I don't think so from what I have heard over the past few days. I think all of the Pioneer 43888's are gone. Only LG BU40N versions from now on.smallmouse wrote: ↑Thu Mar 06, 2025 11:12 pmBought Verbatim 43888 off Amazon.fr from seller Quality Value Supplies.
Both my computer and MakeMKV detected an LG BU40N.
While it did have the notable Super Multi and Bluray logo on the drive tray fascia plate,
• It did not have the small picture of the drive on the back of the door.
• The Model code of the label on the back of the drive was KIAB, not KIAA.
I will be returning it and trying Amazon.de. Does anyone know if they still send out Pioneers?
Verbatim 43888 with LG drive?
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Re: Verbatim 43888 with LG drive?
Cheers
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For UHD enabled drives (AU/NZ/SG + Others) & DIY Single Drive Flasher (WW): https://uhdenableddrives.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Re: Verbatim 43888 with LG drive?
I too received a LG 43888 from Quality Value Supplies via Amazon.de. It was worth a shot.
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- Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2025 7:52 pm
Re: Verbatim 43888 with LG drive?
I'm a bit confused after reading through this post. I have this same Verbatim (Pioneer/LG/???) drive - purchased from Amazon US.
MKV info:
----
Drive Information
OS device name: D:
Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST
Product: BD-RE BU40N
Revision: 1.05
Serial number:
Firmware date: 2124-04-23 13:47
Bus encryption flags: 17
Highest AACS version: 81
LibreDrive Information
Status: Possible, not yet enabled
Drive platform: MT1959
No disc inserted
-----
The model on the drive sticker shows KIAB, which I thought from reading this post was Pioneer, but the MKV info leads me to believe it's LG?
Anyway, I've never flashed a drive and don't want to screw it up. Based on reading through the guide because the version is 1.05, it appears that I first need to flash to mk-firmware-pack-20200720\MK\old\HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BU40N-1.03-NM00000-211810241934.bin
I read somewhere that I had to do a "sidegrade" flash instead??
And then I would flash to: mk-firmware-pack-20200720\MK\HL-DT-ST\BU40N-N-Main\HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BU40N-1.04-NM00500-212005061142.bin
I know this is easy once you know what you are doing!
MKV info:
----
Drive Information
OS device name: D:
Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST
Product: BD-RE BU40N
Revision: 1.05
Serial number:
Firmware date: 2124-04-23 13:47
Bus encryption flags: 17
Highest AACS version: 81
LibreDrive Information
Status: Possible, not yet enabled
Drive platform: MT1959
No disc inserted
-----
The model on the drive sticker shows KIAB, which I thought from reading this post was Pioneer, but the MKV info leads me to believe it's LG?
Anyway, I've never flashed a drive and don't want to screw it up. Based on reading through the guide because the version is 1.05, it appears that I first need to flash to mk-firmware-pack-20200720\MK\old\HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BU40N-1.03-NM00000-211810241934.bin
I read somewhere that I had to do a "sidegrade" flash instead??
And then I would flash to: mk-firmware-pack-20200720\MK\HL-DT-ST\BU40N-N-Main\HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BU40N-1.04-NM00500-212005061142.bin
I know this is easy once you know what you are doing!
Re: Verbatim 43888 with LG drive?
Flash to BU40N 1.03 and you are done. If you also use other ripping software then flash to BU40N 1.00 afterwards.bubbajonez wrote: ↑Wed Mar 12, 2025 8:20 pmI'm a bit confused after reading through this post. I have this same Verbatim (Pioneer/LG/???) drive - purchased from Amazon US.
MKV info:
----
Drive Information
OS device name: D:
Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST
Product: BD-RE BU40N
Revision: 1.05
Serial number:
Firmware date: 2124-04-23 13:47
Bus encryption flags: 17
Highest AACS version: 81
LibreDrive Information
Status: Possible, not yet enabled
Drive platform: MT1959
No disc inserted
-----
The model on the drive sticker shows KIAB, which I thought from reading this post was Pioneer, but the MKV info leads me to believe it's LG?
Anyway, I've never flashed a drive and don't want to screw it up. Based on reading through the guide because the version is 1.05, it appears that I first need to flash to mk-firmware-pack-20200720\MK\old\HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BU40N-1.03-NM00000-211810241934.bin
I read somewhere that I had to do a "sidegrade" flash instead??
And then I would flash to: mk-firmware-pack-20200720\MK\HL-DT-ST\BU40N-N-Main\HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BU40N-1.04-NM00500-212005061142.bin
I know this is easy once you know what you are doing!
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- Posts: 2
- Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2025 7:52 pm
Re: Verbatim 43888 with LG drive?
Thanks Coopervid. That WAS easy.
Re: Verbatim 43888 with LG drive?
It's not like you said with this boxes right nowMartyMcNuts wrote: ↑Wed Dec 11, 2024 12:35 amI have both the Pioneer version and the LG version. From what I can tell, the bottom of the box is a little different and the LG drive tray fascia plate has the Super Multi and Blu-Ray logo's on them whereas the Pioneer version drive tray fascia plate is all black.
The Verbatim 43888 containing the LG BU40N has a picture of the drive in the bottom right corner. Looking at the box may help you if you are purchasing from a physical store...
Verbatim 43888 - Pioneer BDR-UD04.jpg
Verbatim 43888 - LG BU40N.jpg
I bought from amazon.pl Verbatim 43888 yesterday, today I receive it, and it's LG drive with trash bins on back righ corner on box, also drive is KIAB.
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- 1.jpg (553.57 KiB) Viewed 1806 times
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- Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2017 11:45 pm
Re: Verbatim 43888 with LG drive?
That was back when the 43888 had both Pioneer and LG drives available. It has changed now as there are no more Verbatim 43888's with the Pioneer drive inside. They are all now LG BU40N's inside.PeterMac wrote: ↑Sat Apr 05, 2025 3:44 pmIt's not like you said with this boxes right nowMartyMcNuts wrote: ↑Wed Dec 11, 2024 12:35 amI have both the Pioneer version and the LG version. From what I can tell, the bottom of the box is a little different and the LG drive tray fascia plate has the Super Multi and Blu-Ray logo's on them whereas the Pioneer version drive tray fascia plate is all black.
The Verbatim 43888 containing the LG BU40N has a picture of the drive in the bottom right corner. Looking at the box may help you if you are purchasing from a physical store...
Verbatim 43888 - Pioneer BDR-UD04.jpg
Verbatim 43888 - LG BU40N.jpg
I bought from amazon.pl Verbatim 43888 yesterday, today I receive it, and it's LG drive with trash bins on back righ corner on box, also drive is KIAB.
Cheers
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For UHD enabled drives (AU/NZ/SG + Others) & DIY Single Drive Flasher (WW): https://uhdenableddrives.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For UHD enabled drives (AU/NZ/SG + Others) & DIY Single Drive Flasher (WW): https://uhdenableddrives.com
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- Posts: 5
- Joined: Sat Apr 19, 2025 11:00 pm
Re: Verbatim 43888 with LG drive?
Hi.
I found this thread after buying a Verbatim 43888 drive off of Amazon (America). It seems it has an LG drive inside and I need to flash it to be able to rip UHD discs. I have 2 questions, if I may:
1. I'm hoping to use this on a MacBookPro but I have a PC. I will dig my PC out of storage to do the flashing with MakeMKV but will I be able to rip discs on the MBP? If possible, what software is recommended?
2. Where do I find the firmware file to do the flashing?
TIA!
I found this thread after buying a Verbatim 43888 drive off of Amazon (America). It seems it has an LG drive inside and I need to flash it to be able to rip UHD discs. I have 2 questions, if I may:
1. I'm hoping to use this on a MacBookPro but I have a PC. I will dig my PC out of storage to do the flashing with MakeMKV but will I be able to rip discs on the MBP? If possible, what software is recommended?
2. Where do I find the firmware file to do the flashing?
TIA!
Re: Verbatim 43888 with LG drive?
The Ultimate UHD Drives Flashing Guide has instructions and links to the necessary software. You can even flash the drive on your Mac if you're comfortable using Terminal.dramaticaudio wrote: ↑Sat Apr 19, 2025 11:05 pmHi.
I found this thread after buying a Verbatim 43888 drive off of Amazon (America). It seems it has an LG drive inside and I need to flash it to be able to rip UHD discs. I have 2 questions, if I may:
1. I'm hoping to use this on a MacBookPro but I have a PC. I will dig my PC out of storage to do the flashing with MakeMKV but will I be able to rip discs on the MBP? If possible, what software is recommended?
2. Where do I find the firmware file to do the flashing?
TIA!
Regardless of which platform you flash your drive on, you can use the drive on any. So flashing on Windows and using on a Mac (or vice versa) will work just fine.
As for what software to use to rip discs… the obvious answer is MakeMKV, which works on Windows, Mac & Linux.
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- Joined: Sat Apr 19, 2025 11:00 pm
Re: Verbatim 43888 with LG drive?
Much appreciated response!
Ok, so my general misunderstanding was that I didn't know there was a MacOS version of MakeMKV. That makes it MUCH easier!
Have a great day
Ok, so my general misunderstanding was that I didn't know there was a MacOS version of MakeMKV. That makes it MUCH easier!
Have a great day

Re: Verbatim 43888 with LG drive?
Hi, new member here and just stumbled across this forum...
I have just received a Verbatim 4388 from Amazon and have attempted to follow the Flashing guide on MacOS (I'm a software engineer, comfortable on the command line) and have an odd issue I'm hoping someone can help with. I'm trying to go from 1.05 to 1.03 as advised.
These are the details I have from MakeMKV:
----
These are the commands
It says 'Done successfully' however when I check the drive again it still says I'm on 1.05 firmware. Any ideas what could be the problem? Everything I have read here suggests flashing should be possible with this drive, unless I have misunderstood something.
Thanks in advance!
I have just received a Verbatim 4388 from Amazon and have attempted to follow the Flashing guide on MacOS (I'm a software engineer, comfortable on the command line) and have an odd issue I'm hoping someone can help with. I'm trying to go from 1.05 to 1.03 as advised.
These are the details I have from MakeMKV:
Code: Select all
Drive Information
Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST
Product: BD-RE BU40N
Revision: 1.05
Serial number: MZFP3DE1751
Firmware date: 2124-04-23 13:47
Bus encryption flags: 17
Highest AACS version: 76
LibreDrive Information
Status: Possible, not yet enabled
Drive platform: MT1959
No disc inserted
These are the commands
Code: Select all
(base) USERNAME@m1pro MacOS % ./makemkvcon f -l
Found 1 drives(s)
00: /IOBDServices/8C57567B
HL-DT-ST_BD-RE_BU40N_1.05_212404231347_MZFP3DE1751
(base) USERNAME@m1pro MacOS % ./makemkvcon f -d '/IOBDServices/8C57567B' -f ~/flashtool/sdf.bin rawflash main -i ~/flashtool/HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BU40N-1.03-NM00000-211810241934.bin
Reading input file /Users/USERNAME/flashtool/HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BU40N-1.03-NM00000-211810241934.bin
Flashing flags = 0x0 : 0 0 0 0 : ---- ---- ---- ----
Current Drive ID: HL-DT-ST_BD-RE_BU40N_1.05_212404231347_MZFP3DE1751
Ready to write drive flash memory.
Type "yes" to continue, "no" to abort
yes
Operation started: Sending flash image to drive
100% Operation finished
Operation started: Programming flash
100% Operation finished
Done successfully
Thanks in advance!
Re: Verbatim 43888 with LG drive?
You need to flash with "enc".
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- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2025 11:14 am
Re: Verbatim 43888 with LG drive?
I also got an LG drive. After flashing, it works like a charm (6x speed). Here is what I did:
1. Read the ultimate flashing guide
2. download and install makemkv (if not already done)
3. download and install the GUI flasher
4.download and unzip the all you need firmware package
5. start the GUI flasher, select the drive and flash the BU40N 1.03MK firmware
1. Read the ultimate flashing guide
2. download and install makemkv (if not already done)
3. download and install the GUI flasher
4.download and unzip the all you need firmware package
5. start the GUI flasher, select the drive and flash the BU40N 1.03MK firmware
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- Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2017 11:45 pm
Re: Verbatim 43888 with LG drive?
rawflash enc (not rawflash main)darkbreed wrote: ↑Wed Apr 23, 2025 6:28 pmHi, new member here and just stumbled across this forum...
I have just received a Verbatim 4388 from Amazon and have attempted to follow the Flashing guide on MacOS (I'm a software engineer, comfortable on the command line) and have an odd issue I'm hoping someone can help with. I'm trying to go from 1.05 to 1.03 as advised.
These are the details I have from MakeMKV:
----Code: Select all
Drive Information Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST Product: BD-RE BU40N Revision: 1.05 Serial number: MZFP3DE1751 Firmware date: 2124-04-23 13:47 Bus encryption flags: 17 Highest AACS version: 76 LibreDrive Information Status: Possible, not yet enabled Drive platform: MT1959 No disc inserted
These are the commandsIt says 'Done successfully' however when I check the drive again it still says I'm on 1.05 firmware. Any ideas what could be the problem? Everything I have read here suggests flashing should be possible with this drive, unless I have misunderstood something.Code: Select all
(base) USERNAME@m1pro MacOS % ./makemkvcon f -l Found 1 drives(s) 00: /IOBDServices/8C57567B HL-DT-ST_BD-RE_BU40N_1.05_212404231347_MZFP3DE1751 (base) USERNAME@m1pro MacOS % ./makemkvcon f -d '/IOBDServices/8C57567B' -f ~/flashtool/sdf.bin rawflash main -i ~/flashtool/HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BU40N-1.03-NM00000-211810241934.bin Reading input file /Users/USERNAME/flashtool/HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BU40N-1.03-NM00000-211810241934.bin Flashing flags = 0x0 : 0 0 0 0 : ---- ---- ---- ---- Current Drive ID: HL-DT-ST_BD-RE_BU40N_1.05_212404231347_MZFP3DE1751 Ready to write drive flash memory. Type "yes" to continue, "no" to abort yes Operation started: Sending flash image to drive 100% Operation finished Operation started: Programming flash 100% Operation finished Done successfully
Thanks in advance!
Cheers
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For UHD enabled drives (AU/NZ/SG + Others) & DIY Single Drive Flasher (WW): https://uhdenableddrives.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For UHD enabled drives (AU/NZ/SG + Others) & DIY Single Drive Flasher (WW): https://uhdenableddrives.com
Re: Verbatim 43888 with LG drive?
can anyone help me here?
I'm a bit confused, I just received my new Verbatim 43888 drive,
on the sticker it says KIAB which from what I read should be Pioneer, but I'm still a bit in doubt
and from what I can read it's still necessary to flash the drive,
is that correct and can anyone help me with how to do it?
Drive Information
OS device name: E:
Current profile: BD-ROM
Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST
Product: BD-RE BU40N
Revision: 1.05
Serial number: MO5P31I5739
Firmware date: 2124-04-23 13:47
Bus encryption flags: 17
Highest AACS version: 81
LibreDrive Information
Status: Possible, not yet enabled
Drive platform: MT1959
I'm a bit confused, I just received my new Verbatim 43888 drive,
on the sticker it says KIAB which from what I read should be Pioneer, but I'm still a bit in doubt

and from what I can read it's still necessary to flash the drive,
is that correct and can anyone help me with how to do it?
Drive Information
OS device name: E:
Current profile: BD-ROM
Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST
Product: BD-RE BU40N
Revision: 1.05
Serial number: MO5P31I5739
Firmware date: 2124-04-23 13:47
Bus encryption flags: 17
Highest AACS version: 81
LibreDrive Information
Status: Possible, not yet enabled
Drive platform: MT1959