendly Drives is sharing this information solely to help forum users make informed decisions:

• Understanding hardware availability

• Understanding long-term risks

• Planning preservation strategies realistically

This post is not about claiming credit, nor about promoting any solution over another.
The technical foundation of this ecosystem is MakeMKV, and that credit belongs where it is due.

Final thoughts

UHD Blu-ray is not dead. But consumer optical drive manufacturing effectively is.

What survives now is:

• Knowledge

• Careful hardware stewardship

• File-based preservation

• Communities like MakeMKV

We hope this perspective is helpful, and we welcome informed discussion.

Once again, thank you to Mike Chen for MakeMKV, and thank you to the community for another year of support.

Kind regards,
Asmcom
UHD Friendly Drives Team

with regards to the minimum order quantity thing would contacting a media outlet or youtube channel to get the quantity up be realistic or even a good idea?

[Headbanger]

I wish to purchase another UHD friendly drive. Please contact me once open again and available.

Thanks,
HB

[Austin128]

Hello, Asmcom!

I know your shop is opening back up in February, but I had a few questions I was hoping you would have the time to answer beforehand so I can know if I should wait for your shop to open up or go ahead and get something from Billycar while he still has stock. I can't send private messages on here, but I did email uhdfriendlydrives@gmail.com on Jan 10, 2026, at 2:00 AM CST (8:00 AM GMT). The Subject Line is "A Few Questions!"

Thank you!

[DennisOlof]

Are we sure Ascom will open up in February or will it just be sorry no stock left ?

Given that Pioneer are out and LG have shut down production (at least that is what others say).