(Asmcom:) Pioneer UHD 4K Drives, MakeMKV Discounted Software £39.99, Worldwide Service, Excellent Service!!!

[Rrobynne]

• BDR-XD08EMB-S
• BDR-XD08/S
• BDR-XS07TS

Thank you for the update, didn't see about the hospital stay when I was going back through the thread so best wishes.

Anyone else here able to enlighten a technical noob on the differences in function between these three models? As previously stated my use-case is pretty standard, I run Windows 11 and want to be able to continue ripping UHDs and BDs using MakeMKV, and DVDs via Handbrake or equivalent. I had a previous Asmcom drive which is on its way out after several years of use. Many thanks in advance for any tips.

[boarim]

Our website will re-open on Wednesday, 4th February 2026 at 9:00am.

We are currently awaiting delivery of our final shipment of genuine Pioneer UHD-friendly drives, which is expected to clear customs and arrive on Monday, 2nd or Tuesday, 3rd February 2026, ahead of the website reopening.

We currently have the following Pioneer UHD-friendly models available:

• BDR-XD08EMB-S
• BDR-XD08/S
• BDR-XS07TS

I am a newbie here, so please forgive my ignorance, but I could not find the information explicitly stated anywhere. Are these three drives MakeMKV-ready in the sense that they can operate in LibreDrive mode out of the box? No firmware update is needed?

Thank you.

[DennisOlof]

Others might know more about this, but

BDR-XS07TS is slot-in loading mechanism, have PureRead 4+ so that mechanical thing could become more problematic over time perhaps ?
BDR-XD08S is a clam-shell version but only has PureRead 3+ less mechanical stuff on this drive, should be better
BDR-XD08EMB-S is a clam-shell version and PureRead 4+ if you need that

Other than that the units are probably more or less the same, looking at the firmware page it does seem all drives have more or less similar updates in the firmware. Probably nothing different here other than the XS07 has a somewhat older production date from factory.

One thing to know is that these drives are USB only you can not remove the drive to connect it with SATA and this could be problematic for some. I do not have a problem with that, the only thing I care about now is that I need pioneer drives before they go extinct as the are over all a better and more reliable burner compared to LG. The Verbatim 43888 and Asus bw-16d is a alternative if it has a pioneer device inside. That way you get the SATA option if you want to use that instead of USB.

[Ghostrider66]

viewtopic.php?p=194185#p194185

Is there any update on my request

Thanks

[Ludamus]

Hi Asmcom,

BDR-XS07TS, im looking to buy one of these of you. Could you let me know the cost and if you have them in stock, and if so pottentially reserve one?
im based in the UK.


Thanks

Luda.

[asmcom]

Others might know more about this, but

BDR-XS07TS is slot-in loading mechanism, have PureRead 4+ so that mechanical thing could become more problematic over time perhaps ?
BDR-XD08S is a clam-shell version but only has PureRead 3+ less mechanical stuff on this drive, should be better
BDR-XD08EMB-S is a clam-shell version and PureRead 4+ if you need that

Other than that the units are probably more or less the same, looking at the firmware page it does seem all drives have more or less similar updates in the firmware. Probably nothing different here other than the XS07 has a somewhat older production date from factory.

One thing to know is that these drives are USB only you can not remove the drive to connect it with SATA and this could be problematic for some. I do not have a problem with that, the only thing I care about now is that I need pioneer drives before they go extinct as the are over all a better and more reliable burner compared to LG. The Verbatim 43888 and Asus bw-16d is a alternative if it has a pioneer device inside. That way you get the SATA option if you want to use that instead of USB.

The Pioneer BDR-XS07TS is a slot-loading drive, not a tray-based mechanism. There is no fragile tray to insert or eject. The disc is inserted directly into the slot, which completely eliminates the tray fragility concern.

From a reliability perspective, our real-world data is very clear. We have sold well over 2,500 Pioneer BDR-XS07TS units, and we have not experienced a single mechanical failure related to the slot-loading mechanism. These drives have proven to be extremely robust and consistent over time.

I personally use one of these slot loading drives BDR-XS07TUHD and have ripped over 1100 music and movies with this drive and it is still running smooth with no problems.

Asmcom

[asmcom]

I hope it is possible to get a un-patched original drive with latest updated firmware.

all pioneer fw is not patched it original fw
most of asmcom's stock is XD08UMBS
as his last post said the suppliers were raising prices like crazy on us as they knew this was the last ever stock

You are spot on Billy, and they are super greedy.

Asmcom

[asmcom]

I would guess they are still working on getting the site up again, question is how much hardware they have left ?

But on the bright side, at least this means Asmcom is now safely out of hospital .

Hello MrPenguin,

We sent you an email today, your order is ready to go out tomorrow morning, using special recorded delivery. Please confirm your address is still current via email.

Kind Regards

Asmcom

[Rrobynne]

Others might know more about this, but

BDR-XS07TS is slot-in loading mechanism, have PureRead 4+ so that mechanical thing could become more problematic over time perhaps ?
BDR-XD08S is a clam-shell version but only has PureRead 3+ less mechanical stuff on this drive, should be better
BDR-XD08EMB-S is a clam-shell version and PureRead 4+ if you need that

Other than that the units are probably more or less the same, looking at the firmware page it does seem all drives have more or less similar updates in the firmware. Probably nothing different here other than the XS07 has a somewhat older production date from factory.

One thing to know is that these drives are USB only you can not remove the drive to connect it with SATA and this could be problematic for some. I do not have a problem with that, the only thing I care about now is that I need pioneer drives before they go extinct as the are over all a better and more reliable burner compared to LG. The Verbatim 43888 and Asus bw-16d is a alternative if it has a pioneer device inside. That way you get the SATA option if you want to use that instead of USB.

Great, thanks. I assume the attached topic won't apply in the case of this BDR-XD08EMB-S stock? viewtopic.php?t=32803

[asmcom]

Others might know more about this, but

BDR-XS07TS is slot-in loading mechanism, have PureRead 4+ so that mechanical thing could become more problematic over time perhaps ?
BDR-XD08S is a clam-shell version but only has PureRead 3+ less mechanical stuff on this drive, should be better
BDR-XD08EMB-S is a clam-shell version and PureRead 4+ if you need that

Other than that the units are probably more or less the same, looking at the firmware page it does seem all drives have more or less similar updates in the firmware. Probably nothing different here other than the XS07 has a somewhat older production date from factory.

One thing to know is that these drives are USB only you can not remove the drive to connect it with SATA and this could be problematic for some. I do not have a problem with that, the only thing I care about now is that I need pioneer drives before they go extinct as the are over all a better and more reliable burner compared to LG. The Verbatim 43888 and Asus bw-16d is a alternative if it has a pioneer device inside. That way you get the SATA option if you want to use that instead of USB.

Great, thanks. I assume the attached topic won't apply in the case of this BDR-XD08EMB-S stock? viewtopic.php?t=32803

Nothing about Amazon surprises us. The number of faulty Pioneer drives they ship is genuinely staggering. Unlike Amazon and most large online retailers, UHD Friendly Drives test every single drive with four different discs before dispatch. Any faulty units are identified and rejected at this stage before they ever reach a customer.

To give a real example, a customer who originally purchased a drive from us later ordered a BDR S13E X directly from Amazon. The drive arrived completely dead and would not read any disc. He sent us a photo of the drive along with the serial number and we advised him to return it to Amazon. This drive was supplied by the official Pioneer store on Amazon.

Three weeks later, the same customer reordered another BDR S13E X from Amazon and was sent the exact same faulty drive, with the same serial number. Billycarr11 has also confirmed that an identical situation happened to one of his customers in the USA.

As a supplier who has sold over 10,000 Blu ray drives, we work from real world data, not a single forum post from one forum member. This gives us far more meaningful and reliable statistics on drive behaviour, failure rates and long term reliability.

If we find a drive that is not reliable, we will tell our customers. Anyone who reads our posts on the Verbatim 43888 or the BDR UD04 will see that we report honestly and transparently, whether the feedback is good or bad.

We have posted on MakeMKV about the issues with the BDR UD04 and provided links to other forums showing very poor user experiences. If you are looking for playback, this drive is simply not suitable as it freezes repeatedly. In addition, there was a historical bad batch of the Verbatim 43888. Despite holding over 250 units at the time, we informed our customers openly and cleared them at £89.99, making it clear they were discounted due to the level of issues and returns we were experiencing.

Links for BDR UD04

search.php?keywords=Dbpoweramp+&t=27378&sf=msgonly

viewtopic.php?t=30198&start=45

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=33094

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=30198&start=45

https://forum.dbpoweramp.com/showthread ... Every-Time

https://forum.dbpoweramp.com/showthread ... 4&p=217580

https://forum.dbpoweramp.com/showthread ... Time/page4

All drives supplied by UHD Friendly Drives are original genuine Pioneer drives, never copies. Like any optical drive, the golden rule still applies. Never use discs with stick-on labels, as they can unbalance the disc, prematurely wear the motors and in the worst cases, detach and become tangled in the internal mechanical parts of the drive.

UHD Friendly Drives Team
Asmcom

[DennisOlof]

And this is WHY I want to buy my device from Asmcom

So the BDR-UD04 is crappy compared to UD03. Now I know to stay away from that drive.

I guess during last 2026 the only way going forward is to buy a second hand pioneer drive, from the few people who are selling them but I suspect that there are not many who will. The reason is as described by Asmcom and others, the marked for optical drives and media has slowed down so much during the last ten years only enthusiast, collectors etc are still in the optical game.

@Asmcom thanks for professional conduct. And as you said even if Pioneer are quality drives compared to LG the issue of bad units from a factory is much higher now because so much is made in China. The quality of electronics is not what it used to be.

[asmcom]

And this is WHY I want to buy my device from Asmcom

So the BDR-UD04 is crappy compared to UD03. Now I know to stay away from that drive.

I guess during last 2026 the only way going forward is to buy a second hand pioneer drive, from the few people who are selling them but I suspect that there are not many who will. The reason is as described by Asmcom and others, the marked for optical drives and media has slowed down so much during the last ten years only enthusiast, collectors etc are still in the optical game.

@Asmcom thanks for professional conduct. And as you said even if Pioneer are quality drives compared to LG the issue of bad units from a factory is much higher now because so much is made in China. The quality of electronics is not what it used to be.

You are 100% correct
Asmcom

[skipton38]

I did try and confirm this from earlier posts and am aware it may be a simple one. But are drives from AMSCOM for the purposes of ripping UHD disks with MakeMKV (rather than ripping normal Blu-ray discs and using drives as UHD disc players)? I'd like a Pioneer drive that can rip UHD with MakeMKV and don't want to make a stupid mistake.

[Peppins]

I did try and confirm this from earlier posts and am aware it may be a simple one. But are drives from AMSCOM for the purposes of ripping UHD disks with MakeMKV (rather than ripping normal Blu-ray discs and using drives as UHD disc players)? I'd like a Pioneer drive that can rip UHD with MakeMKV and don't want to make a stupid mistake.

Yes they can rip uhd

[Archangel91]

I’m interested in buying, I have a few questions (sorry if any are dumb, I’m new):
- You mention the store is opening tomorrow at 9am, what time zone?
- You mention selling BDR-XS07TS as UHD friendly but isn’t it the BDR-XS07UHD / BDR-XS07TUHD models that are UHD compatible? I thought BDR-XS07TS was the non-UHD version. Will BDR-XS07UHD be in stock as well?
- It’s my understanding post 2022 production with firmware 1.2 or later blocks UHD ripping with MakeMKV, how do you ensure this works on brand new devices then, are you flashing them?