For enthusiasts of physical media and home theater PC (HTPC) builders, few drives have achieved the cult status of the LG WH16NS60 and its OEM clone, the ASUS BW-16D1HT .
However, ASUS has spent years trying to close the loophole. If you own one of these drives, understanding its firmware version is the difference between a functional ripping machine and a paperweight. Officially, 4K UHD Blu-ray drives must use a software handshake (AACS 2.0) to decrypt discs. However, a handful of "UHD Friendly" drives—including the early BW-16D1HT—could read raw sector data from UHD discs without this handshake, allowing tools like MakeMKV to do the decryption. bw-16d1ht firmware
For new users: Stop hunting for old stock. Instead, buy a or a pre-flashed LG BP60NB10 (external). The Pioneer drives currently offer better support for modern UHD discs without the cat-and-mouse firmware war. Disclaimer: Flashing drive firmware with unofficial builds voids your warranty and carries a small risk of bricking the device. This article is for educational purposes. Always verify that you own a legal copy of any disc you wish to back up. For enthusiasts of physical media and home theater