Ultimate UHD Drives Flashing Guide Updated 2026

[MikeTD436]

Many thanks for your help. That's worked perfectly

[HowlingOwl]

The guide in the first post is great. I deeply appreciate the effort and work BillyCar, MartyMyNuts, et all put in. Really excellent. But it's also very generalized. So here is what I did, using their work, to get my specific drive working. The hope is just to help people with the same setup have more specific directions. (Or maybe just for me if I have to do it again ever)

The drive is a WP50NB40 "LG Super Multi Blue Slim Portable", service code NB52. Flashing from a Mac on Tahoe 26.2.

This zip file has all required files. (MakeMkv 17.7, the two firmwares, sdf.bin). Copied out of the first post, just the ones you need, in one place. - https://drive.proton.me/urls/1HPEN2MT1W#9N7T0ZFU5SdL

1. Install the old (17.7) version of MakeMkv. Try to open it, get the security warning, bypass the warning in "System Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Open Anyway".
1.b. It won't actually run after that. Just crashes when you try. Doesn't matter. We're just going to be using a utility installed with it, from the command line. When we're finished with the flashing, we can remove this old version and use the current version.

2. Open the terminal. Change your working directory to /Applications/MakeMKV.app/Contents/MacOS/ ( "cd /Applications/MakeMKV.app/Contents/MacOS/" )

3. Run the command "./makemkvcon f -l", copy the part that says "/IOBDServices/XXXXXXXX" to notepad.

4. Copy the two firmwares and sdf.bin (from attached zip) to /tmp ( "cp 'path to where you extracted them' /tmp" )

5. Flash the first firmware, "HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BP50NB40-NB50-1.03-NM00800-212005070917.bin". The current firmware is encrypted, so the command is the second one in the guide.
5.b. It's easier to write the command in notepad, and copy it into the terminal. So copy this, replace the XXXXXXX with the numbers you copied earlier, and then paste into the terminal.

Code: Select all

./makemkvcon f -d '/IOBDServices/XXXXXXXX' -f /tmp/sdf.bin rawflash enc -i /tmp/HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BP50NB40-NB50-1.03-NM00800-212005070917.bin

6. Unplug the drive, wait 5 seconds, plug it back in.

7. Run "./makemkvcon f -l" again, if the numbers changed, copy them into notepad again.

8. Flash the second firmware, "DE_LG_BP60NB10_1.00_MK_HBD.bin". It's no longer encrypted, so use the first command from the guide.
8.b. Do the whole copy it into notepad, paste into the terminal dance again.

Code: Select all

./makemkvcon f -d /IOBDServices/XXXXXXXX -f /tmp/sdf.bin rawflash main -i /tmp/DE_LG_BP60NB10_1.00_MK_HBD.bin

9. Unplug the drive, wait 5 seconds, plug it back in.

10. Install the latest version of MakeMkv, see your UHD.

Thank you for posting this, the main guide is a fantastic resource but I was struggling to get through the flashing using a Mac until I found these extra steps. I ended up needing to use a combination of these steps as well as some I found on this Reddit post (https://www.reddit.com/r/makemkv/commen ... _on_macos/) to get a successful install.

I'll share some of the details of my install in case it helps anyone in a similar situation:

• Drive: LG BP50NB40 external slim, SVC code NB52

• Computer: Macbook Air running Tahoe 26.3

To get my install to work, I needed to follow the steps in the above post up til step 5, then I couldn't get beyond that step until I cycled through the enc -> main -> full flash commands for the same firmware like called out in that Reddit post I linked. After that, I was able to flash to the BP60NB10 version and update MakeMKV back to the latest version (before that I kept getting silent failures, where the terminal window would say firmware was updated successfully but opening MakeMKV woud still show the BP50NB40 version).

Also, another problem I ran into - new Macbooks only have two USB-C ports, vs the cable for BP50NB40 with two USB-A plugs. I tried using USB-A to USB-C adapters, a micro-USB to USB-C cable to connect the drive directly to the laptop, and connecting the extra USB-A plug to a 5V wall adapter, but my rips kept failing partway through and throwing errors related to insufficient power, especially when I was trying a 4K disc. I finally broke down and bought a USB hub with an external power supply, and so far that seems to have fixed the issue.

[aLPHa_NRG]

Hi there!

I have heard great things about the MakeMKV program, so I am quite excited to get started ripping my bluray collections with MakeMKV.

But before I can do this, I have to flash my ASUS BW 16D1HT bluray drive.

Unfortunately, my only Windows system is a laptop.
I have gone through the guide, and I read this should be possible, but there are some limitations.

I read the flashing can be done through certain USB adapters, so specifically for this purpose I purchased the BENFEI SATA to USB 3.0 Cable as specified in the "Ultimate UHD Drives Flashing Guide Updated 2026".

At this time, I have not flashed my drive yet, but instead I have dumped the firmware with the SDFtool and the tool gave it the name:
dump_user_ASUS_BW-16D1HT_3.10_211901041014_KLZKC7E2418

According to the SDFtool I am currently using an unencrypted ASUS BW-16D1HT 3.10 firmware for the drive. So, to make sure, can I just flash my drive straight with SDFtool and the ASUS-BW-16D1HT-3.10-WM01601-211901041014.bin image from the all you need firmware pack?

I am a newbie and I just want to run this with you to make sure I got all this, correct. Thanks!

[Billycar11]

Hi there!

I have heard great things about the MakeMKV program, so I am quite excited to get started ripping my bluray collections with MakeMKV.

But before I can do this, I have to flash my ASUS BW 16D1HT bluray drive.

Unfortunately, my only Windows system is a laptop.
I have gone through the guide, and I read this should be possible, but there are some limitations.

I read the flashing can be done through certain USB adapters, so specifically for this purpose I purchased the BENFEI SATA to USB 3.0 Cable as specified in the "Ultimate UHD Drives Flashing Guide Updated 2026".

At this time, I have not flashed my drive yet, but instead I have dumped the firmware with the SDFtool and the tool gave it the name:
dump_user_ASUS_BW-16D1HT_3.10_211901041014_KLZKC7E2418

According to the SDFtool I am currently using an unencrypted ASUS BW-16D1HT 3.10 firmware for the drive. So, to make sure, can I just flash my drive straight with SDFtool and the ASUS-BW-16D1HT-3.10-WM01601-211901041014.bin image from the all you need firmware pack?

I am a newbie and I just want to run this with you to make sure I got all this, correct. Thanks!

The guide has all the info you need but if you want to be 100% safe

Email me or Marty for an automated flasher that's does it all for you.

See below for my email

[bombi]

Grüß euch!

Habe mir das Verbatim Ultra HD 4K Externes DB-R/RE-Brenner Laufwerk gekauft, aber ich schaffe es nicht zu flashen.

Bekomme das DE_LG_BU40N_1.03_MK.bin nicht drauf.

Lt. ChatGPT liegt es nicht am Laufwerk, sondern daran dass es ein externes Laufwerk ist...

Bitte um Hilfe

Hi everyone!

I bought the Verbatim Ultra HD 4K external DVD-R/RE burner drive, but I can't flash it.

I can't get the DE_LG_BU40N_1.03_MK.bin file to install.

According to ChatGPT, the problem isn't with the drive itself, but with the fact that it's an external drive...

Please help!

[aLPHa_NRG]

Grüß euch!

Habe mir das Verbatim Ultra HD 4K Externes DB-R/RE-Brenner Laufwerk gekauft, aber ich schaffe es nicht zu flashen.

Bekomme das DE_LG_BU40N_1.03_MK.bin nicht drauf.

Lt. ChatGPT liegt es nicht am Laufwerk, sondern daran dass es ein externes Laufwerk ist...

Bitte um Hilfe

Hi everyone!

I bought the Verbatim Ultra HD 4K external DVD-R/RE burner drive, but I can't flash it.

I can't get the DE_LG_BU40N_1.03_MK.bin file to install.

According to ChatGPT, the problem isn't with the drive itself, but with the fact that it's an external drive...

Please help!

Hi Bombi,

Did you see the USB list in this post?

USB enclosures/sata adapters that work with optical drives and flashing:

OWC Mercury Pro 5.25 case https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XRCCV44?th=1
Pioneer 5.25 drives stick out a bit without modification but is still the recommended case overall @Coopervid for Tab modification Pic https://mega.nz/file/mV5mCDhT#T794dO696 ... l_wcIH352A

Silverstone TS14 slimsata 9.5mm to USB-Marty pioneers only
ICY BOX IB-550StU3S 5.25 case-ddeconin
Alxum AX-SC021NEW USB to sata cable-Marty
BENFEI SATA to USB 3.0 Cable, USB 3.0 to SATA III with 12V/2A-Coopervid https://www.amazon.com/Benfei-Adapter-C ... T17B8?th=1
Sata to Slim Sata Adapter https://www.amazon.com/ChenYang-slimlin ... 18-7067709
5.25 bay to 9.5mm adapter useful for using BU40N with OWC case https://www.newegg.com/icy-dock-mb343sp ... -_-Product

------------------------------------- Deutsch -------------------------------------------------------------------

Hallo Bombi,

Es ist moeglich das deine USB anschluss, kein flash untersteutzung bietet sehe auch:

USB enclosures/sata adapters that work with optical drives and flashing:

OWC Mercury Pro 5.25 case https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XRCCV44?th=1
Pioneer 5.25 drives stick out a bit without modification but is still the recommended case overall @Coopervid for Tab modification Pic https://mega.nz/file/mV5mCDhT#T794dO696 ... l_wcIH352A

Silverstone TS14 slimsata 9.5mm to USB-Marty pioneers only
ICY BOX IB-550StU3S 5.25 case-ddeconin
Alxum AX-SC021NEW USB to sata cable-Marty
BENFEI SATA to USB 3.0 Cable, USB 3.0 to SATA III with 12V/2A-Coopervid https://www.amazon.com/Benfei-Adapter-C ... T17B8?th=1
Sata to Slim Sata Adapter https://www.amazon.com/ChenYang-slimlin ... 18-7067709
5.25 bay to 9.5mm adapter useful for using BU40N with OWC case https://www.newegg.com/icy-dock-mb343sp ... -_-Product

[aLPHa_NRG]

Hi there!

I have heard great things about the MakeMKV program, so I am quite excited to get started ripping my bluray collections with MakeMKV.

But before I can do this, I have to flash my ASUS BW 16D1HT bluray drive.

Unfortunately, my only Windows system is a laptop.
I have gone through the guide, and I read this should be possible, but there are some limitations.

I read the flashing can be done through certain USB adapters, so specifically for this purpose I purchased the BENFEI SATA to USB 3.0 Cable as specified in the "Ultimate UHD Drives Flashing Guide Updated 2026".

At this time, I have not flashed my drive yet, but instead I have dumped the firmware with the SDFtool and the tool gave it the name:
dump_user_ASUS_BW-16D1HT_3.10_211901041014_KLZKC7E2418

According to the SDFtool I am currently using an unencrypted ASUS BW-16D1HT 3.10 firmware for the drive. So, to make sure, can I just flash my drive straight with SDFtool and the ASUS-BW-16D1HT-3.10-WM01601-211901041014.bin image from the all you need firmware pack?

I am a newbie and I just want to run this with you to make sure I got all this, correct. Thanks!

The guide has all the info you need but if you want to be 100% safe

Email me or Marty for an automated flasher that's does it all for you.

See below for my email

Hi Billy,

Thanks for your answer. It seems it worked out nevertheless; I just ordered a new license

A few questions though:
- Is it possible to select or exclude specific languages or subtitles? I thought I saw this on youtube somewhere, but it seems I can't find it in the program anymore, am I missing something?
- Where can I find out more about the licensing terms for MakeMKV?

Thanks!

[Billycar11]

Hi Billy,

Thanks for your answer. It seems it worked out nevertheless; I just ordered a new license

A few questions though:
- Is it possible to select or exclude specific languages or subtitles? I thought I saw this on youtube somewhere, but it seems I can't find it in the program anymore, am I missing something?
- Where can I find out more about the licensing terms for MakeMKV?

Thanks!

Yes you can select and deselect audio and subtitles

[babayaga]

Can BU40N (HL-DT-ST_BD-RE_BU40N_1.05) be firmware flashed with mk1.03, when the revision on Verbatim drive is 1.05?

From what i understand by reading the guide, is that there are no reason to flash it several times or make a backup of the current firmware, you just flash the DE_LG_BU40N_1.03_MK.bin firmware and that's it? With mk-firmware-pack-20200720 in the sdftool, i find many BY40N firmwares, but which to chose from? is this the correct one? HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BU40N-1.04-NM00500-212005061142.bin?

image_2026-04-18_173248698.png (65.59 KiB) Viewed 10015 times

[babayaga]

Hi Billy,

Thanks for your answer. It seems it worked out nevertheless; I just ordered a new license

A few questions though:
- Is it possible to select or exclude specific languages or subtitles? I thought I saw this on youtube somewhere, but it seems I can't find it in the program anymore, am I missing something?
- Where can I find out more about the licensing terms for MakeMKV?

Thanks!

Yes you can select and deselect audio and subtitles

You need to scan the disc first, after inserting the disc, open makemkv and push on the big drive in the middle of the screen, it scans the disc, and you will end up with a list of titles, under each title is a video file, subtitles and so on, you can click then away there, then make the mkv

[RubberDuckTruck]

Ok, so I have the controversial? LG BP50NB40 NB52.

I thought I read the recommended firmware for this was BU40N 1.00 in a recent (Jan 2026ish?) post from MartyMcNuts. I can't seem to find that comment anymore. Followed the guide, watched the BP50NB40_CF.gif and everything seemed to be working fine until I noticed a 4K UHD disc came out as 1080p once ripped.

Does this drive, once flashed, enable reading UHD but can only output to 1080p? Did I miss that? I now see it now says "UHDofficialish" and I don't remember seeing that either. I tried a recovery flash from BU40N 1.00 to BP60N 1.00. With this recent flash to BP60N 1.00 the test rip is still outputting to 1080p.

If this is the "limitation" of this drive I'm ok with that, especially since things are the way they are right now. Or, did I do something wrong? I'll include the info MakeMKV is currently reading from the drive. If you can tell from the info that something is amiss I'd appreciate the steps to correct it and put it to it's recommended firmware given it's current state. I have the All You Need Firmware Pack and the SDFtool Flasher v1.3.6.

I also noticed that MakeMKV projected another rip as 27.5 GB but came out at 23.5 GB? My hope is that I didn't mess something up permanently.

[babayaga]

Can BU40N (HL-DT-ST_BD-RE_BU40N_1.05) be firmware flashed with mk1.03, when the revision on Verbatim drive is 1.05?

From what i understand by reading the guide, is that there are no reason to flash it several times or make a backup of the current firmware, you just flash the DE_LG_BU40N_1.03_MK.bin firmware and that's it? With mk-firmware-pack-20200720 in the sdftool, i find many BY40N firmwares, but which to chose from? is this the correct one? HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BU40N-1.04-NM00500-212005061142.bin?

image_2026-04-18_173248698.png

So the trick was to only flash DE_LG_BU40N_1.03_MK.bin and everything worked, no more no less, it's a bit hard to understand sometimes in this forum, what you should actually do, and the guide can be a bit misleading i think. And what about the HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BU40N-1.04-NM00500-212005061142.bin that is included with the flasher? is this a newer iteration of the 1.03MK firmware or just a original 1.04 firmware?

[nicholfd]

Ok, so I have the controversial? LG BP50NB40 NB52.

I thought I read the recommended firmware for this was BU40N 1.00 in a recent (Jan 2026ish?) post from MartyMcNuts. I can't seem to find that comment anymore. Followed the guide, watched the BP50NB40_CF.gif and everything seemed to be working fine until I noticed a 4K UHD disc came out as 1080p once ripped.

Does this drive, once flashed, enable reading UHD but can only output to 1080p? Did I miss that? I now see it now says "UHDofficialish" and I don't remember seeing that either. I tried a recovery flash from BU40N 1.00 to BP60N 1.00. With this recent flash to BP60N 1.00 the test rip is still outputting to 1080p.

If this is the "limitation" of this drive I'm ok with that, especially since things are the way they are right now. Or, did I do something wrong? I'll include the info MakeMKV is currently reading from the drive. If you can tell from the info that something is amiss I'd appreciate the steps to correct it and put it to it's recommended firmware given it's current state. I have the All You Need Firmware Pack and the SDFtool Flasher v1.3.6.

I also noticed that MakeMKV projected another rip as 27.5 GB but came out at 23.5 GB? My hope is that I didn't mess something up permanently.

Nothing controversial about the BP50NB40 drive. Works fine, and if you can rip a 4K/UHD disc, then you flashed it successfully.

The drive/firmware has nothing to do with the resulting file resolution (1080p). MakeMKV nor the drive modify the resolution of the video you rip. The source disc & video/playlist *YOU* choose determines the resolution. If the MKV file produced is 1080p, then that is the resolution of the disc/video you ripped. If it's a multi-disc set, make sure you are ripping the 4K disc & not the Blu-ray Disc.

There are no "limitations" of your drive. From the MakeMKV info you posted, it looks like you flashed the firmware correctly.

"projected" file size vs. rip file size is not relevant. "projected" (wherever you are seeing that) is probably the entire playlist/stream, including all languages & all sound tracks. *You* determine which languages/soundtracks you want included & that determines the ultimate file size of the rip.

[tomty89]

So the trick was to only flash DE_LG_BU40N_1.03_MK.bin and everything worked, no more no less, it's a bit hard to understand sometimes in this forum, what you should actually do, and the guide can be a bit misleading i think. And what about the HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BU40N-1.04-NM00500-212005061142.bin that is included with the flasher? is this a newer iteration of the 1.03MK firmware or just a original 1.04 firmware?

Files in the MK firmware pack are all MK firmware. An MK firmware is just an original firmware of the same version number that has been patched in some way, so when there is a more updated original firmware, there's a chance that mike could patch it and update the pack.

(Note really sure what DE_LG_BU40N_1.03_MK.bin is.)

... If your drive has one of these firmwares, and there is no MK version of the same firmware/drive model or higher number, you will have to sidegrade to ... or (BU40N 1.03MK LG Slim drives ONLY) ...

But I have to admit that I'm also not sure whether there's something "special" about HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BU40N-1.03-NM00000-211810241934.bin, or if it's just that "The all you need firmware pack" and the guide didn't catch up with it when the MK firmware pack got updated...

P.S. The thing is being more updated does not necessarily means the firmware is better, especially when it comes to UHD capability / ripping compatibility / ... (what people here mainly concern). Also maybe whoever maintains the guide / all you need pack follows the "not broken don't fix it" policy (while mike just tried his best in MK-ising the relevant original firmware when new versions showed up).

[MartyMcNuts]

So the trick was to only flash DE_LG_BU40N_1.03_MK.bin and everything worked, no more no less, it's a bit hard to understand sometimes in this forum, what you should actually do, and the guide can be a bit misleading i think. And what about the HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BU40N-1.04-NM00500-212005061142.bin that is included with the flasher? is this a newer iteration of the 1.03MK firmware or just a original 1.04 firmware?

Files in the MK firmware pack are all MK firmware. An MK firmware is just an original firmware of the same version number that has been patched in some way, so when there is a more updated original firmware, there's a chance that mike could patch it and update the pack.

(Note really sure what DE_LG_BU40N_1.03_MK.bin is.)

... If your drive has one of these firmwares, and there is no MK version of the same firmware/drive model or higher number, you will have to sidegrade to ... or (BU40N 1.03MK LG Slim drives ONLY) ...

But I have to admit that I'm also not sure whether there's something "special" about HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BU40N-1.03-NM00000-211810241934.bin, or if it's just that "The all you need firmware pack" and the guide didn't get updated when mike updated the MK firmware pack...

P.S. The thing is being more updated does not necessarily means the firmware is better, especially when it comes to UHD capability / ripping compatibility / ... (what people here mainly concern). Also maybe whoever maintains the guide / all you need pack follows the "not broken don't fix it" policy (while mike just tried his best in MK-ising the relevant original firmware when new versions showed up).

BU40N 1.03-MK is the better version and is what is recommended. Newer does not equal better!