Ultimate UHD Drives Flashing Guide Updated 2026

[onknight]

Any drive from 2013 would NOT work for UHD, because it was built 2 years prior to UHD being defined.

It would work for DVD and BD, but you can buy new drives for that price that only does those.

Thanks
I ended up rolling the dice on a new one and it looks like it paid off
so far it work on DVD and Blue rays I've ordered a Ultra Blu-ray to test tomorrow
I want to thank everyone for the great guides on doing this it's been very helpful

[onknight]

SHould I update from 1.02 to Firmware version: 1.03 firmware ?

[onknight]

Just an update was able to do the 4K UHD discs without any problem. Again thanks to everyone
Really looking forward to getting into this Hoppy

[reliablemkvmachine]

Hi everyone, first post here.

Add another Pioneer to the list - BDR-S13J-X

Works like a charm!

I purchased the Pioneer BDR-S13J-X because of this comment. I can confirm that it works perfectly out of the box. I have previously bought two recommended, reflashed drives from this forum and have had nothing but issues to the point of giving up on backing up my collection.

The S13J-X is virtually silent, has a read rate of around [3.8X] with zero read errors, so about an hour per UHD disc. Certainly worth the money after the debacle of prior attempts.

The extra couple of dollars for a supported solution over the "hacked" solution is worth it. If anyone is in the market for a new drive or their first drive, I cannot recommend this more.

Any Pioneer drive I have tested works perfect. Pioneer Blu-ray drives are the go to drive for many users, including for professional use, to the extent that Pioneer optical drives have become the drives of choice among professionals in business. There are many reasons for this. Pioneer devices have many unique features that take advantage of long cultivated knowledge and technology accumulated in the development of optical drives, as well as being one of the few manufacturers to not only design in house the optical pickup, one of the most important parts in the design of optical drives, but to use in house development and manufacture for the optical drive itself.

Pioneer uses in house development and manufacture for everything. I can remember years ago having the Pioneer Kuro Plasma, which at that time was one of the best Televisions ever made. Pioneer design in house optical pickups through to disc transport mechanisms, control circuitry for these, and even the chassis. This condenses their expertise in optical disc technology going back to the era of the LaserDisc, enabling stable read and write operations. Pioneer Blu-ray drives are renowned for their high writing quality, and are used for storage of historical documents such as those in libraries and museums, examination and treatment data in medical institutions, academic content and research data in educational institutions, and master data at broadcasters & government institutions.

In previous drives, when a read error occurred because of problems such as scratches or fingerprints on music CDs, the section with the error was interpolated and the sound approximated from this. Pioneer Blu-ray drives include PureRead technology, a unique technology for accurately reading data from music CDs. This technology automatically determines the state of discs that have scratches and makes adjustments accordingly to use an optimal read method, thus providing reading of music CDs that is as close as possible to the original.

Different to the predominant tray-type used in slim external USB drives, their unique slot loading mechanism provides ease of use with an ingenious, novel configuration. Additionally, the high-speed stationary type incorporates a disc resonance stabilizer that also calculates airflow when the disc is rotating at high speeds. This mechanism provides more stable writing and the drives are extremely quiet.

When you say over the "hacked solution" I am not sure what you mean and which drives you are talking about?

I can say the BU40N is a brilliant drive and I have never had any complaints about this drive from anyone. The laser pickup in the BU40N is also of high quality and has the advantage of faster reading. However, I do know why you are very impressed with the Pioneer BDR-S13J-X. The Pioneer drives are not cheap but once you invest in their brand, you can be sure you have made a good investment as their optical drives are extremely reliable.

Pioneer drives have been only available from February 2022 this year thanks to Mike Chen and Blackened2687. Before this we were happy with the drives we had to choose from but now that the Pioneer has arrived and now supports MakeMKV, we could say the bar has been raised in terms of standards. If I buy a new 4K movie and it is a BD100. I will always try to back it up with my BU40N first. It makes sense to do this as it is also reliable and is a faster drive at readings 4K Ultra HD, UHD discs. I suppose there is no such a thing as a difficult disc anymore with Pioneer drives.

Asmcom

Hey Asmcom,

By "hacked solution" I simply meant buying a drive that out of the box is unsupported then reflashing it with firmware to get a level of compatibility with the UHD format.

I bought two drives, pre-flashed from a store/user recommended on this forum, the first being a WP50NB40 which I managed to rip only 3 discs in my collection then got a BH16NS55 and wasn't able to rip anything. Now these were tested prior to shipping however I was only able to backup 3 discs and spending this solid amount of money for almost zero results was hugely disapointing. 8 months later I bought the BDR-S13J-X from eBay Japan, plugged it into the same data/power connectors I had the old drives connected to, and it has now backed up my 100+ disc library with zero errors. It cost a fraction more than the two flashed drives combined which I really wish I never bought and are gathering dust on my shelf.

I feel like there should be more of a push on the forum and any stores that it recommends to ensure that both new and returning visitors know about the BDR-S13J-X because they may have had the same awful experience I did and may also be resigned to not being able to backup their library. Some people may be more than happy to pay a bit more if they know they'll have a better experience out of the box than if they went with something cheaper.

Gotta say now though, I'm getting my moneys worth out of MakeMKV! And that nvenc has really saved a bunch of space in my NAS. Just wild what you can get with those two apps!

[bort420]

+1 for pioneer drives. I'd buy them from the pioneer official webshop: https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA ... BDR-X13U-S

[asmcom]

I purchased the Pioneer BDR-S13J-X because of this comment. I can confirm that it works perfectly out of the box. I have previously bought two recommended, reflashed drives from this forum and have had nothing but issues to the point of giving up on backing up my collection.

The S13J-X is virtually silent, has a read rate of around [3.8X] with zero read errors, so about an hour per UHD disc. Certainly worth the money after the debacle of prior attempts.

The extra couple of dollars for a supported solution over the "hacked" solution is worth it. If anyone is in the market for a new drive or their first drive, I cannot recommend this more.

Any Pioneer drive I have tested works perfect. Pioneer Blu-ray drives are the go to drive for many users, including for professional use, to the extent that Pioneer optical drives have become the drives of choice among professionals in business. There are many reasons for this. Pioneer devices have many unique features that take advantage of long cultivated knowledge and technology accumulated in the development of optical drives, as well as being one of the few manufacturers to not only design in house the optical pickup, one of the most important parts in the design of optical drives, but to use in house development and manufacture for the optical drive itself.

Pioneer uses in house development and manufacture for everything. I can remember years ago having the Pioneer Kuro Plasma, which at that time was one of the best Televisions ever made. Pioneer design in house optical pickups through to disc transport mechanisms, control circuitry for these, and even the chassis. This condenses their expertise in optical disc technology going back to the era of the LaserDisc, enabling stable read and write operations. Pioneer Blu-ray drives are renowned for their high writing quality, and are used for storage of historical documents such as those in libraries and museums, examination and treatment data in medical institutions, academic content and research data in educational institutions, and master data at broadcasters & government institutions.

In previous drives, when a read error occurred because of problems such as scratches or fingerprints on music CDs, the section with the error was interpolated and the sound approximated from this. Pioneer Blu-ray drives include PureRead technology, a unique technology for accurately reading data from music CDs. This technology automatically determines the state of discs that have scratches and makes adjustments accordingly to use an optimal read method, thus providing reading of music CDs that is as close as possible to the original.

Different to the predominant tray-type used in slim external USB drives, their unique slot loading mechanism provides ease of use with an ingenious, novel configuration. Additionally, the high-speed stationary type incorporates a disc resonance stabilizer that also calculates airflow when the disc is rotating at high speeds. This mechanism provides more stable writing and the drives are extremely quiet.

When you say over the "hacked solution" I am not sure what you mean and which drives you are talking about?

I can say the BU40N is a brilliant drive and I have never had any complaints about this drive from anyone. The laser pickup in the BU40N is also of high quality and has the advantage of faster reading. However, I do know why you are very impressed with the Pioneer BDR-S13J-X. The Pioneer drives are not cheap but once you invest in their brand, you can be sure you have made a good investment as their optical drives are extremely reliable.

Pioneer drives have been only available from February 2022 this year thanks to Mike Chen and Blackened2687. Before this we were happy with the drives we had to choose from but now that the Pioneer has arrived and now supports MakeMKV, we could say the bar has been raised in terms of standards. If I buy a new 4K movie and it is a BD100. I will always try to back it up with my BU40N first. It makes sense to do this as it is also reliable and is a faster drive at readings 4K Ultra HD, UHD discs. I suppose there is no such a thing as a difficult disc anymore with Pioneer drives.

Asmcom

Hey Asmcom,

By "hacked solution" I simply meant buying a drive that out of the box is unsupported then reflashing it with firmware to get a level of compatibility with the UHD format.

I bought two drives, pre-flashed from a store/user recommended on this forum, the first being a WP50NB40 which I managed to rip only 3 discs in my collection then got a BH16NS55 and wasn't able to rip anything. Now these were tested prior to shipping however I was only able to backup 3 discs and spending this solid amount of money for almost zero results was hugely disapointing. 8 months later I bought the BDR-S13J-X from eBay Japan, plugged it into the same data/power connectors I had the old drives connected to, and it has now backed up my 100+ disc library with zero errors. It cost a fraction more than the two flashed drives combined which I really wish I never bought and are gathering dust on my shelf.

I feel like there should be more of a push on the forum and any stores that it recommends to ensure that both new and returning visitors know about the BDR-S13J-X because they may have had the same awful experience I did and may also be resigned to not being able to backup their library. Some people may be more than happy to pay a bit more if they know they'll have a better experience out of the box than if they went with something cheaper.

Gotta say now though, I'm getting my moneys worth out of MakeMKV! And that nvenc has really saved a bunch of space in my NAS. Just wild what you can get with those two apps!

I couldn't agree more with you. I am currently testing the 13 series drives from Pioneer.

Asmcom

[ernnnn]

Hi!

First of all, thank you very much for all the info in this forum. It's beyond expectations.

I have a LG BU40N drive, and I have downgraded it to 1.03 using both the software and firmware file found here. I don't want to rip UHD films, as they are easily found on the internet, and it's easier for me to download than ripping them from my personal collection.

I tried to burn some UHD films on BD-R XL 100GB, using just the first two layers, as I have a Blu-ray drive that accepts them with my TV. The problem is that when it "jumps" from one layer to the other, all the burnt films stop for some seconds, even minutes, skipping a bit of the film. With this new drive, being UHD friendly, I hope it can do the job better than the other.

Any experience with this? Or the firmware downgrade is just for reading, not writing?

Thanks in advance!!

[Billycar11]

Hi!

First of all, thank you very much for all the info in this forum. It's beyond expectations.

I have a LG BU40N drive, and I have downgraded it to 1.03 using both the software and firmware file found here. I don't want to rip UHD films, as they are easily found on the internet, and it's easier for me to download than ripping them from my personal collection.

I tried to burn some UHD films on BD-R XL 100GB, using just the first two layers, as I have a Blu-ray drive that accepts them with my TV. The problem is that when it "jumps" from one layer to the other, all the burnt films stop for some seconds, even minutes, skipping a bit of the film. With this new drive, being UHD friendly, I hope it can do the job better than the other.

Any experience with this? Or the firmware downgrade is just for reading, not writing?

Thanks in advance!!

firmware has nothing to do with burning really discs are dead we hate them buts it how to get the best quality.
dont burn discs just put them on a HDD

[ernnnn]

Hi!

First of all, thank you very much for all the info in this forum. It's beyond expectations.

I have a LG BU40N drive, and I have downgraded it to 1.03 using both the software and firmware file found here. I don't want to rip UHD films, as they are easily found on the internet, and it's easier for me to download than ripping them from my personal collection.

I tried to burn some UHD films on BD-R XL 100GB, using just the first two layers, as I have a Blu-ray drive that accepts them with my TV. The problem is that when it "jumps" from one layer to the other, all the burnt films stop for some seconds, even minutes, skipping a bit of the film. With this new drive, being UHD friendly, I hope it can do the job better than the other.

Any experience with this? Or the firmware downgrade is just for reading, not writing?

Thanks in advance!!

firmware has nothing to do with burning really discs are dead we hate them buts it how to get the best quality.
dont burn discs just put them on a HDD

I like having them physically, apart from the fact you have said. Physical discs have better quality than mkv. So firmware does not have anything to do with writing discs. Oh my I'll try, just for fun...

[Coopervid]

Hi!

First of all, thank you very much for all the info in this forum. It's beyond expectations.

I have a LG BU40N drive, and I have downgraded it to 1.03 using both the software and firmware file found here. I don't want to rip UHD films, as they are easily found on the internet, and it's easier for me to download than ripping them from my personal collection.

I tried to burn some UHD films on BD-R XL 100GB, using just the first two layers, as I have a Blu-ray drive that accepts them with my TV. The problem is that when it "jumps" from one layer to the other, all the burnt films stop for some seconds, even minutes, skipping a bit of the film. With this new drive, being UHD friendly, I hope it can do the job better than the other.

Any experience with this? Or the firmware downgrade is just for reading, not writing?

Thanks in advance!!

If you still want to burn discs with layer breaks you need a Pioneer drive, good media and burn as slow as possible. Forget about your LG as it is a lousy burner.

[Billycar11]

Physical discs have better quality than mkv.

no the quality is exactly the same as the disc unless you compress it

[ernnnn]

Hi!

First of all, thank you very much for all the info in this forum. It's beyond expectations.

I have a LG BU40N drive, and I have downgraded it to 1.03 using both the software and firmware file found here. I don't want to rip UHD films, as they are easily found on the internet, and it's easier for me to download than ripping them from my personal collection.

I tried to burn some UHD films on BD-R XL 100GB, using just the first two layers, as I have a Blu-ray drive that accepts them with my TV. The problem is that when it "jumps" from one layer to the other, all the burnt films stop for some seconds, even minutes, skipping a bit of the film. With this new drive, being UHD friendly, I hope it can do the job better than the other.

Any experience with this? Or the firmware downgrade is just for reading, not writing?

Thanks in advance!!

If you still want to burn discs with layer breaks you need a Pioneer drive, good media and burn as slow as possible. Forget about your LG as it is a lousy burner.

Does it really make a difference? Are they very expensive comparing to the LG burners?

[Coopervid]

Hi!

First of all, thank you very much for all the info in this forum. It's beyond expectations.

I have a LG BU40N drive, and I have downgraded it to 1.03 using both the software and firmware file found here. I don't want to rip UHD films, as they are easily found on the internet, and it's easier for me to download than ripping them from my personal collection.

I tried to burn some UHD films on BD-R XL 100GB, using just the first two layers, as I have a Blu-ray drive that accepts them with my TV. The problem is that when it "jumps" from one layer to the other, all the burnt films stop for some seconds, even minutes, skipping a bit of the film. With this new drive, being UHD friendly, I hope it can do the job better than the other.

Any experience with this? Or the firmware downgrade is just for reading, not writing?

Thanks in advance!!

If you still want to burn discs with layer breaks you need a Pioneer drive, good media and burn as slow as possible. Forget about your LG as it is a lousy burner.

Does it really make a difference? Are they very expensive comparing to the LG burners?

It does. Look here:

https://forum.redfox.bz/threads/bd-50gb.80418/page-9

There is WIP to burn even slower at 0.9x to improve the burned result as good as possible.

You can check the seller's pages for buying a Pioneer.

viewforum.php?f=20

[ernnnn]

If you still want to burn discs with layer breaks you need a Pioneer drive, good media and burn as slow as possible. Forget about your LG as it is a lousy burner.

Does it really make a difference? Are they very expensive comparing to the LG burners?

It does. Look here:

https://forum.redfox.bz/threads/bd-50gb.80418/page-9

There is WIP to burn even slower at 0.9x to improve the burned result as good as possible.

You can check the seller's pages for buying a Pioneer.

viewforum.php?f=20

Excuse me, what is WIP? I usually use Imgburn to burn the discs. Any other software for better results? Thanks in advance!

[Coopervid]

WIP = work in progress. There are certain things that have to be adjusted in Imgburn in conjunction with a Pioneer drive and its utility.

Imgburn is the best software for burning.