Ultimate UHD Drives Flashing Guide Updated 2025

[Naiera]

My Verbatim/Pioneer 35888 shit the bed a few days ago and now I'm looking for something more durable. I've had it for just under two years and it's already stopped reading discs. They spin and it sounds like it's supposed to, but neither the OS nor MakeMKV sees anything

I'll be buying and flashing myself or having my friend in Delaware doing the flashing. Just looking for suggestions for an external drive that plays well with MacOS and doesn't break after reading a few hundred discs.

I contacted Verbatim one day before the warranty ran out and got them to do an RMA after a few e-mails back and forth. They sent me a replacement (apparently; I knew nothing until the shipment showed up in my tracking app) and it rips UHD Blu-rays

[Wall.E]

What you are describing is the sleep bug but normally opening and closing the drive tray via the button is all that is needed. If you can't do that then perhaps you some sort of issue with consistent power getting to the drive.

Maybe, as for the 1st time I had a case where the drive stopped working in the middle of a rip!
Same symptom, drive not responding at all, neither to MakeMKV, not by pressing the open/close button

But the weird thing is I never had that behaviour with the 3.11 Asus firmware, neither with the old LG drive I had just before and I was replacing by the Asus.
It's only happening with the 3.10MK firmware.

But... that's not all with this Asus drive.
On top of that, I think I have the same kind of issue as this one...
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=24027

Some disks that I've been able to rip those last 2 days (prior to the flash of the 3.10MK firmware though) can't be ripped any more. The rip keeps on failing

So to be honest, I think I start to understand the comment regarding LG & Asus drives and I'll return this one.
I've already placed an order for a BDR-212V that should arrive in 1 week or 2.

In the meantime, I'll probably go back to the original firmware as it didn't had this hard version of the sleeping bug and I need to flash it back anyway to return the drive.

Thanks to Billycar11 & Coopervid for their advises to go for Pioneer!

[Nick-P]

Does the Hardware Type (or Hardware Rev) e.g., SAT 8601 or SAT 8800 remain the same after flashing? Is that a reading from a chip at the hardware level?

How can I know for sure its a fake?

Does this mean it also probably wasn't really manufactured this year?

[Coopervid]

Does the Hardware Type (or Hardware Rev) e.g., SAT 8601 or SAT 8800 remain the same after flashing? Is that a reading from a chip at the hardware level?

How can I know for sure its a fake?

Does this mean it also probably wasn't really manufactured this year?

Details only via PM regarding firmwares.

My guess is that someone ordered a 212V, detached the stickers using hot air, put it on his 209 and returned that to get his money back. Check the Makemkv info on this drive and it will at least show the firmware date. Further info only via PM.

[Chicknlidl]

Thank you all for the hard work you put in to this. I enjoy the convenience of streaming from my NAS to my Kodi on an Odroid N2+.

I have been getting by with my LG WH14NS40.

I just picked up a Pioneer BDR-212V, which of course does not have all features from the start, but it did power up and display in makemkv.

Since I just joined up, I can't PM yet. I will try to make some useful posts to resolve that.

[Hoxin]

hello everyone，I have problem flashing the firmware to BP50NB40 SVC NB50

Code: Select all

Drive Information
OS device name: E:
Manufacturer: LG
Product: BP50NB40
Revision: 1.31
Serial number: WR08 166383
Bus encryption flags: 1B
Highest AACS version: 81

When i open SDFtool 1.3.5 and choose LG_BP50NB40_1.31_WR08_166383
MT1959 Platform shows a X
clikc START shows "The drive you have selected does not have the correct drive platform(MT1959)and cannot be flashed."

And another problem is the read speed is only 2x when i use Makemkv to buckup blu-ray discs

[Woodstock]

You are trying to flash with an incompatible firmware. Your drive is an NS40, but they didn't get the new chip until the xx50 series and later.

[Billycar11]

hello everyone，I have problem flashing the firmware to BP50NB40 SVC NB50

Code: Select all

Drive Information
OS device name: E:
Manufacturer: LG
Product: BP50NB40
Revision: 1.31
Serial number: WR08 166383
Bus encryption flags: 1B
Highest AACS version: 81

When i open SDFtool 1.3.5 and choose LG_BP50NB40_1.31_WR08_166383
MT1959 Platform shows a X
clikc START shows "The drive you have selected does not have the correct drive platform(MT1959)and cannot be flashed."

And another problem is the read speed is only 2x when i use Makemkv to buckup blu-ray discs

svc NB72?

in the guide it says that wont work
they changed platforms entirely away from media tech i think

[Hoxin]

hello everyone，I have problem flashing the firmware to BP50NB40 SVC NB50

Code: Select all

Drive Information
OS device name: E:
Manufacturer: LG
Product: BP50NB40
Revision: 1.31
Serial number: WR08 166383
Bus encryption flags: 1B
Highest AACS version: 81

When i open SDFtool 1.3.5 and choose LG_BP50NB40_1.31_WR08_166383
MT1959 Platform shows a X
clikc START shows "The drive you have selected does not have the correct drive platform(MT1959)and cannot be flashed."

And another problem is the read speed is only 2x when i use Makemkv to buckup blu-ray discs

svc NB72?

in the guide it says that wont work
they changed platforms entirely away from media tech i think

the lable is NB50.I brought it 2weeks ago which was manufactured in the June 2023

[Coopervid]

hello everyone，I have problem flashing the firmware to BP50NB40 SVC NB50

Code: Select all

Drive Information
OS device name: E:
Manufacturer: LG
Product: BP50NB40
Revision: 1.31
Serial number: WR08 166383
Bus encryption flags: 1B
Highest AACS version: 81

When i open SDFtool 1.3.5 and choose LG_BP50NB40_1.31_WR08_166383
MT1959 Platform shows a X
clikc START shows "The drive you have selected does not have the correct drive platform(MT1959)and cannot be flashed."

And another problem is the read speed is only 2x when i use Makemkv to buckup blu-ray discs

svc NB72?

in the guide it says that wont work
they changed platforms entirely away from media tech i think

the lable is NB50.I brought it 2weeks ago which was manufactured in the June 2023

Is that all information you get from Makemkv? It should also state "Hardware platform:" with that info. Libredrive etc.

[Billycar11]

hello everyone，I have problem flashing the firmware to BP50NB40 SVC NB50

Code: Select all

Drive Information
OS device name: E:
Manufacturer: LG
Product: BP50NB40
Revision: 1.31
Serial number: WR08 166383
Bus encryption flags: 1B
Highest AACS version: 81

When i open SDFtool 1.3.5 and choose LG_BP50NB40_1.31_WR08_166383
MT1959 Platform shows a X
clikc START shows "The drive you have selected does not have the correct drive platform(MT1959)and cannot be flashed."

And another problem is the read speed is only 2x when i use Makemkv to buckup blu-ray discs

svc NB72?

in the guide it says that wont work
they changed platforms entirely away from media tech i think

the lable is NB50.I brought it 2weeks ago which was manufactured in the June 2023

would it happen to be a refurbished one?

[cyclux]

Hey guys,

I just got the following drive from Japan:

Code: Select all

Manufacturer: PIONEER
Product: BD-RW BDR-XS07U
Revision: 1.00
Serial number: XXXX001XXXJP

LibreDrive Information
Status: Possible, not yet enabled
Drive platform: Pioneer RS8E21
Firmware version: ID69

Two questions:
- To my surprise, LibreDrive does not work right away. Before I bought it, I read here in the forum it should work "out of the box". Is it not working because it is a particular, not-so-common model from Japan?
- Is it possible to flash it to the most recent FW supporting LibreDrive?

Any help would be appreciated

[offerbk1]

So looking at the main post I see "PSA now most Pioneers come with new fw that prevents them from be crossflashed or downgraded do not buy one for UHD at this time"
What does it mean "Most"? Is there a
Pioneer UHD drive I can buy today from amamzon/directily from Pioneer that will allow me to RIP my collection? I prefer an external drive.
For example, BDR-XS07UHD https://usa.pioneer/collections/optical ... dr-xs07uhd
Thanks!

The only Pioneer models you can buy direct from stores/Amazon etc that can work/can possibly be downgraded are the Pioneer BDR-212DBK, BDR-212V and the Verbatim 43888 (contains a BDR-UD04 inside).

All other Pioneer models come with too new a firmware version and do not work. If you want a different model, the only chance you have of getting one is t ocheck with the sellers on this forum as they may have some available with older, compatible firmware. viewforum.php?f=20

Thanks. Purchased Verbatim 43888 from Amazon UK and it works OOTB

[Coopervid]

Hey guys,

I just got the following drive from Japan:

Code: Select all

Manufacturer: PIONEER
Product: BD-RW BDR-XS07U
Revision: 1.00
Serial number: XXXX001XXXJP

LibreDrive Information
Status: Possible, not yet enabled
Drive platform: Pioneer RS8E21
Firmware version: ID69

Two questions:
- To my surprise, LibreDrive does not work right away. Before I bought it, I read here in the forum it should work "out of the box". Is it not working because it is a particular, not-so-common model from Japan?
- Is it possible to flash it to the most recent FW supporting LibreDrive?

Any help would be appreciated

You have a PM.

[asmcom]

But the sleep bug is not that bad to recover from you really do just open close the tray
You may have a different problem

Maybe but then I don't see what else it can be.

My symptom is that when a disk (not necessarily UHD) is left idle in the drive for 2 minutes, the drive stops responding.
Can't read the disk and can't open the tray either via software or its physical button. Even a reboot of the computer is not enough. I need to stop the computer and restart it.

Other than this specific case, the drive is working perfectly well and behaving as expected, like never blocked if no disk is left in the drive when unused or the drive is working.
So if it's not the sleep bug, what can I look for to investigate?

Or return the junky LG/Asus rebrand and get a pioneer from one of us

I understand, but it would be at least 3 times the price. 80€ for the Asus, 260€ minimum for the cheapest Pioneer from the UK (incl. freight and VAT as the UK is not in the EU any more and it's becoming hard to escape this tax).

No import tax when posting from Ireland.

Asmcom