All Pioneer drives will be LibreDrive supported

Forum for discussions about UHD-capable dives
VA1DER
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Apr 19, 2025 4:35 pm

Re: All Pioneer drives will be LibreDrive supported

Post by VA1DER »

MrPenguin wrote:
Thu May 08, 2025 11:51 am
Pioneer have destroyed their own market with their anti-LibreDrive firmware changes, so I doubt they've changed their minds now!
Pioneer wasn't operating in a vacuum - the firmware change wasn't a decision that was wholly theirs. They need to license from the BDA, which has more members that are content producers or content support than they have members which are drive manufacturers. Even LG/HLDS drives have encrypted firmware. No, that mandate came from the BDA.

I'm sure Pioneer would have loved to be more LibreDrive friendly - they know what side of the Blu-Ray their burns are buttered on. The more I think of it, the more I suspect there is some level of support for this LibreDrive announcement from Pioneer at some level of under-the-table-ness.
MrPenguin
Posts: 918
Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2023 11:31 pm

Re: All Pioneer drives will be LibreDrive supported

Post by MrPenguin »

VA1DER wrote:
Thu May 08, 2025 12:17 pm
Even LG/HLDS drives have encrypted firmware.
Of course the Movie Industry was involved, and yet LG is still in the drive business but Pioneer is not.

Pioneer destroyed their own market, but LG didn't. Same Movie Industry :|.
Artefakt
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2025 12:34 pm

Re: All Pioneer drives will be LibreDrive supported

Post by Artefakt »

Then the Pioneer BDR - XS07UHD that I bought by mistake and has the damned firmware 1.03 would also work? That would be so incredible....... :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
Amigaman
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2020 4:28 pm

Re: All Pioneer drives will be LibreDrive supported

Post by Amigaman »

MrPenguin wrote:
Wed May 07, 2025 2:46 pm
Yes. But all currently existing Pioneer drives will soon be able to run LibreDrive, including those drives whose firmware people unwittingly upgraded ;).

I guess the real point is that it might now be worth investing in a new Pioneer drive, while stocks last...
makes me feel all warm inside knowing the £375.15 i just paid for the BDR-X13E-X External isn’t a total loss lol :wink: and yesterday I bought a BDR-XD08TG just because its usb c and I haven’t got one

maybe somebody should start a thread for the most outrageous price paid for a pioneer drive on ebay :wink:
MrPenguin
Posts: 918
Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2023 11:31 pm

Re: All Pioneer drives will be LibreDrive supported

Post by MrPenguin »

Amigaman wrote:
Thu May 08, 2025 11:37 pm
and yesterday I bought a BDR-XD08TG just because its usb c and I haven’t got one
I suspect that drive will need to be cross-flashed to support UHD.
BrianDW
Posts: 77
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2022 12:15 am

Re: All Pioneer drives will be LibreDrive supported

Post by BrianDW »

Just to get this all straight. I just ordered this (it is on the MAKEMKV FORUM list)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FG ... YH3S&psc=1

Am I to understand that in the near future I will be able to rip UHD Blu-rays with it via MAKEMKV? Will I need to flash it?
Thanks for any replies.
MrPenguin
Posts: 918
Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2023 11:31 pm

Re: All Pioneer drives will be LibreDrive supported

Post by MrPenguin »

BrianDW wrote:
Thu May 08, 2025 11:51 pm
Am I to understand that in the near future I will be able to rip UHD Blu-rays with it via MAKEMKV? Will I need to flash it?
mike admin wrote:
Tue May 06, 2025 10:39 am
[A]ll Pioneer drives will be supported as LibreDrive drives in a relatively near future. ... Custom firmware flash with sdftool will be required.
I would say "yes" and "yes".
smolpawel
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2025 8:15 pm

Re: All Pioneer drives will be LibreDrive supported

Post by smolpawel »

This is really good timing. I was actually researching drives to buy for the past 2 months because I am new to Blu-Ray ripping. Everyone said to buy LG because they are still flashable, but both LG and rebranded Verbaitim drives I tried ordering got stuck in limbo without going back into stock. I canceled both of them and just decided to buy a Pioneer since people say that the hardware is more reliable, and I would wait until the firmware is flashable.

Now that I got the drive today I came over to research more information and found this thread. I'm glad that Pioneer drives can be flashed soon, but also glad that I got the model I got when I did since it seems like they won't make them anymore.

MakeMKV says the firmware revision of my BD-RW BDR-XD08U is 1.02, which is a flashable version already from what I read on other threads if I remember correctly?
ThatOutlaw573
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Feb 01, 2025 1:26 am

Re: All Pioneer drives will be LibreDrive supported

Post by ThatOutlaw573 »

I bought the Pioneer BDR-XS08MB-S off ebay NEW from japan a couple months ago. Very happy I did with the Good news and the Bad news!
dfhsff8
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2021 9:28 am

Re: All Pioneer drives will be LibreDrive supported

Post by dfhsff8 »

Amazing news!!

Presumably these will be paid for firmware files and won’t be available to DIY crowd?
MrPenguin
Posts: 918
Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2023 11:31 pm

Re: All Pioneer drives will be LibreDrive supported

Post by MrPenguin »

smolpawel wrote:
Fri May 09, 2025 1:26 am
MakeMKV says the firmware revision of my BD-RW BDR-XD08U is 1.02, which is a flashable version already from what I read on other threads if I remember correctly?
Firmware dated 2022-12 or later is not LibreDrive-compatible. AFAIK the most recent LibreDrive-compatible firmware for XD08U is 1.01.
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