Ultimate UHD Drives Flashing Guide Updated 2024

[dcoke22]

Sorry if a dumb question. I am looking at the recommended drives list but then there is a comment about not buying any Pioneer drives for 4K (UHD). Is that still the case? Also, should I not bother trying to find a drive that does 3D? I was hoping to rip those as well. Sounds like trying to find something that works out of the box on Amazon is a lost cause.

Yes, still the case for Pioneer drives. As for 3D, I don't have much experience here, but I'm pretty sure any LibreDrive compatible drive can rip 3D movies.

The sellers on this forum are the best resource for Pioneer drives (they're split up by region and listed in the first post of this thread).

As a side note, the first post of this thread is maintained to a very high degree. If anything changes regarding the Pioneer drives, the first post will be updated.

[ikomrad]

so im pretty green at this .... just flashed my LG WP50NB40 (NB52) with "DE_LG_WP50NB40-NB50_1.03_MK" but now on to the cross flash as per instructions --- however id like my drive to be compatible with most ripping SW as per below - however seeing this is almost a year old is there any new .bin files for cross flashing that would make this little drive even better ? If not should i be flashing DE_LG_BU40N_1.00.bin or DE_LG_BU40N_1.03_MK.bin ?

would be cool to rip (backup) games with this, but if not possible ill stick with ripping (backing up) my BR movies... please advise

LG WP50NB40, SVC: NB52, ROM VER: 1.03, Manufactured in October 2022
...and in step #3 above Marty writes that it can be flashed with either firmware:
BP60NB10 1.00-MK
BU40N 1.00
Is there any appreciable difference, features, or advantage/disadvantage between those two firmwares on this drive?
The BP60NB10 firmware only works with MAkeMKV & AnyDVD. The BU40N 1.00 firmware works with all ripping software.
If I wanted to flash this drive back to it's original firmware to return it, would I just do that with the original firmware dump I made with SDFTool before flashing it to be UHD capable?

I did see your post with the official LG flasher for this drive, but since mine is SVC NB52 and that flasher is for SVC NB50, I thought I'd ask.
No. That dump is not really helpful as it only contains important bits of the firmware, not the complete firmware. There isn't a NB52 flasher available either.

Why return it? They are good little drives once flashed! I use one myself. I suggest using the BU40N 1.00 firmware though, as it's compatible with a wider range of ripping software.

Which instructions are you following(link?)? The only instructions for Windows I see are these from page 1 of this thread.

How To Flash Videos and commands:

New Updated guide for all Drives and firmware including encrypted firmware: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyQV1aPlbow
1. Open cmd as admin

2. Navigate to makemkvs install directory by default on 64 bit systems it is here: cd "C:\Program Files (x86)\MakeMKV"

3. If you have a listed encrypted firmware you must use this command: makemkvcon64.exe f --all-yes -d “ your drive letter here Example: D”: rawflash enc -i “path to your firmware Example: C:\Users\Billy\Downloads\Downgrade-Enabled-Firmware\Auto-Flash\LG-Desktop-NS60-sleep-fix\WH16NS60-1.02-MK.bin”

4. If you have unencrypted firmware use this command: makemkvcon64.exe f --all-yes -d “ your drive letter here Example: D”: rawflash -i “path to your firmware Example: C:\Users\Billy\Downloads\Downgrade-Enabled-Firmware\Auto-Flash\LG-Desktop-NS60-sleep-fix\WH16NS60-1.02-MK.bin”

5. Remove my examples and quotes ”” when you run the commands

The closest firmware match I see in the "The all you firmware..." download is "HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BP50NB40-NB50-1.03-NM00800-212005070917.bin" , which is different than the "DE_LG_WP50NB40-NB50_1.03_MK" you mentioned. I don't see that one in the pack.

[MartyMcNuts]

so im pretty green at this .... just flashed my LG WP50NB40 (NB52) with "DE_LG_WP50NB40-NB50_1.03_MK" but now on to the cross flash as per instructions --- however id like my drive to be compatible with most ripping SW as per below - however seeing this is almost a year old is there any new .bin files for cross flashing that would make this little drive even better ? If not should i be flashing DE_LG_BU40N_1.00.bin or DE_LG_BU40N_1.03_MK.bin ?

would be cool to rip (backup) games with this, but if not possible ill stick with ripping (backing up) my BR movies... please advise

LG WP50NB40, SVC: NB52, ROM VER: 1.03, Manufactured in October 2022
...and in step #3 above Marty writes that it can be flashed with either firmware:
BP60NB10 1.00-MK
BU40N 1.00
Is there any appreciable difference, features, or advantage/disadvantage between those two firmwares on this drive?
The BP60NB10 firmware only works with MAkeMKV & AnyDVD. The BU40N 1.00 firmware works with all ripping software.
If I wanted to flash this drive back to it's original firmware to return it, would I just do that with the original firmware dump I made with SDFTool before flashing it to be UHD capable?

I did see your post with the official LG flasher for this drive, but since mine is SVC NB52 and that flasher is for SVC NB50, I thought I'd ask.
No. That dump is not really helpful as it only contains important bits of the firmware, not the complete firmware. There isn't a NB52 flasher available either.

Why return it? They are good little drives once flashed! I use one myself. I suggest using the BU40N 1.00 firmware though, as it's compatible with a wider range of ripping software.

Which instructions are you following(link?)? The only instructions for Windows I see are these from page 1 of this thread.

How To Flash Videos and commands:

New Updated guide for all Drives and firmware including encrypted firmware: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyQV1aPlbow
1. Open cmd as admin

2. Navigate to makemkvs install directory by default on 64 bit systems it is here: cd "C:\Program Files (x86)\MakeMKV"

3. If you have a listed encrypted firmware you must use this command: makemkvcon64.exe f --all-yes -d “ your drive letter here Example: D”: rawflash enc -i “path to your firmware Example: C:\Users\Billy\Downloads\Downgrade-Enabled-Firmware\Auto-Flash\LG-Desktop-NS60-sleep-fix\WH16NS60-1.02-MK.bin”

4. If you have unencrypted firmware use this command: makemkvcon64.exe f --all-yes -d “ your drive letter here Example: D”: rawflash -i “path to your firmware Example: C:\Users\Billy\Downloads\Downgrade-Enabled-Firmware\Auto-Flash\LG-Desktop-NS60-sleep-fix\WH16NS60-1.02-MK.bin”

5. Remove my examples and quotes ”” when you run the commands

The closest firmware match I see in the "The all you firmware..." download is "HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BP50NB40-NB50-1.03-NM00800-212005070917.bin" , which is different than the "DE_LG_WP50NB40-NB50_1.03_MK" you mentioned. I don't see that one in the pack.

For the most software compatibility use the BU40N 1.00 firmware.

[SixxString]

Sorry if these questions are silly. I'm new to this and I wanna make sure i understand before buying a drive just to brick it lol.

I am looking at these drives:

https://www.amazon.com/Buffalo-Portable ... B06Y45N2VL

https://www.amazon.com/BP50NB40-Portabl ... B018WQBGGU


My questions are:

In order to flash these drives, all i should need to do is run the SDFTool and use the firmware from the "All you need" pack, right? (So the file from the "LG slim BU40N" folder for the Buffalo drive and the file from "LG slim BP50NB40-NB50" for the other?) Or should i follow the video guide and still use the CMD?

The LG BP50NB40 says

BP50NB40 to > BP50NB40-NB50-1.03MK then to > BP60NB10 1.02MK or 1.00MK

yet there is only one file within the "LG slim BP50NB40-NB50" folder. Should that work, or is there something im missing?

[BillCosbyStillsNash]

I'm getting this error and I don't know what it means:



I have not been able to find what a drive platform is. What is it and why is it holding me up?

[Woodstock]

What is "holding you up" is that you're trying to upgrade a platform that isn't upgradable. Your drive is from 2013; it would have to be from at least LATE 2015 to possibly be upgraded, and use a different processor.

[dcoke22]

Sorry if these questions are silly. I'm new to this and I wanna make sure i understand before buying a drive just to brick it lol.

I am looking at these drives:

https://www.amazon.com/Buffalo-Portable ... B06Y45N2VL

https://www.amazon.com/BP50NB40-Portabl ... B018WQBGGU


My questions are:

In order to flash these drives, all i should need to do is run the SDFTool and use the firmware from the "All you need" pack, right? (So the file from the "LG slim BU40N" folder for the Buffalo drive and the file from "LG slim BP50NB40-NB50" for the other?) Or should i follow the video guide and still use the CMD?

The LG BP50NB40 says

BP50NB40 to > BP50NB40-NB50-1.03MK then to > BP60NB10 1.02MK or 1.00MK

yet there is only one file within the "LG slim BP50NB40-NB50" folder. Should that work, or is there something im missing?

SDFtool is the best tool for the job if you're on Windows.

The BP50NB40 drives need a multi-hop flashing process. First get it flashed to BP50NB40-NB50-1.03MK. Then flash it to BP60NB10 1.02MK or 1.00MK.

[Chairface]

Hi. I am trying to patch a WP50NB40. I have used the SDFtool Flasher as per the instructions, and it looks like it worked (no errors), however I still can not read any 4k discs.

Patch File: HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_WP50NB40-NB50-1.03-NM00800-212005070929.bin

LibreDrive Information
Status: Enabled
Drive platform: MT1959
Firmware type: Patched (microcode access re-enabled) <<<<<
Firmware version: 1.03 <<<<<
DVD all regions: Yes
BD raw data read: Yes
BD raw metadata read: Yes
Unrestricted read speed: Yes

I also tried patching using the CLI method :
.\makemkvcon64.exe f --all-yes -d E: rawflash enc -i "HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_WP50NB40-NB50-1.03-NM00800-212005070929.bin"

Again no errors. Appears to flash just fine. Still can not read any 4k discs.

.\makemkvcon64.exe f --all-yes -d E: rawflash enc -i "HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_WP50NB40-NB50-1.03-NM00800-212005070929.bin"

Reading input file HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_WP50NB40-NB50-1.03-NM00800-212005070929.bin
Flashing flags = 0x0 : 0 0 0 0 : ---- ---- ---- ----
Sending image in encrypted format
Current Drive ID: HL-DT-ST_BD-RE_WP50NB40_1.03_212005070929_SIM2121673205
Using USB chipset workaround for Desktop drive handshake
Ready to write drive flash memory. (auto confirmed)
Operation started: Sending flash image to drive
100% Operation finished
Operation started: Programming flash
100% Operation finished
Done successfully

Any other suggestions? Much obliged!

[MartyMcNuts]

Hi. I am trying to patch a WP50NB40. I have used the SDFtool Flasher as per the instructions, and it looks like it worked (no errors), however I still can not read any 4k discs.

Patch File: HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_WP50NB40-NB50-1.03-NM00800-212005070929.bin

LibreDrive Information
Status: Enabled
Drive platform: MT1959
Firmware type: Patched (microcode access re-enabled) <<<<<
Firmware version: 1.03 <<<<<
DVD all regions: Yes
BD raw data read: Yes
BD raw metadata read: Yes
Unrestricted read speed: Yes

I also tried patching using the CLI method :
.\makemkvcon64.exe f --all-yes -d E: rawflash enc -i "HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_WP50NB40-NB50-1.03-NM00800-212005070929.bin"

Again no errors. Appears to flash just fine. Still can not read any 4k discs.

.\makemkvcon64.exe f --all-yes -d E: rawflash enc -i "HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_WP50NB40-NB50-1.03-NM00800-212005070929.bin"

Reading input file HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_WP50NB40-NB50-1.03-NM00800-212005070929.bin
Flashing flags = 0x0 : 0 0 0 0 : ---- ---- ---- ----
Sending image in encrypted format
Current Drive ID: HL-DT-ST_BD-RE_WP50NB40_1.03_212005070929_SIM2121673205
Using USB chipset workaround for Desktop drive handshake
Ready to write drive flash memory. (auto confirmed)
Operation started: Sending flash image to drive
100% Operation finished
Operation started: Programming flash
100% Operation finished
Done successfully

Any other suggestions? Much obliged!

The WP50NB40 drive is not UHD capable unless it has been cross-flashed. You've only done half the job. Now do the cross-flash. BU40N 1.00 is the recommended firmware.

[Chairface]

The WP50NB40 drive is not UHD capable unless it has been cross-flashed. You've only done half the job. Now do the cross-flash. BU40N 1.00 is the recommended firmware.

Thank you, I thought I saw a previous post about DE_LG_BU40N_1.00.bin. So I snagged a copy of that too and attempted to flash with that. Again flashing with the tool seems to work, but still will not read the discs. Apologies if I missed the proper steps. Do I need to flash to DE_LG_BU40N_1.00.bin, then flash back to HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_WP50NB40-NB50-1.03-NM00800-212005070929.bin again ?

[Chairface]

The WP50NB40 drive is not UHD capable unless it has been cross-flashed. You've only done half the job. Now do the cross-flash. BU40N 1.00 is the recommended firmware.

Actually, perhaps its the cross-flash that is not taking.

The tool reports it works:
.\makemkvcon64.exe f --all-yes -d E: rawflash -i "DE_LG_BU40N_1.00.bin"

Reading input file DE_LG_BU40N_1.00.bin
Flashing flags = 0x0 : 0 0 0 0 : ---- ---- ---- ----
Current Drive ID: HL-DT-ST_BD-RE_WP50NB40_1.03_212005070929_SIM2121673205
Using USB chipset workaround for Desktop drive handshake
Ready to write drive flash memory. (auto confirmed)
Operation started: Sending flash image to drive
100% Operation finished
Operation started: Programming flash
100% Operation finished
Done successfully

However MakeMKV still reports 1.03 (is this expected?)
LibreDrive Information
Status: Enabled
Drive platform: MT1959
Firmware type: Patched (microcode access re-enabled)
Firmware version: 1.03

Apologies for all the posts. I got it working using the proper recovery mode flashing in the tool. I was selecting the wrong order when picking the firmware versions.

[MartyMcNuts]

The WP50NB40 drive is not UHD capable unless it has been cross-flashed. You've only done half the job. Now do the cross-flash. BU40N 1.00 is the recommended firmware.

Actually, perhaps its the cross-flash that is not taking.

The tool reports it works:
.\makemkvcon64.exe f --all-yes -d E: rawflash -i "DE_LG_BU40N_1.00.bin"

Reading input file DE_LG_BU40N_1.00.bin
Flashing flags = 0x0 : 0 0 0 0 : ---- ---- ---- ----
Current Drive ID: HL-DT-ST_BD-RE_WP50NB40_1.03_212005070929_SIM2121673205
Using USB chipset workaround for Desktop drive handshake
Ready to write drive flash memory. (auto confirmed)
Operation started: Sending flash image to drive
100% Operation finished
Operation started: Programming flash
100% Operation finished
Done successfully

However MakeMKV still reports 1.03 (is this expected?)
LibreDrive Information
Status: Enabled
Drive platform: MT1959
Firmware type: Patched (microcode access re-enabled)
Firmware version: 1.03

Apologies for all the posts. I got it working using the proper recovery mode flashing in the tool. I was selecting the wrong order when picking the firmware versions.

Read the first post of the SDFtool Flasher thread. It explains the easy cross-flashing procedure.

[DWfromOK]

Okay, I'm new to this whole thing and I want to make sure I've got the procedure lined out correctly before I start this. I've got a WH14NS40 on firmware number 1.05 according to MakeMKV in linux. I attached a screenshot of the app to provide any additional context.

I need to side grade to the WH16NS60 1.02?

[atp-flo]

Hi guys, I just created an account to ask. I was about to order a drive from USA to Europe "Pioneer BDR-S13UBK" and to flash it myself but then I saw a post that it is not possible to flash them as 'amateur' user? So what is the current recommendation? I just want an UHD-BD drive that could do everything and is not limited by firmware. Cost don't really matter and I don't care if it is internal or external. What should I buy? I have advanced knowledge in Linux and Windows. If there is a way to flash any current sold drive without fancy professional developer hardware I'd like to know which one I should order.

Thanks!

[d00zah]

Europe? You could buy a pre-flashed/tested drive from asmcom, or one of the other vendors (by location) lurking hereabouts.