BU40N Ultra Slim 9.5mm UHD 4K Blu-ray SATA 3.0 GB/s Optical Drive for PC

Got this for my monster ThinkPad T440P specifically so I could watch BluRays on-the-go. Sounds like a weird, not-often scenario, but having the additional ability to use BluRay disks on something other than my desktop or PS4 is great. The drive is libredrive compatible, so it can be flashed to unlock the R/W speeds and other features for use with MakeMKV. I was able to confirm the drive works under Windows 10, Linux Mint and MacOS Ventura. VLC is able to open and play BluRays as well with the right settings!I will say the ONLY thing that I dislike about the drive is that it feels a bit flimsy compared to the stock CD/DVD drive from the T440P. Not a huge deal, just something you notice when opening and closing the tray.

I ordered this because new pc's do not come with blue ray drives and external drives have impossible software systems. Since this is SATA and it fits nice it works with the largest pain in the ass ever, Windows 11. Installed ina Dell 3020.

If you've been trying to back up your UHD/4K discs, you have probably already found out that the BR drives you have previously used to back up your HD BluRay discs fail at least half the time. When I first got into UHD/4K, I tried using my trusty LG Electronics WH16NS40 drives to rip them. I'd ripped literally hundreds of BluRay discs with them without issue. Apparently, UHD discs are a whole different beast.I thought my old drives were failing. Reasonable assumption as I'd literally ripped hundreds of discs. So I bought a new pair of LG Electronics WH16NS40 drives and flashed them appropriately. Check out the makemkv forums, if you haven't already.Nope, same issue. I'd read that the BU40N is the gold standard for ripping discs. At twice the price of a normal BR drive, plus the cost of the drive bay adapter to house the drive in a standard PC case, it's quite an investment. By the way, you want the Icy Dock adapter, here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0756MZTPG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1After flashing the firmware appropriately, I can rip 4K discs with about a 95% success rate. Out of about 20 discs I've ripped so far I've only had one failure, which may or may not be due to the disc itself being damaged.So far I'm very happy with this purchase. Working great. Buy once, cry once.

Every picture of the ODD on the product page shows a firmware version of 1.01, so when the package arrived, I was frustrated because the firmware version noted on the ODD was 1.02. There were also no screws or power adapter. Box was empty other than the ODD and an advertisement.This is why I'm giving this 4 stars and not 5, even though I was able to replace the firmware and was able to get a power adapter ordered and here the next day.If you are considering buying this ODD, you probably know why I want to replace the firmware. Just in case you don't, 1.02 is an encrypted firmware and disallows reading/ripping of UHD discs. What the flip!Anyway, to verify 1.02 wouldn't work, I popped in Skyfall 4k and all it did was throw read errors.Caveat emptor! This worked for me, but it may not for you! Anytime you apply firmware updates to a device there is risk. Proceed with that knowledge!Following these steps on the MakeMKV forum got me up and going:1. Install MakeMKV to get the command line tool.2. Download the zip file containing all of the firmware versions available and unzip it somewhere.3. Run the SDFtool Flasher4. Select this ODD from the list5. FIRST UPGRADE FIRMWARE TO 1.03!!6. Browse to the "DE_LG_BU40N_1.03_MK.bin" firmware file.7. Click Start and wait for it to finish8. THEN DOWNGRADE FIRMWARE TO 1.00!! MakeMKV may not need it at 1.00, but the tools I use identify 1.03 as 'non-functional'.9. Browse to the "DE_LG_BU40N_1.00.bin" firmware file.10. Click Start and wait for it to finish11. EnjoyI bought this to use side-by-side with an existing ASUS BW-16D1HT ODD that rips 99% of the UHDs I have, but fails to even recognize several - mostly triple layer 100Gb discs.