www.makemkv.com

Hello all, new member here.

My system:
Dell Optiplex 3010 with latest BIOS
KUbuntu 24.04 (KDE Desktop version of Ubuntu) with all apt updates/upgrades
MakeMKV v1.18.4 Linux X64
HL (Hitachi/LG) BH40N SATA Desktop drive with A1B1 firmware and mfg date Sep 2018
Drive is at /dev/sr0
Drive is connected to the SATA on the motherboard

I had a HL DVD (only, no Blu-ray) drive in, used MakeMKV to rip many DVDs, worked fine. I swapped the DVD drive for the BH40N so I could rip Blu-ray discs, but MakeMKV can't open any disc, even DVDs, in this HL BH40N drive.

The HL BH40N drive otherwise works fine in the system, Kaffiene (TV and media player) can play DVDs in this HL BH40N drive, Dolphin (file manager) can mount/open DVD and Blu-ray discs in the drive and I can see the folders and files, it's just MakeMKV that can't open discs in this drive. What happens is MakeMKV knows the tray is closed, the drive icon closes the tray and starts spinning, on the drive itself the activity LED blinks slow for a few seconds, then fast for a few seconds, then goes off and stays off (no disc activity) and in MakeMKV the drive icon just keeps spinning. I have to quit, then kill the MakeMKV - otherwise it never progresses to actually opening any disc or even sees when I manually eject the disc, it seems to just hang. For some reason it can't at all open any discs on this HL BH40N drive.

If I plug in a USB DVD or Blu-ray drive, or go back to the previous HL DVD (only) drive, MakeMKV can open discs as expected.

Is there a way to get MakeMKV to communicate normally with this drive?

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I'm no expert on MakeMKV but here's some info:

MakeMKV GUI / Info:

Drive Information
OS device name: /dev/sr0
Manufacturer: HL-DT-ST
Product: BD-RE BH40N
Revision: A1B1
Serial number: M6AI9RH1219
Firmware date: 2117-12-01 17:04
Bus encryption flags: 1F
Highest AACS version: 63

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

No disc inserted


...and from makemkvcon f -d /dev/sr0 --info

SDF.bin version: 0x00A6

Drive Tool SDF present

Drive Specific SDF not present

Identification SDF present

[Identification SDF] Embedded Info Strings:
8000:LibreDrive Information

8013:Status
8102:Possible, not yet enabled

8001:Drive platform
:MT1959


[Identification SDF] Drive autodetect string:
mtk:19:59:JB8 :HL-DT-ST:BD-RE BH40N A1B1:D000000:-

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I tried to find more info on using the MakeMKV command line utils but found that most discussions assumed knowledge I do not yet possess, e.g. I tried to make a backup of the HL BH40N firmware with the command makemkvcon f -d /dev/sr0 dump auto but that didn't work (nothing happened) (to be honest I'm not sure what should have happened, I expected a file to be created in the current dir but that didn't happen) and I had to Ctrl-C to get my command line prompt back.

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Ideas? Specific commands someone would like the output from?

The issue here is that MakeMKV is attempting to do a firmware dump for your drive (since your drive isn't LibreDrive-enabled yet) and failing, since you're using a makemkv-bin version above 1.17.7.

You can downgrade to 1.17.6-bin here : viewtopic.php?t=42158

Then just open a disc with MakeMKV and wait for the firmware dump to be automatically created, and switch back to 1.18.4-bin after that if you wish. This should solve the problem.

This drive can *probably* also be cross-flashed to WH16NS60 1.02-MK firmware (at least two people have confirmed this before, I believe the original idea came from Marty himself) if you're willing to risk it, which would also likely solve your issue as well as enable UHD ripping. You would need to do a regular rawflash main for this one. Be sure to use makemkv-bin-1.17.6 to flash if you choose to risk it, and let me know if you need further assistance.

Copied and modified my flashing guide, specifically for your BH40N. I'm fairly sure it would work, but just in case, please do not go past the "downgrade to makemkv-bin-1.17.6" part if you mind the risk of your drive potentially getting bricked (i.e, you can follow the firmware dump instructions I mentioned previously, just do not proceed with the actual flashing operation if you mind the risk).

LINUX GUIDE FOR BH40N WITH 2017 FIRMWARE DATE

Step 1 : Downgrade to makemkv-bin-1.17.6

Since, on Linux, makemkv-bin versions above 1.17.7 have a broken universal firmware tool, we are going to downgrade to 1.17.6-bin (which should be almost the same as 1.17.7-bin). Ignore this step you've already done so.

Check out this topic : viewtopic.php?t=42158

The versions you want are 1.18.4-oss and 1.17.6-bin.

Please check out this topic for instructions for the oss part : viewtopic.php?t=224

Ignore the libavcodec part, it's outdated.

Then, after unzipping makemkv-bin-1.17.6, enter the newly created folder, open a terminal window inside it, and type
then

Step 2 : Additional Linux step just in case

Open a new terminal window and type
To avoid possible issues


Step 3 : Identify the correct drive

Now open a new terminal window and type
Identify the drive you want to flash, there should be something called /dev/sr0 or something like that. Make a note of this.


Step 4 : Prepare the needed firmware files

Check out this topic : viewtopic.php?t=22896

And click on the mediafire link below "All You Need firmware pack"

Once you're done downloading, extract it.

Copy DE_LG_WH16NS60_1.02_MK.bin and DE_LG_WH16NS60_1.00.bin (from "All You Need Firmware Pack (MartyMcNuts)/Internal Desktop Drives/") and paste them into the /tmp folder.


EDIT : Make sure there is no disc in the drive during Step 5 and the optional Step 8.

Step 5 : Perform the flashing operation

Copy and paste this line into a terminal window, replacing /dev/sr0 with the correct device path (if needed) that you made a note of when you did Step 3.

Step 6 : Unplug the drive and leave it unplugged for 30 seconds, then plug it back in.


Step 7 : Test the drive, and make sure it's working as intended.


Step 8 : If you're having trouble on Linux despite thoroughly cleaning your Blu-ray discs, try this, replacing /dev/sr0 with the correct device path (if needed) that you made a note of when you did Step 3 :
Only do Step 8 after Steps 5, 6, and 7, and only if you plan on mostly using your drive with Linux and are having trouble with the firmware you flashed at Step 5. Then do Steps 6 and 7 again.


Step 9 : Once everything is working fine, please feel free to upgrade back to 1.18.4-bin.

Sayaka wrote: Tue Aug 18, 2026 3:03 pm The issue here is that MakeMKV is attempting to do a firmware dump for your drive (since your drive isn't LibreDrive-enabled yet) and failing, since you're using a makemkv-bin version above 1.17.7.

You can downgrade to 1.17.6-bin here : viewtopic.php?t=42158

Then just open a disc with MakeMKV and wait for the firmware dump to be automatically created, and switch back to 1.18.4-bin after that if you wish. This should solve the problem.

This drive can *probably* also be cross-flashed to WH16NS60 1.02-MK firmware (at least two people have confirmed this before, I believe the original idea came from Marty himself) if you're willing to risk it, which would also likely solve your issue as well as enable UHD ripping. You would need to do a regular rawflash main for this one. Be sure to use makemkv-bin-1.17.6 to flash if you choose to risk it, and let me know if you need further assistance.

Many thanks for your time and effort on this issue! I am willing to risk the flash process to enable LibreDrive and what a bonus it would be to be able to rip UHD. But first I will start by downgrading to 1.17.6 and verify that I can open a disc.

I have seen in some threads where folks were searching for the firmware I have in this drive - A1B1. Before I try any flashing is there a way I can download the firmware from this drive in a form that others can use to flash their drive?

This evening I will downgrade MakeMKV to 1.17.6, and try to open a disc, and post results.

EDIT: I just downgraded to 1.17.6, the FW Dump was successful, and I was indeed able to open (and rip) a standard Blu-ray disk. MakeMKV now shows The Highest AACS version: 70 (was previously 63). I have also verified I can now open and rip discs using MakeMKV 1.18.4

The file ~/.MakeMkV/_private_data.tar has grown from 18kb to 3mb and has the addition of many files, including sdf_000000a6.bin at 2mb. Would this sdf file be the actual A1B1 firmware that others could use to flash their BH40N to A1B1? There appears to be the desire of others with this drive to downgrade from firmware A1B2 to A1B1.

Before I try any flashing is there a way I can download the firmware from this drive in a form that others can use to flash their drive?

You could try, with makemkv-bin-1.17.6 (replacing /dev/sr0 with the correct device path if needed) :
This should give you the full firmware dump since your firmware is not encrypted. Please do ask a firmware expert such as MartyMcNuts or Billycar11 if it's okay to flash it back directly should you ever need it, I have never done such a thing and I don't know about the potential risks.

(Please also do note that I have the official LG A1B2 flasher for your drive, in case you care.)

Would this sdf file be the actual A1B1 firmware that others could use to flash their BH40N to A1B1?

I really don't know (although I would say "most likely not") but if you do a successful "dump full" like stated above, it shouldn't matter. If you are really curious, you could do a diff on sdf_000000a6.bin and the dump file you will create and check.