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Hi! I couldn't find a topic specifically about the price of LibreDrive/UHD compatible ODD.

What are the prices these days for such online-bought ODD?

I bought two repackaged slim ODD from a brand named Xrtfore on Amazon Canada and I'm almost done testing the first one which was a BU40N. I bought two and it cost me CA$300 + taxes and shipping.

Try on Aliexpress ...

microfast wrote: Tue May 12, 2026 7:45 pm Try on Aliexpress ...

OK. Thanks. I saw between CA$90 and CA$180 or something... Seems I got a great price, especially since both came with the cabling and one of the BU40N was already compatible.

"Firmware type: Original (unpatched); Firmware version: 0.FR07j"
Firmware Date said "2116-12-20 16:51".

What does "Original (unpatched)" mean? I thought "original" meant that it wouldn't read UHD, yet it does.

Can anyone educate me? 😅

Bowi_QC wrote: Tue May 12, 2026 8:01 pm

microfast wrote: Tue May 12, 2026 7:45 pm Try on Aliexpress ...

OK. Thanks. I saw between CA$90 and CA$180 or something... Seems I got a great price, especially since both came with the cabling and one of the BU40N was already compatible.

"Firmware type: Original (unpatched); Firmware version: 0.FR07j"
Firmware Date said "2116-12-20 16:51".

What does "Original (unpatched)" mean? I thought "original" meant that it wouldn't read UHD, yet it does.

Can anyone educate me?

Some actual UHD drive firmware can read UHD discs as is. The best example of this is BU40N 1.00 and is the firmware version I always install on them. The BU40N FR07 firmware from before 2020 can also read UHD discs.

B&H has a Buffalo BU40N compatible drive for $126.49 USD.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... e_usb.html

They ship free to Canada for all orders over $99 USD. B&H can collect the Canadian taxes for you or you can do it with the carrier yourself.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/HelpC ... jsp#canada

Best Buy seems to have the LG BP50NB40 in stock most of the time for about $115. They were on sale for $93 a few weeks ago. https://www.bestbuy.com/product/lg-8x-e ... JXTZZL27X9

But I think the last reasonable deals (before new drives are gone forever) are going to be on the Buffalo MediaStation BRXL-16U3. These drives seem to be available right now in large quantities, from multiple retailers for under $190. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... u_ray.html

You will have to flash the firmware to get these to rip UHD, but that's quick and easy to do.

I wonder if this is a smart buy, a new in box BDR-XD05R2, it's an auction, not just sure what it's worth, it is a pioneer after all

Are there any manufacturers left? I really wonder how movie collectors and directors like Christopher Nolan will collect and share their passion in a few decades... That's crazy... That would be an entirely different discussion thread, so feel free to start one if you wish to reply to my shower thought. :⁠^⁠)

Bowi_QC wrote: Wed May 13, 2026 3:05 pm Are there any manufacturers left?

Nobody is manufacturing the core drives anymore. There are still a few companies with remaining drives in inventory, that are stuffing them inside USB enclosures, and selling them as external drives at a markup. Since this is the last hurrah, the FOMO has never been more real.

Bowi_QC wrote: Tue May 12, 2026 8:01 pm

microfast wrote: Tue May 12, 2026 7:45 pm Try on Aliexpress ...

OK. Thanks. I saw between CA$90 and CA$180 or something... Seems I got a great price, especially since both came with the cabling and one of the BU40N was already compatible.

"Firmware type: Original (unpatched); Firmware version: 0.FR07j"
Firmware Date said "2116-12-20 16:51".

What does "Original (unpatched)" mean? I thought "original" meant that it wouldn't read UHD, yet it does.

Can anyone educate me?

https://it.aliexpress.com/item/10050075 ... nav-review

Need to flash on it the firmware HL-DT-ST-BD-RE_BU40N-1.03-NM00000-211810241934 for read bd-uhd

babayaga wrote: Wed May 13, 2026 1:20 pm I wonder if this is a smart buy, a new in box BDR-XD05R2, it's an auction, not just sure what it's worth, it is a pioneer after all

I have the first gen BDR-XD05W and it is crossed flashed to DR-XD06U. Works really well. Rips UHD and all other media formats with no issues. You will not be disappointed. But make sure you use both usb cables with UHD. Very power hungry. Since New Pioneer drives are getting hard to find it's really hard to say how much it's worth. It's going to be up to you.

there are still plenty of UHD/BD/DVD players being made, high-end, if you want to actually just own the movie and play it ..

Thanks everyone! Remember to disable smilies whenever your comment (or the quote) contains an **Fancy Icons**. On my end (maybe that's not on yours), such emojis are stretched unless you disable smilies. :P

B&H Photo raised the price by $65 today, but Office Depot still has 99+ in stock at $186.

https://www.officedepot.com/a/products/ ... -BDXL-Blu/