Ultimate UHD Drives Flashing Guide Updated 2026

[Spycrowsoft]

Since @Billycar11 offers to check...

I have a Verbatim 43888 slim drive with the following MakeMKV drive information:

Code: Select all

Drive Information
OS device name: G:
Current profile: BD-ROM
Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST
Product: BD-RE BU40N
Revision: 1.05
Serial number: <redacted>
Firmware date: 2124-04-23 13:47
Bus encryption flags: 17
Highest AACS version: 68

LibreDrive Information
Status: Possible, not yet enabled
Drive platform: MT1959

Disc Information
Label: DR_STRANGELOVE
Timestamp: 2020-01-17 11:00:31
Protection: AACS2.0/C v68
Data capacity: 58.69 Gb
Disc type: BD-ROM UHD
Number of layers: 2
Bus encryption flags: 80

So if I understood the video correctly this is the command I need:

Code: Select all

makemkvcon64.exe f --all-yes -d <drive letter> rawflash enc -i <path to LG slim BU40N folder>\HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BU40N-1.03-NM00000-211810241934.bin

Is that correct for this drive?

yeah looks fine

Thanks for your faster than expected reply.
Unfortunately I did not get around to flashing this drive because it failed to burn BD-RE-DL and BD-RE-TL discs in my initial sanity test, so the drive is being returned as DOA. I'll check back in later when I have a replacement, but at least now I know what to do.

Got a replacement drive of the exact same type and it passed all my burning and reading tests.
Flashing went off without any problems and it's now backing up Dr. Strangelove in glorious 4KUHD just fine.

[oranje]

This is a great resource. Will Pioneer models ever be added to this?

[Woodstock]

This is a great resource. Will Pioneer models ever be added to this?

Considering that half the post that starts this topic refers to Pioneer drives, what is your question?

[oranje]

This is a great resource. Will Pioneer models ever be added to this?

Considering that half the post that starts this topic refers to Pioneer drives, what is your question?

Sorry, still learning the terminology. I mean cross-flashing Pioneer models that weren't originally UHD drives (e.g., XS05).

[nicholfd]

This is a great resource. Will Pioneer models ever be added to this?

Considering that half the post that starts this topic refers to Pioneer drives, what is your question?

It's unfortunate, but way to many people come to forums like this & start on the last page/post...

[dcoke22]

Sorry, still learning the terminology. I mean cross-flashing Pioneer models that weren't originally UHD drives (e.g., XS05).

As I understand it currently, the tools to cross flash a Pioneer drive are not currently public. I don't know if they'll ever be made public.

MakeMKV's author, Mike, has stated that eventually LibreDrive will be supported on most Pioneer drives. https://forum.makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=174108#p174108

Having LibreDrive support doesn't necessarily mean cross flashing support.

[walk2k]

Hi all. new to all this, just wanted to report success. I recently purchased an external LG drive (LG BP50NB40 purchased from Best Buy on 10/27/25 for about $91). it has a manuf'd date of May 2025 and came with (if I remember) firmware version 1.04.

I followed the directions here, first flashed it to version "BP50NB40-NB50-1.03MK" then to > "BP60NB10 1.02MK"
the drive in makemkv says it's on version "1.03" but it does report LibreDrive "Patched (microcode access re-enabled)" and "Yes" for all the options.

I haven't tried any UHD discs yet (because I don't have any) but it does work fine with 1080p Blu-ray, as well as DVD and CD. Oh, and if anyone knows how to rip SA-CD (yes those) let me know.. I tried a few different programs but none work..

I've recently installed a NAS, the UGreen 4300, and it's great. The HDMI out unfortunately doesn't support some BD formats (VC-1) so those won't play, but using Jellyfin works great. I actually love Jellyfin right now, and I've never used a NAS or done anything like that before..

On a side note, since I intend to rip all of my old DVDs (about 200) and my music CDs (almost 1000) again, this time in FLAC.. I figured I would dig out an old DVD drive (internal SATA) from storage and hook it up for burning those. I only have about 20 BDs so the LG drive will be ok for those, but ~1200 discs is a lot of usage on what seems like a pretty flimsy thing..

WELL you know how they tell you if you have a modular power supply in your PC, ONLY use the power cables that came with the unit, and not any other brand, or unknown cables? I mean, it's a Molex/SATA cable, how different can they be? OOPS. I apparently let the magic smoke out, totally fried the SATA interface board on this old Asus drive (crispy noises and flashes of light).. so I guess I won't be using that...

[goestoeleven]

Hi gang. Newb here and very late to the party. There are hundreds of pages here, so I hope you'll forgive the question and help a brother out:

Just picked up an LG drive from OWC. It's not currently reading UHD disks, even though the techs there said it could.

Here's what MakeMKV is reporting:

Drive Information
OS device name: \Device\CdRom1
Current profile: BD-ROM
Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST
Product: BD-RE BH16NS40
Revision: 1.05
Serial number: <redacted>
Firmware date: 2120-05-06 13:31
Bus encryption flags: 17
Highest AACS version: 81

LibreDrive Information
Status: Possible (with patched firmware)
Drive platform: MT1959
Harware support: Yes
Firmware support: No
Firmware type: Original (patched version available)
Firmware version: 1.05
DVD all regions: Possible (with patched firmware)
BD raw data read: Possible (with patched firmware)
BD raw metadata read: Possible (with patched firmware)
Unrestricted read speed: Possible (with patched firmware)

Out of the box it can read BD Audio disks, but it can't see UHD disks. It also seems to not be able to read the MLP tracks on DVD-Audio disks (just the DD content). Is there a firmware I can use to make both UHD and DVD-A ripping possible?

I'm reasonably technical and can follow a procedure if I've got the right tools.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[MartyMcNuts]

Hi all. new to all this, just wanted to report success. I recently purchased an external LG drive (LG BP50NB40 purchased from Best Buy on 10/27/25 for about $91). it has a manuf'd date of May 2025 and came with (if I remember) firmware version 1.04.

I followed the directions here, first flashed it to version "BP50NB40-NB50-1.03MK" then to > "BP60NB10 1.02MK"
the drive in makemkv says it's on version "1.03" but it does report LibreDrive "Patched (microcode access re-enabled)" and "Yes" for all the options.

I haven't tried any UHD discs yet (because I don't have any) but it does work fine with 1080p Blu-ray, as well as DVD and CD. Oh, and if anyone knows how to rip SA-CD (yes those) let me know.. I tried a few different programs but none work..

I've recently installed a NAS, the UGreen 4300, and it's great. The HDMI out unfortunately doesn't support some BD formats (VC-1) so those won't play, but using Jellyfin works great. I actually love Jellyfin right now, and I've never used a NAS or done anything like that before..

On a side note, since I intend to rip all of my old DVDs (about 200) and my music CDs (almost 1000) again, this time in FLAC.. I figured I would dig out an old DVD drive (internal SATA) from storage and hook it up for burning those. I only have about 20 BDs so the LG drive will be ok for those, but ~1200 discs is a lot of usage on what seems like a pretty flimsy thing..

WELL you know how they tell you if you have a modular power supply in your PC, ONLY use the power cables that came with the unit, and not any other brand, or unknown cables? I mean, it's a Molex/SATA cable, how different can they be? OOPS. I apparently let the magic smoke out, totally fried the SATA interface board on this old Asus drive (crispy noises and flashes of light).. so I guess I won't be using that...

If ist still shows in MakeMKV as BP50NB40 1.03 firmware, then you haven't done the cross-flash correctly. It should say BP60NB10 1.02. As is, it will not work with UHD discs as the BP50NB40 firmware is not UHD compatible. Libredrive does not mean UHD compatible.

[Billycar11]

Hi gang. Newb here and very late to the party. There are hundreds of pages here, so I hope you'll forgive the question and help a brother out:

Just picked up an LG drive from OWC. It's not currently reading UHD disks, even though the techs there said it could.

Here's what MakeMKV is reporting:

Drive Information
OS device name: \Device\CdRom1
Current profile: BD-ROM
Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST
Product: BD-RE BH16NS40
Revision: 1.05
Serial number: <redacted>
Firmware date: 2120-05-06 13:31
Bus encryption flags: 17
Highest AACS version: 81

LibreDrive Information
Status: Possible (with patched firmware)
Drive platform: MT1959
Harware support: Yes
Firmware support: No
Firmware type: Original (patched version available)
Firmware version: 1.05
DVD all regions: Possible (with patched firmware)
BD raw data read: Possible (with patched firmware)
BD raw metadata read: Possible (with patched firmware)
Unrestricted read speed: Possible (with patched firmware)

Out of the box it can read BD Audio disks, but it can't see UHD disks. It also seems to not be able to read the MLP tracks on DVD-Audio disks (just the DD content). Is there a firmware I can use to make both UHD and DVD-A ripping possible?

I'm reasonably technical and can follow a procedure if I've got the right tools.

Thanks in advance for your help!

see post 1
or email me or marty for an auto flasher

[goestoeleven]

email sent. thank you!

[oranje]

Sorry, still learning the terminology. I mean cross-flashing Pioneer models that weren't originally UHD drives (e.g., XS05).

As I understand it currently, the tools to cross flash a Pioneer drive are not currently public. I don't know if they'll ever be made public.

MakeMKV's author, Mike, has stated that eventually LibreDrive will be supported on most Pioneer drives. https://forum.makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=174108#p174108

Having LibreDrive support doesn't necessarily mean cross flashing support.

I see. Thanks for the info.

[Th3Color]

Hello all,

I have a problem in that my drive simply won't work with 4K discs. It reads all other types, but not 4K discs.
It also disconnects from the PC briefly every time it tries to read the disc. Could this be another problem? However, this only happens with 4K discs.

Here is the mkv information:
Drive Information
OS device name: E:
Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST
Product: BD-RE BU40N
Revision: 1.03
Serial number: MO9P6390032
Firmware date: 2118-10-24 19:34
Bus encryption flags: 17
Highest AACS version: 18

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

[walk2k]

Hi all. new to all this, just wanted to report success. I recently purchased an external LG drive (LG BP50NB40 purchased from Best Buy on 10/27/25 for about $91). it has a manuf'd date of May 2025 and came with (if I remember) firmware version 1.04.

I followed the directions here, first flashed it to version "BP50NB40-NB50-1.03MK" then to > "BP60NB10 1.02MK"
the drive in makemkv says it's on version "1.03" but it does report LibreDrive "Patched (microcode access re-enabled)" and "Yes" for all the options.

I haven't tried any UHD discs yet (because I don't have any) but it does work fine with 1080p Blu-ray, as well as DVD and CD. Oh, and if anyone knows how to rip SA-CD (yes those) let me know.. I tried a few different programs but none work..

I've recently installed a NAS, the UGreen 4300, and it's great. The HDMI out unfortunately doesn't support some BD formats (VC-1) so those won't play, but using Jellyfin works great. I actually love Jellyfin right now, and I've never used a NAS or done anything like that before..

On a side note, since I intend to rip all of my old DVDs (about 200) and my music CDs (almost 1000) again, this time in FLAC.. I figured I would dig out an old DVD drive (internal SATA) from storage and hook it up for burning those. I only have about 20 BDs so the LG drive will be ok for those, but ~1200 discs is a lot of usage on what seems like a pretty flimsy thing..

WELL you know how they tell you if you have a modular power supply in your PC, ONLY use the power cables that came with the unit, and not any other brand, or unknown cables? I mean, it's a Molex/SATA cable, how different can they be? OOPS. I apparently let the magic smoke out, totally fried the SATA interface board on this old Asus drive (crispy noises and flashes of light).. so I guess I won't be using that...

If ist still shows in MakeMKV as BP50NB40 1.03 firmware, then you haven't done the cross-flash correctly. It should say BP60NB10 1.02. As is, it will not work with UHD discs as the BP50NB40 firmware is not UHD compatible. Libredrive does not mean UHD compatible.

THANKS for your reply! I tried flashing it 2 more times, with 1.02 and 1.00. The drive light doesn't blink when doing it, though the flasher tool says everything's normal.. After power cycling the drive it still reports 1.03.. What could this mean?

[walk2k]

Hi all. new to all this, just wanted to report success. I recently purchased an external LG drive (LG BP50NB40 purchased from Best Buy on 10/27/25 for about $91). it has a manuf'd date of May 2025 and came with (if I remember) firmware version 1.04.

I followed the directions here, first flashed it to version "BP50NB40-NB50-1.03MK" then to > "BP60NB10 1.02MK"
the drive in makemkv says it's on version "1.03" but it does report LibreDrive "Patched (microcode access re-enabled)" and "Yes" for all the options.

I haven't tried any UHD discs yet (because I don't have any) but it does work fine with 1080p Blu-ray, as well as DVD and CD. Oh, and if anyone knows how to rip SA-CD (yes those) let me know.. I tried a few different programs but none work..

I've recently installed a NAS, the UGreen 4300, and it's great. The HDMI out unfortunately doesn't support some BD formats (VC-1) so those won't play, but using Jellyfin works great. I actually love Jellyfin right now, and I've never used a NAS or done anything like that before..

On a side note, since I intend to rip all of my old DVDs (about 200) and my music CDs (almost 1000) again, this time in FLAC.. I figured I would dig out an old DVD drive (internal SATA) from storage and hook it up for burning those. I only have about 20 BDs so the LG drive will be ok for those, but ~1200 discs is a lot of usage on what seems like a pretty flimsy thing..

WELL you know how they tell you if you have a modular power supply in your PC, ONLY use the power cables that came with the unit, and not any other brand, or unknown cables? I mean, it's a Molex/SATA cable, how different can they be? OOPS. I apparently let the magic smoke out, totally fried the SATA interface board on this old Asus drive (crispy noises and flashes of light).. so I guess I won't be using that...

If ist still shows in MakeMKV as BP50NB40 1.03 firmware, then you haven't done the cross-flash correctly. It should say BP60NB10 1.02. As is, it will not work with UHD discs as the BP50NB40 firmware is not UHD compatible. Libredrive does not mean UHD compatible.

Ok I think I got it. I did it wrong(tm). To be fair, I simply missed the fact mine is a "NB52" drive. Which doesn't show up anywhere but printed on the label on the bottom of the drive.. and the instructions aren't super clear. I used the guide in the SDFtool thread:

"For the moment, to flash the BP50NB40 SVC:NB52, using the latest SDFtool Flasher, follw the steps below:

1. Flash the drive to BP50NB40 (NB50) 1.03-MK.

Now for the crossflash:

2. Select the RECOVERY option and in the pop up, select the BP50NB40 (NB50) 1.03-MK firmware that you just flashed.
3. Select the BP60NB10 1.00-MK or BU40N 1.00 firmware in the normal drop box.
4. Click START"

seems like that worked:

Drive Information
OS device name: E:
Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST
Product: BD-RE BP60NB10
Revision: 1.00
Serial number: SIM2121M60954
Firmware date: 2117-11-21 17:20
Bus encryption flags: 17
Highest AACS version: 23

LibreDrive Information
Status: Enabled
Drive platform: MT1959
Firmware type: Patched (microcode access re-enabled)
Firmware version: 1.00
DVD all regions: Yes
BD raw data read: Yes
BD raw metadata read: Yes
Unrestricted read speed: Yes

No disc inserted