LibreDrive for Pioneer drives

[babayaga]

Hi! Posting agian, i've been looking for a internal drive, and found one in japan BDR-212UHBK, is manufactured in 2020, but the firmware has been updated to 1.4, im guessing this drive can read UHD discs without modification, but is it possible to downgrade? Im not sure you know without the rest of the info from makemkv, but i can't get a hold of the owner in japan to ask about exactly that, and its a bit expensive, any thoughts?

[tomty89]

*AFAIK* the last "safe" version for 12th gen internal drives should be 1.02. If you meant 1.04 it is a version released after Dec 2022. None of them should have a firmware of version 1.4.

Also as per the firmware update download pages (both the Japan one and the international one), there's no BDR-212UHBK but only a BDR-212ULBK (a.k.a. BDR-2212), which most likely comes with a firmware with no UHD support, just like BDR-212EBK (as they seem to share the exact same firmware), while there's also BDR-212UBK, which IIRC comes with a firmware with UHD support.

[babayaga]

*AFAIK* the last "safe" version for 12th gen internal drives should be 1.02. If you meant 1.04 it is a version released after Dec 2022. None of them should have a firmware of version 1.4.

Also as per the firmware update download pages (both the Japan one and the international one), there's no BDR-212UHBK but only a BDR-212ULBK (a.k.a. BDR-2212), which most likely comes with a firmware with no UHD support like BDR-212EBK (as they seem to share the exact same firmware), while there's also BDR-212UBK, which IIRC comes with a firmware with UHD support.

see yourself https://www.jauce.com/auction/f1227099690 I can see by the blurry pictures its recognized as a 212U, and he says he has updated the firmware to 1.04. There are other listnings for BDR-212UHBK btw, so it's definitly a drive.

[tomty89]

Well what I meant was, I have seen such "unlisted" models for multiple generations, and I myself can't tell whether they are counterfeit or e.g. just some special "corporate" / "bulk" labeled version of a certain model (and even if that's the case, I can't tell for sure which either).

You can keep you finger crossed and hope that it is e.g. a 212UBK/JBK (which AFAIK are the models that come with "212U" firmware) "specially labeled" and that the UHD logo on it is not a fraud.

[babayaga]

Well what I meant was, I have seen such "unlisted" models for multiple generations, and I myself can't tell whether they are counterfeit or e.g. just some special "corporate" / "bulk" labeled version of a certain model (and even if that's the case, I can't tell for sure which either).

You can keep you finger crossed and hope that it is e.g. a 212UBK/JBK (which AFAIK are the models that come with "212U" firmware) "specially labeled" and that the UHD logo on it is not a fraud.

I could, but not sure i'll take the chance, there's not a lot of fake stuff in japan, compared to ebay, but still But firmware 1.04, it can't be downgraded, right? I can only hope the UHD logo isn't fake and it actually can read the discs ..?

[babayaga]

f... ok, good thing i didnt buy it, i found this after a former ebay sale

"UHD" rated drive doesn't read 4k disks and can't back them up. Don't waste your money as this drive has the same 1.04 firmware problem as any other current Pioneer (not) "UHD" drive. Thanks for treating 4K disk purchasers like criminals. Last Pioneer drive that I'll buy.

guess ill keep looking!

[tomty89]

Just found this btw: https://akiba-pc.watch.impress.co.jp/do ... 81351.html. So probably it is really just a BDR-212JBK without a box.

But firmware 1.04, it can't be downgraded, right?

No at least not without Billy's help. As I said for 12th gen drives the last "safe" version is 1.02 (same for the different models).

---

Note that comments from previous buyer might not necessarily be true any more. As I mentioned to you earlier, there were times back then when mike / LibreDrive support hasn't caught up with these new firmware, but with the latest MakeMKV, they might now work perfectly fine. (As per the latest list; not that I've tested one myself.)

[Billycar11]

f... ok, good thing i didnt buy it, i found this after a former ebay sale

"UHD" rated drive doesn't read 4k disks and can't back them up. Don't waste your money as this drive has the same 1.04 firmware problem as any other current Pioneer (not) "UHD" drive. Thanks for treating 4K disk purchasers like criminals. Last Pioneer drive that I'll buy.

guess ill keep looking!

all UHD pioneers work even with the latest fw and even if they dont you just need to send your fw into mike and he can add it

i can crosslfash almost all pioneers even 12/22+ to UHD
except ud03 with 12/22+ FW

[babayaga]

Just found this btw: https://akiba-pc.watch.impress.co.jp/do ... 81351.html. So probably it is really just a BDR-212JBK without a box.

But firmware 1.04, it can't be downgraded, right?

No at least not without Billy's help. As I said for 12th gen drives the last "safe" version is 1.02 (same for the different models).

---

Note that comments from previous buyer might not necessarily be true any more. As I mentioned to you earlier, there were times back then when mike / LibreDrive support hasn't caught up with these new firmware, but with the latest MakeMKV, they might now work perfectly fine. (As per the latest list; not that I've tested one myself.)

Interesting article! So, maybe not completely fraud? I see the PIONEER BDR-212XJ is much cheaper on yahoo than the JBK (50.000 yen) and the first one. The only problem buying from japan is not known what they have updated or flashed earlier. The JBK is crazy expensive compared to the other drives, BDR-212XJ is what i might go for, just to see if its possible to use it, it was at least made in 2019, and one can hope it has LibreDrive support and not a firmware not flashable Im only using it for ripping anyway.

[babayaga]

f... ok, good thing i didnt buy it, i found this after a former ebay sale

"UHD" rated drive doesn't read 4k disks and can't back them up. Don't waste your money as this drive has the same 1.04 firmware problem as any other current Pioneer (not) "UHD" drive. Thanks for treating 4K disk purchasers like criminals. Last Pioneer drive that I'll buy.

guess ill keep looking!

all UHD pioneers work even with the latest fw and even if they dont you just need to send your fw into mike and he can add it

i can crosslfash almost all pioneers even 12/22+ to UHD
except ud03 with 12/22+ FW

that explains it, this hasn't have to be so difficult, ill see what i find for a reasonable price and get it, and we'll see if you either can or can not flash it when i get, the cheaper drives in japan isn't that expensive anyway either a 212XJ or a maybe one of those 209 drives that seems to work fine. I see there is a nice BDR-212XJB is for sale, so im going to go for that, a 2019 model, and it seems cheaper than the others.

[udma2]

sure email me that info and all others email me no need to post your info here just reach out to me directly
see below for email

Is your "auto flash kit" the only avenue to flash these drives? Looking into the RS8600 platform, found reference to cross-flashing to 211, no firmware though.

Not opposed to reaching out, mind, clarifying if this is presently the *only* option.

[Billycar11]

im one of the authorized distributors the only other i know of is asmcom there may be others but most are not and are giving it out unauthorized
https://forum.cdrinfo.pl/f29/distributi ... ash-99188/

[babayaga]

im one of the authorized distributors the only other i know of is asmcom there may be others but most are not and are giving it out unauthorized
https://forum.cdrinfo.pl/f29/distributi ... ash-99188/

I have paid you earlier, and will gladly do it again for the service, but i have to ask, did you code the autoflasher yourself? I'm a coder myself and spend most of my days diving in assembly and have no issue with other doing the same and sweating over something that should be paid for, and not get for free.

[Billycar11]

I have paid you earlier, and will gladly do it again for the service, but i have to ask, did you code the autoflasher yourself? I'm a coder myself and spend most of my days diving in assembly and have no issue with other doing the same and sweating over something that should be paid for, and not get for free.

that post was in response to udma whos post is not approved yet
but for bdr flash provided drives and fw testing and as the post says financial support to the dev
for the 12/22+ flasher i did quite a bit of what you can call coding that one is entirely developed by me but its not done yet but you can get early access by emailing me
it does not use bdrflash as a backbone at all it uses the official pioneer flasher with modified fw and routines