What firmware for Verbatim 438888?

[MintyHippp69]

Hello

I've recently got a Verbatim 438888, and I beleive that the drive inside is an LG one, not an older Pioneer one.

I'm looking to, I think, flash this so I can then use it to backup some Blu-Rays I have, I currently don't have any 4k/UHD Blu-Rays yet, but I have got my eyes on a few, so to future proof I believe that I'd need the correct firmware to do this. They're also mainly Region B, but I have a few Region A, which I can use on my stand-alone region free player for my TV, but I'not m sure how that effects things for this Verbatim drive, or how that would effect the player for general playback use. I believe that this is software based not hardware like DVD, so does flashing prevent things like this or it a case of staying away from certain players?

Having looked a round, I believe you may need this information to help.

Code: Select all

Drive Information
OS device name: F:
Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST
Product: BD-RE BU40N
Revision: 1.05
Serial number: ------------
Firmware date: 2124-04-23 13:47
Bus encryption flags: 17

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

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you.

[Billycar11]

See guide below or
Email me or Marty for the auto flasher
See below for my email

[Sayaka]

Hello,

I've recently got a Verbatim 438888

I believe you mean "Verbatim 43888". There is no such thing as a "Verbatim 438888". Nitpicking, I know.

They're also mainly Region B, but I have a few Region A, which I can use on my stand-alone region free player for my TV, but I'not m sure how that effects things for this Verbatim drive, or how that would effect the player for general playback use. I believe that this is software based not hardware like DVD, so does flashing prevent things like this or it a case of staying away from certain players?

From a quote by "bobbster574" on Reddit, which I believe explains things pretty well :

Blu-ray region locking is entirely software based. While a dedicated player has a preset region, a Blu-ray drive for a pc does not, and it's down to the player software you use to enforce region locking.

Official software for Blu-ray playback (e.g. powerDVD) will enforce region locking, but may give you a set number of chances (often 5) to change the region. This is linked to the software, not the drive. Depending on the software, it may be possible to reset the region changes available, but it's not something I've looked into a whole lot.

Unofficial software, on the other hand, may not enforce region locking at all, or will enforce it while offering you unlimited region swaps.

To this I will add that if you make a full, decrypted "folder backup" of a region-locked Blu-ray disc with MakeMKV and then turn that backup into an ISO file, the "software-enforced" region locking may still apply. For example, you would still need to set the region in Kodi.

UHD discs are *supposed* to be region-free, although according to some people you may run into exceptions.

Code: Select all

Drive Information
OS device name: F:
Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST
Product: BD-RE BU40N
Revision: 1.05
Serial number: ------------
Firmware date: 2124-04-23 13:47
Bus encryption flags: 17

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

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you.

That's an LG BU40N indeed. You are using Windows, so please have a look here : viewtopic.php?t=22896

Download the latest version of SDFTool Flasher as well as the All You Need Firmware Pack (unzip both, don't just double-click on the zip files otherwise Windows may attempt to open them without unzipping them), and have a look inside the "Slim External Drives" folder inside the All You Need Firmware Pack. The firmware you want is DE_LG_BU40N_1.03_MK.bin

Flash that firmware with SDFTool Flasher with a regular WRITE with encryption (encryption should be ticked by default for the 1.05 firmware you drive has right now). No READ (well, you could but it would be pointless), no bootloader flash, and no RECOVER. After flashing, wait until SDFTool Flasher says "Ready" again before closing it. Then unplug the drive (please do not unplug it during the flashing process, only after the flashing is fully finished !), leave it unplugged for 30 seconds just in case, and plug it back in. Check your LibreDrive Information again.

Then repeat the process (without encryption in SDFTool Flasher this time around) with DE_LG_BU40N_1.00.bin if you want DVDFab compatibility (optional).