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Hi, I'm new here.

I just bought a recommended drive on AMZN for backup purpose and I have the feeling that Libredrive is already enabled.

Drive Information
OS device name: F:
Current profile: BD-ROM
Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST
Product: BD-RE BU40N
Revision: FR07
Serial number: 701HN007165
Firmware date: 2116-12-20 16:51
Bus encryption flags: 1F
Highest AACS version: 76

LibreDrive Information
Status: Enabled
Drive platform: MT1959
Firmware type: Original (unpatched)
Firmware version: 0.FR07J
DVD all regions: Yes
BD raw data read: Yes
BD raw metadata read: Yes
Unrestricted read speed: Yes

I aknowledge I'm a bit confused: I just managed to make backups from my bluray discs with MakeMKV without any issue, the most recent being Avatar: Fire and Ash. I can't test with a 4K bluray because I still don't have any at this time. But will it work 'stock'? Will this drive require any firmware flashing????

Please do not attempt to upload images directly onto the forum, it won't work.

Please copy & paste your Drive Information and LibreDrive information instead (you can remove the serial number line if you wish for extra privacy).

Sorry, here it is:

Drive Information
OS device name: F:
Current profile: BD-ROM
Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST
Product: BD-RE BU40N
Revision: FR07
Serial number: 701HN007165
Firmware date: 2116-12-20 16:51
Bus encryption flags: 1F
Highest AACS version: 76

LibreDrive Information
Status: Enabled
Drive platform: MT1959
Firmware type: Original (unpatched)
Firmware version: 0.FR07J
DVD all regions: Yes
BD raw data read: Yes
BD raw metadata read: Yes
Unrestricted read speed: Yes

Very interesting.

Now, I suspect that what is going on here is that LibreDrive is indeed enabled, but your drive cannot read UHD discs at the moment.

Download the latest version of SDFtool Flasher here, if you haven't already done so :

viewtopic.php?t=22896

Also download MartyMcNuts' All You Need Firmware Pack from that same thread.

Flash DE_LG_BU40N_1.03_MK.bin (the firmware Billycar11 recommends for Windows) from the "Slim External Drives" folder from Marty's Pack. Do so with a regular WRITE, no encryption, no bootloader, no RECOVER. Wait until SDFtool Flasher says "ready" again. Power off the drive (cut off all power to it, such as by unplugging it directly if it's inside an enclosure, otherwise just turn off your computer and unplug the computer's power source if necessary), wait 30 seconds, and power on the drive again. Check with MakeMKV that the flash was successful (read the Drive Information and LibreDrive Information sections again, it shouldn't say FR07 anymore).

Or, if you'd also like DVDFab/Linux compatibility, follow the above steps but with DE_LG_BU40N_1.00.bin instead (Marty's favorite firmware for this kind of drive I believe). Your current firmware is not encrypted, so you should be able to flash DE_LG_BU40N_1.00.bin directly without having to flash DE_LG_BU40N_1.03_MK.bin first, if that's what you want.

Should you be unsure as to which one to choose, DE_LG_BU40N_1.03_MK.bin might be a better firmware for reading some troublesome discs, but DE_LG_BU40N_1.00.bin can potentially allow you to bypass encryption for some (currently unsupported) UHD discs faster if you also have DVDFab and Xreveal (and KEYDB.cfg of course). If at some point you run into a newer and unsupported AACS version, hopefully using DE_LG_BU40N_1.00.bin alongside DVDFab and KEYDB.cfg will also allow you to bypass encryption for regular Blu-rays very quickly.

Nico_coiN wrote: Sat Aug 22, 2026 11:00 pm Sorry, here it is:

Drive Information
OS device name: F:
Current profile: BD-ROM
Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST
Product: BD-RE BU40N
Revision: FR07
Serial number: 701HN007165
Firmware date: 2116-12-20 16:51
Bus encryption flags: 1F
Highest AACS version: 76

LibreDrive Information
Status: Enabled
Drive platform: MT1959
Firmware type: Original (unpatched)
Firmware version: 0.FR07J
DVD all regions: Yes
BD raw data read: Yes
BD raw metadata read: Yes
Unrestricted read speed: Yes

Libredrive enabled does not automatically mean UHD compatibility. I'm not sure (can't remember) if FR07 is UHD compatible. I don't think it is. Just try it when you get a UHD disc. It's easy to flash if needed.

MartyMcNuts wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2026 12:12 am Libredrive enabled does not automatically mean UHD compatibility. I'm not sure (can't remember) if FR07 is UHD compatible. I don't think it is. Just try it when you get a UHD disc. It's easy to flash if needed.

(I do believe it's not, but just in case we're mistaken, you might want to test it with a UHD disc first indeed, Nico_coiN. Should it somehow work fine as it is, you should not flash a drive that doesn't need to be flashed.)

Can you give the details of the drive you bought from AMZN? or a link?

Ok, I'll post here my reports:

This stock drive is unable to read 4K discs. MakeMKV doesn't even display any disc information.
But since I flashed the DE_LG_BU40N_1.03_MK.bin firmware the magic operates!!! Even 'regular' blurays are now playing more smoothly, faster and with less gritty noises when initializing!
So, I want to warmly thank both of you for your informations and recommendations!

My next question is now out of hardware and software drive topic. So, feel free to ignore it if you wish. I'll first set up some context.

This is my first ever 4K experience. I'm actually on a "regular" 1080p non-HDR capable screen. I just purchased the Interstellar "4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray" pack. Both discs are playing flawlessly and beautifully through MakeMKV and Media Player Classic. I expected a visual difference as MPC goes through some kind of "downgraded" hable tone mapping from BT2020/HDR to BT709/SDR color range.
The difference is there, but really, really NOT as much as I expected.

So, my question is: Is there some kind of feature on a 4K Blu-ray disc that automatically sets the player video output to BT709/SDR if no HDR capable display is detected?

I think this question makes sense as I was reported that some discs (I have Top Gun Maverick in mind) once 'ripped' to HDD have 2 video tracks: the first one being the movie expected 4K/HDR track, and the second one being the movie 1080p track, incredibly smaller in terms of data footprint, but almost greyscaled.

Or maybe am I just flawed by the fact that for Interstellar the 2 versions are really different in terms of color grading by the mastering studio? This assumption would also make sense as the image cropping/spanning is obviously different. I may try to post screenshots if you wish.

Nico_coiN wrote: Mon Aug 24, 2026 6:08 pm So, my question is: Is there some kind of feature on a 4K Blu-ray disc that automatically sets the player video output to BT709/SDR if no HDR capable display is detected?

No. A 4K UHD has whatever data is on it. Usually this is HEVC encoded 4K video in the BT.2020 colorspace and one of the various HDR encoding schemes (Dolby Vision, HDR10, or HDR10+). What a player does with that data is entirely up to the player. The disc is a just a data delivery mechanism.

A decent player will be able to tone map from whatever it understands on the disc down to whatever the capabilities of the display are. A not so decent player will not be able to tone map at all or not be able to do it well. In that case, what you see might look weird; dark or color shifted somehow.

joefunk49 wrote: Mon Aug 24, 2026 5:09 pm Can you give the details of the drive you bought from AMZN? or a link?

As I don't know if sharing purchase links publicly is allowed here I'll just send you a PM.

Nico_coiN wrote: Tue Aug 25, 2026 10:26 pm

joefunk49 wrote: Mon Aug 24, 2026 5:09 pm Can you give the details of the drive you bought from AMZN? or a link?

As I don't know if sharing purchase links publicly is allowed here I'll just send you a PM.

its ok to post links publicly long as they are real and not fake drives

Ok, so here is the exact link where I purchased my drive. Please note that while it is described as 4K capable this drive is NOT from stock. You have to flash the firmware I was recommended.
And here is the exact link for the enclosure.

Honestly, this enclosure sounds cheap. Once both assembled there's a very visible ~3mm open gap between the down side of the drive and the enclosure, but I 'plugged' it easily with a proper small handmade black foam layer for aesthetics purpose. It's usb 3.0 and (most important) the integrated cable and interface circuit allowed a very quick and flawless firmware flashing (just a few seconds).