Help with BDR-S12JX/BDR-212

Discussion of LibreDrive mode, compatible drives and firmwares
Post Reply
RecentEnthusiast
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2025 10:22 am

Help with BDR-S12JX/BDR-212

Post by RecentEnthusiast »

Hi,

I recently got a BDR-S12JX and am trying to use it with MakeMKV and running into some issues. When plugged into a Mac, inserting a blu-ray disc immediately causes the drive to eject it. The same drive plugged into a Linux computer doesn't cause it to eject the disc, but MakeMKV prints "Failed to open disc" for any operation. I've tried a few discs, including those that load just fine with an LG blu-ray drive, so I know the discs are not an issue.

I've tried inserting a normal DVD into this drive and it seems to work and detects it (both Mac and Linux).

I've also tried inserting a blu-ray that has no copy protection on it and it also works fine in this drive (on Linux, haven't tested on Mac), both for normal file access and MakeMKV.

The drive is in an external OWC Mercury Pro enclosure. Does this drive need a special firmware for libredrive? I was under the impression that Pioneer drives with "sufficiently old" firmware Just Worked -- I've included the drive information from MakeMKV below. Any help would be appreciated.

Code: Select all

Drive Information
Manufacturer: PIONEER
Product: BD-RW BDR-S12JX
Revision: 1.01
Serial number: [redacted]
Firmware date: 2020-07-21
Bus encryption flags: 1B
Highest AACS version: 81

LibreDrive Information
Status: Enabled
Drive platform: RS8F01
Firmware name: PIONEER BDR-212T
Firmware type: Original (unpatched)
Firmware version: 1.01/ID72
DVD all regions: Yes
BD raw data read: Yes
BD raw metadata read: Yes
Unrestricted read speed: Yes

No disc inserted
Thanks in advance.
dcoke22
Posts: 3983
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2020 11:25 pm

Re: Help with BDR-S12JX/BDR-212

Post by dcoke22 »

It does not need different firmware.

DVDs and blu-rays use different lasers. Maybe the laser for blu-rays is dirty and needs to be cleaned?
RecentEnthusiast
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2025 10:22 am

Re: Help with BDR-S12JX/BDR-212

Post by RecentEnthusiast »

I've tried a lens-cleaning disc and haven't observed any difference of behavior. The thing that makes no sense to me is I was able to get some blu-rays to load, but not most of the ones I've tried.
Coopervid
Posts: 3299
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2019 10:32 pm

Re: Help with BDR-S12JX/BDR-212

Post by Coopervid »

RecentEnthusiast wrote:
Thu Sep 18, 2025 10:09 pm
I've tried a lens-cleaning disc and haven't observed any difference of behavior. The thing that makes no sense to me is I was able to get some blu-rays to load, but not most of the ones I've tried.
Is this drive mounted in an enclosure? If yes, it could be a power problem. If it has a separate power supply what is the amps rating on it?
RecentEnthusiast
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2025 10:22 am

Re: Help with BDR-S12JX/BDR-212

Post by RecentEnthusiast »

I've tried this drive both in an OWC Enclosure (12V, 3A on that power brick) and an external SATA adapter (12V, 2A on that power brick). The drive says it wants 12V, 2.2A (and 5V 1.4A) -- so I would have thought the OWC brick is enough.
Coopervid
Posts: 3299
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2019 10:32 pm

Re: Help with BDR-S12JX/BDR-212

Post by Coopervid »

So this is ruled out. Remains either a polluted laser lens with some hard to remove film since you used the cleaning disc or a dying laser.
Post Reply