Is my drive UHD-friendly?
A UHD-friendly drive is one that ripping software, such as MakeMKV, can use to read 4K UHD Blu-ray discs once it’s on the right firmware. A few drives work out of the box. Most need a firmware change first, and some can’t be changed at all.
It depends on the exact drive, not the brand
Whether a drive can read UHD discs this way depends on its exact model and the firmware installed on it. Two drives sold under the same name can need different firmware. A drive in an external case depends on the drive inside, not the name on the box: see which drive is inside your enclosure.
Signs yours isn’t ready yet
Ripping software can’t open your UHD discs. MakeMKV reads them through a mode called LibreDrive: its drive information may show LibreDrive as possible but not yet enabled, or opening a UHD disc may say a LibreDrive compatible drive is required.
How to check yours
Download trev.bot flash, connect the drive and run the check. It reads the model and installed firmware without changing anything and tells you whether a flash is available. If it is, the app does the rest: it picks the firmware, downloads it and walks you through the flash.