Ultimate UHD Drives Flashing Guide Updated 2026

[samosababai]

thankyou.

I downgraded my LG 14NS40 1.05 to WH16NS60 1.02_mk firmware (with enc checked green).
After this step, I was able to rip my (non 4k uhd) disc using makemkv,

do I need to still reflash it again with 14NS40_1.02 with enc check red? or the previous flash is good enough?

[SH0D4N]

Any drives that I should avoid from the recommended ones? Like some known for being unreliable?
I'd like only one drive, at max two for best compatibility with discs. For example, will Asus BW-16D1HT from Amazon work fine and be flashable?
I know that drives need to be at least made in 2016, but didn't they start to encrypt or lock the flashing for newer ones (e.g. 2020 and newer)?
Thanks.

[Billycar11]

Any drives that I should avoid from the recommended ones? Like some known for being unreliable?
I'd like only one drive, at max two for best compatibility with discs. For example, will Asus BW-16D1HT from Amazon work fine and be flashable?
I know that drives need to be at least made in 2016, but didn't they start to encrypt or lock the flashing for newer ones (e.g. 2020 and newer)?
Thanks.

i mean my opinion is avoid all LG/Asus 5.25 desktop drives my fail rate was so high on those i had to stop selling them.
the pioneers are the best by far
the BU40N BP50/60 are not bad they are also faster than the pioneers.
but if your buying from a seller they are cherry picking the drive for as it will be tested so buy whatever you want then.

[SH0D4N]

but if your buying from a seller they are cherry picking the drive for as it will be tested so buy whatever you want then.

I would be buying from Amazon most likely. But as I said, I have no idea if this list recommends model X, but newer revisions of said model will be un-flashable and I will be screwed, because Amazon doesn't care about MakeMKV and some revisions.
I found one seller here shipping internationally, but the shipping fee together with the drive prices would be too much for me. The seller here offers ASUS BW-16D1HT and LG BU40N.

[Billycar11]

but if your buying from a seller they are cherry picking the drive for as it will be tested so buy whatever you want then.

I would be buying from Amazon most likely. But as I said, I have no idea if this list recommends model X, but newer revisions of said model will be un-flashable and I will be screwed, because Amazon doesn't care about MakeMKV and some revisions.
I found one seller here shipping internationally, but the shipping fee together with the drive prices would be too much for me. The seller here offers ASUS BW-16D1HT and LG BU40N.

All LG /Asus drives are currently flashable
Pioneers are not publicly flashable
Would not recommend buying from sellers not on my list as they have been proven to not test or warranty drives

[asmcom]

Any drives that I should avoid from the recommended ones? Like some known for being unreliable?
I'd like only one drive, at max two for best compatibility with discs. For example, will Asus BW-16D1HT from Amazon work fine and be flashable?
I know that drives need to be at least made in 2016, but didn't they start to encrypt or lock the flashing for newer ones (e.g. 2020 and newer)?
Thanks.

i mean my opinion is avoid all LG/Asus 5.25 desktop drives my fail rate was so high on those i had to stop selling them.
the pioneers are the best by far
the BU40N BP50/60 are not bad they are also faster than the pioneers.
but if your buying from a seller they are cherry picking the drive for as it will be tested so buy whatever you want then.

Well said Billycar11 and you are on the button.

Asmcom

[SH0D4N]

Any drives that I should avoid from the recommended ones? Like some known for being unreliable?
I'd like only one drive, at max two for best compatibility with discs. For example, will Asus BW-16D1HT from Amazon work fine and be flashable?
I know that drives need to be at least made in 2016, but didn't they start to encrypt or lock the flashing for newer ones (e.g. 2020 and newer)?
Thanks.

i mean my opinion is avoid all LG/Asus 5.25 desktop drives my fail rate was so high on those i had to stop selling them.
the pioneers are the best by far
the BU40N BP50/60 are not bad they are also faster than the pioneers.
but if your buying from a seller they are cherry picking the drive for as it will be tested so buy whatever you want then.

Well said Billycar11 and you are on the button.

Asmcom

I wanted to buy drive(s) from you, sadly your shop is not active.

However I found used ASUS BW-16D1HT with OWC Mercury Pro enclosure nearby for 125€ incl. shipping. "FW 3.10, bought on Christmas 2021 and selling it because after 5 rips I had no use for it and it was catching dust".
Or another drive I found is Hitachi BH16NS55 for 45€ (without enclosure) with not as much info about it as the aforementioned ASUS.
However, is this true? -> viewtopic.php?f=16&t=27725&p=120319#:~: ... er%20break I was thinking of using BR or M-DISC as a cold storage for family photos and such.
If I get burned by the used ASUS I found nearby, I will most likely get the next one from you.
And even if it will work I'll probably stop by for 2nd drive.

Enjoy your vacation! (I presume, 'cuz summer)

PS: I didn't just ignore your heads-up Billycar11 about the fail rate. However I can't get my hands on BU40N BP50/60 and Pioneer is so much more expensive here.

[baneling]

hey all, when ripping with makemkv, it puts "t00" at the end of the file. is there a way to change that to something else? there doesn't seem to be a setting for this in the app.

[SH0D4N]

hey all, when ripping with makemkv, it puts "t00" at the end of the file. is there a way to change that to something else? there doesn't seem to be a setting for this in the app.

That's just the nature of the beast. You can't do much about it, "t" in "t00" stands for "title," and "00" represents the track number.

You can always rename it later, automate it using some software or if you use somekind of library organizator like Radarr/Sonarr, then look into settings. It has great renaming tool.
Otherwise I can recommend FileBot.

[eksine]

I bought an asus bw-16d1ht , was able to successfully flash it to 3.10 MK, however it started producing read erros on blu-rays and a TON of errors reading DVD's, so I ordered a new drive on amazon like I did before however it is now made in January 2023 with firmware 3.11. I tried to flash it to 3.10 MK but it gives the error code 0xff056103, I cannot find any answers on here and I am completely lost. I am using the newest SDFtool flasher 1.3.5, there is no ENC checkbox, what do I do? also READ does not work on this drive, it is only able to dump the user files which is worthless

[d00zah]

I bought an asus bw-16d1ht , was able to successfully flash it to 3.10 MK, however it started producing read erros on blu-rays and a TON of errors reading DVD's, so I ordered a new drive on amazon like I did before however it is now made in January 2023 with firmware 3.11. I tried to flash it to 3.10 MK but it gives the error code 0xff056103, I cannot find any answers on here and I am completely lost. I am using the newest SDFtool flasher 1.3.5, there is no ENC checkbox, what do I do? also READ does not work on this drive, it is only able to dump the user files which is worthless

IF this post is any indication, remove the disc from your drive. MUST be empty to flash.

[STRAYDOG626]

So i followed these steps

UPDATE - 21/12/2021:
The latest version of the SDFtool Flasher has a checkbox option to flash the boot loader with the main firmware to the drive. This is useful for the newer BP50NB40 with SVC: NB52. It's also possible that other newer models may require this option later on. We will all work it out together as we go!!

For the moment, to flash the BP50NB40 SVC:NB52, using the latest SDFtool Flasher, follw the steps below:

1. Flash the drive to BP50NB40 (NB50) 1.03-MK.

Now for the crossflash:

2. Select the RECOVERY option and in the pop up, select the BP50NB40 (NB50) 1.03-MK firmware that you just flashed.
3. Select the BP60NB10 1.00-MK or BU40N 1.00 firmware in the normal drop box.
4. Click START

from viewtopic.php?f=16&t=22896 this post
I did not use the flash the bootloader checkbox at any step however...

I selected BP60NB10 1.00-MK and I can read and rip regular blu-ray but cant do anything or even detect UHD blu-rays. is that because i need to use BU40N 1.00? If so what steps do I take to flash that without bricking my drive?

[Billycar11]

So i followed these steps

UPDATE - 21/12/2021:
The latest version of the SDFtool Flasher has a checkbox option to flash the boot loader with the main firmware to the drive. This is useful for the newer BP50NB40 with SVC: NB52. It's also possible that other newer models may require this option later on. We will all work it out together as we go!!

For the moment, to flash the BP50NB40 SVC:NB52, using the latest SDFtool Flasher, follw the steps below:

1. Flash the drive to BP50NB40 (NB50) 1.03-MK.

Now for the crossflash:

2. Select the RECOVERY option and in the pop up, select the BP50NB40 (NB50) 1.03-MK firmware that you just flashed.
3. Select the BP60NB10 1.00-MK or BU40N 1.00 firmware in the normal drop box.
4. Click START

from viewtopic.php?f=16&t=22896 this post
I did not use the flash the bootloader checkbox at any step however...

I selected BP60NB10 1.00-MK and I can read and rip regular blu-ray but cant do anything or even detect UHD blu-rays. is that because i need to use BU40N 1.00? If so what steps do I take to flash that without bricking my drive?

Follow my guide steps exactly that's why I made it it in post 1

[STI_MECE]

for anyone else needing to this, I have an LG WH14NS40. The instructions werent clear here, but I had to do everything via command line (run as admin) first.

The path that is shown in the first post isnt right for windows 11 anyways, here is my command after cd'ing into the MakeMKV folder.

note the space at the very beginning too " .\makemkvcon64.exe f --all-yes -d D: rawflash enc -i "C:\Users\DELETE\Downloads\The all you need firmware pack\The all you need firmware pack\LG 5.25 desktop\HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_WH16NS60-1.02-NM00100-211810291936.bin""

so more concisely, .\makemkvcon64.exe f --all-yes -d D: rawflash enc i "insert path here and put quotes around it"

If you are on windows 11 there is a copy to path button if you right click the file you want, look at the bottom for "show more options" then closely scan for "copy to path.

its helpful to use notepad before doing into cmd because you can adjust your formatting easier and quicker

[leo708]

If I get the BDR-S13U-X or BDR-S13UBK with firmware after Dec 2022, does it mean they're not flashable to version that can rip UHD Discs?

If so, I'll just get the Asus BW-16D1HT.