Trev.bot Flash 1.0.11 | Pioneer & LG | LG currently free | $19.99 intro license | Windows/macOS/Linux

[trevbot]

LG flashing is FREE right now — $0.00. No license required.

Hi everyone,

I'm Trevor, the developer of trev.bot. Some of you have followed the Pioneer work in the existing thread. It's grown into a desktop app for flashing supported Pioneer and LG drives, and 1.0.11 is now available for Windows, macOS and Linux.

I wanted to make flashing something you could do yourself through a proper GUI. The app identifies your drive, finds compatible firmware and guides you through the process. You review the proposed change and confirm before anything is written. There are no command-line steps or firmware files to request from me.

The project grew through firmware research, testing and feedback from people here. For 1.0, I rewrote the desktop engine in Rust and added LG support. In my recent tests, an LG flash took 27 seconds and a Pioneer flash took 57 seconds. Those are individual results; your drive and connection will affect the time.

1.0.11 update

Clearer flashing progress, a Check another drive button, and easier access to logs and settings. Drive checks are faster on Windows, and this release fixes delayed check results after switching drives and unnecessary repeat restarts.

Here is a recording of an actual LG flash on my Mac. Watch the video and see the steps.



Drive support

• Pioneer and Pioneer-based drives, including supported models with firmware from December 2022 onward.
• LG drives, including supported LG-based ASUS and Buffalo drives.
• Free Pioneer settings, including PureRead and reading options where supported by the drive, on Windows, macOS and Linux. Starting with 1.0.3, these need no license or activation code, even if you never flash the drive.

Exact model and firmware matter. Download the app and check your drive for free; no purchase or activation code is needed. It shows the options available for your drive.

Cross-flash and down-flash

A cross-flash installs compatible firmware from another drive model. On supported hardware, this can enable UHD support or other features.

A down-flash installs an earlier firmware version for the same model. An older version can be useful when newer firmware changes compatibility. The app shows which changes are available for your drive.

Price and license

LG flashing is currently free during the introductory period.

$19.99 introductory price (regular price $29.99) buys a personal license covering your own supported LG and Pioneer drives on up to 3 computers, with no expiry. Existing paid licenses have been upgraded at no extra charge; keep your activation code.

Downloads are available for Windows, Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, and Linux as DEB and RPM packages. App updates are free and don't require activation.

Download trev.bot flash
Help and license details

Thanks to everyone who tested early builds and sent feedback. Flashing firmware still carries risk, so follow the app's instructions and keep the drive's power and connection stable. If you need help, email help@trev.bot with the app's support report.

Trevor

[skyrider]

I've had the opportunity to help test various Pioneer drives and firmware configurations during the development of trev.bot flash, and I can honestly say the project has come a long way.

Trevor has been extremely responsive to feedback and bug reports, and I've watched him continuously improve both the software and drive support. I've successfully used the application on a number of drives and can highly recommend it to anyone interested in flashing, crossflashing, or managing supported Pioneer and LG drives.

Congratulations on the 1.0 release, Trevor. It's great to see all the hard work finally become a polished product. Well deserved!

[Makar]

Like Sky, I have also had the opportunity to assist Trevor since the early beta in adding support for various Pioneer drives, including S13U-X, S13UBK, 212DBK and UD03. I'm happy to say that Trevor has managed to advance optical drive flashing out of the dark ages by creating an app that is modern, user-friendly, easily accessible and cross-platform. I now have the ability to flash a drive, update its' read settings and perform MakeMKV testing, all natively within macOS.

No more forced PMing, emailing or other senseless gatekeeping

No more sketchy batch files or archaic command line knowledge required

No more being fleeced for "flashing services" @ $40-$200 per drive based on the whims of a single individual

By offering guided, full-GUI flashing support on Windows, macOS and Linux, Trev.bot Flash has opened up flashing for everyone.

Thank you Trevor!

@mike admin, Please sticky Trevor's post so it will remain visible to all. Thank you sir.

[trevbot]

Thanks, Makar and Sky! I really appreciate you both posting here, and all the time you've put into testing and sharing feedback. You've both been a huge help getting the app to this point.

[trevbot]

trev.bot flash 1.0.17 is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.

This update adds support for more Pioneer and LG firmware versions, improves drive settings, and makes Pioneer firmware reads faster on supported adapters.

Check your drive in the app to see the options available for its exact model and firmware.

Changing settings such as PureRead on applicable Pioneer drives doesn't require a license. The version 1 intro rate is still active with Pioneer flashing at $19.99 for all of your devices (this isn't a per drive license) and LG flashing is $0.00.

Downloads · Full changelog

[gwhitcombe71]

trevbot cheers for the update, the faster reads sound handy... though im not sure about the "all your devices" bit, i reckon "up to 3 computers" in your first post is a bit clearer and might save you a few confused emails. to be fair that might just be me being picky (colour me a bit cautious when money's involved)

[trevbot]

Fair point, gwhitcombe71. I meant your own drives, with the computer limit still applying. My wording could have been clearer.

A quick update from me: trev.bot 1.0.28 is out. Recent releases added support for more Pioneer/ASUS firmware versions, fixed LG flashing regressions and Pioneer empty-drive checks, and improved saved sessions and flash progress reporting. Full notes: https://trev.bot/changelog

The Black Friday special runs through November 30: supported LG flashing is free, and the personal LG + Pioneer license is $19.99 USD. Run the free Check first to see what is available for your exact drive and firmware. Details: https://trev.bot/pricing

I'm also considering batch flashing for resellers: one click to apply the same flash to all connected compatible drives. It's an idea at this stage. Would that be useful to anyone here, and how many drives would you normally have connected? Any other features or changes you'd like to see?

[gwhitcombe71]

Fair point, gwhitcombe71. I meant your own drives, with the computer limit still applying. My wording could have been clearer.

batch flashing for resellers sounds proper handy actually, i know a bloke who does three or four drives a week for mates and he'd save alot of faffing about if he could just flash the lot in one go... worth asking on the reseller side too mate, they'll have a better idea of numbers than me.

[MannyDanny]

Besides not knowing whether advertising products or services here is allowed, I would also be interested in getting some clarification regarding the licensing terms.



If I "purchase" it while it's being offered for free, does that mean I get access to it forever? Or is the free license limited to one drive, one month, or one device?

The terms are rather vague when it comes to specifying how long the offer actually applies.

Also, since this is an online service, I'm not particularly interested in the product itself. I'm simply curious about the licensing conditions.

$29.99 Personal License: 3 PCs

Also, since you are checking machine IDs against your API, does one Linux machine ID count as one license?

And what happens if the application is running inside a container? The UUID inside the container changes with every rebuild, so would each rebuild count as a new device and consume another license?

[trevbot]

MannyDanny, LG flashing is free through November 30, 2026 at 11:59 pm MST, with no purchase or code needed. That doesn't give you a permanent free license. Any flash you finish during the offer stays on the drive. To flash again after it ends, you'd need a license covering LG; LG-only will be $9.99.

A paid personal license covers your own supported drives on three app installations and doesn't expire. The $29.99 figure is old. LG + Pioneer is $19.99 during the special, then $24.99. Current prices are here: https://trev.bot/pricing

Linux uses an ID saved by the app, not /etc/machine-id. If a container rebuild deletes that ID, activating again uses another slot. Keep installation-id.txt in the app's data directory across rebuilds: $XDG_DATA_HOME/trev.bot/flash, or ~/.local/share/trev.bot/flash by default. With the same ID, re-entering your code reuses the slot. The Linux app also needs a working Secret Service keyring to store the activation, so containers can have issues beyond the ID changing.

Thanks for the batch-flashing feedback too, gwhitcombe71. Three or four drives a week helps give me an idea of how people would use it.

[gwhitcombe71]

Thanks for the batch-flashing feedback too, gwhitcombe71. Three or four drives a week helps give me an idea of how people would use it.

yeah fair enough on the ID thing, didnt even think about containers and whatnot... reminds me a bit of messing about with the Defender's ECU actually, every time you reflash it you worry if its gonna brick itself or eat a "license" of its own anyway cheers for clearing that up trevbot, good to know the installation-id.txt trick if i ever end up running it in docker or owt like that.

[trevbot]

Thanks to skyrider for the help with additional Pioneer support. Recent updates added BDR-209M 1.10 → BDR-211M 1.53 conversion.

Version 1.0.31 also fixes Pioneer pre-flash checks and cases where an attempt that wrote nothing could leave the drive blocked. We’ve now received successful flash reports for both the 209M conversion and S13U 1.05 → 1.02 downgrade.

[XTRProf]

It will be very interesting to have an Android version of this app. Imagine OTG and can confirm Pioneer or LG drives need to be flashed or not for 4K ripping with just a HP or tablet. Or is it because of legality at Playstore.

Yeah, how come no HItachi-LG 4K drives? Is it they are not popular? Btw, will download and install your Windows app today to try.

Thanks a lot for your hard work.




Chong