Although DVD and Blu-ray Discs are very popular these days, UHD discs (Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs) are fast becoming the standard of physical media, as they are able to store ultra-high-definition (UHD or 4K) content, as well as advanced surround sound (such as Dolby Atmos) which is more appealing. Because the traditional Blu-ray Discs are different from UHD Blu-ray Discs in the way they are executed (even though the discs are technically similar as both use 405nm blue lasers for reading and witting data), the latter requires UHD Blu-ray optical drives. It is also important to know that there are some premises of UHD Blu-ray optical drives, which is why there are software tools like DVDFab UHD Drive Tool and Leawo UHD Drive Tool for downgrade firmware. These two software tools are arguably the best for downgrading UHD Blu-ray optical drive firmware, and therefore we will compare both of them so that you can choose the best.

Part 1: What is the Purpose of UHD Drive Tool?

Before we compare DVDFab UHD Drive Tool and Leawo UHD Drive Tool, it is important to understand why these software tools exist in the first place. More specifically, it is important to understand the purpose of a UHD Drive Tool. Quite simply, there are premises of UHD Blu-ray drives which you need to understand.

The premises of ripping, copying or backing up UHD Blu-ray drives

If you need to rip, copy or backup your UHD Blu-ray Discs, there are premises. First, you need to make sure that your Blu-ray Disc drive is UHD compatible. The easiest way to check this is to look at the disc drive itself. It may be labeled ‘Ultra HD Blu-ray’ or something similar. You can also check Device Manager on Windows, which should provide you with detailed information.

Second, you need to ensure that your UHD Blu-ray drive is ‘friendly’. The ‘friendly’ drives can read regular BDXL media without implementing AACS2 protection, while the ‘unfriendly’ drives implement the AACS2 protection (basically preventing you to do any sort of copying). Because of these premises, UHD drive tools exist, as a way to make 4K UHD Blu-ray optical drive ‘friendly’ through firmware flashing or downgrading. If you are wondering about safety, rest assured that it is totally safe to use these softwares for downgrade firmware.

uhd-disc

Part 2: Comparison between Leawo UHD Drive Tool and DVDFab UHD Drive Tool

Before we compare Leawo UHD Drive Tool and DVDFab UHD Drive Tool, here are brief introductions and software reviews of both tools;

1. What is Leawo UHD Drive Tool?

Leawo UHD Drive Tool is software designed to help people to downgrade 4K UHD Blu-ray optical drive firmwares that are unfriendly (those which implement AACS2 protection), which should allow them to rip, play, convert or copy UHD Blu-ray Discs on their computers without limitations. At the time of writing, Leawo UHD Drive Tool is compatible with almost all internal 4K Blu-ray optical drives that employ the SATA interface, as well as other external ones (about twenty-six devices are currently supported).

The workflow of this software is quite simple; it detects the original 4K Blu-ray optical drive firmware, and then it lists all available firmwares for the particular optical drive that users can choose from for the downgrade. Currently, Leawo UHD Drive Tool works with Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10, and it also requires at least 2GB of RAM, and 10GB free hard drive space.

2. What is DVDFab UHD Drive Tool?

DVDFab UHD Drive Tool is a software designed to downgrade the UHD unfriendly firmware on 4K UHD optical drives. It supports both internal and external 4K Blu-ray optical drives. As we explained before on the preceding segment of this guide, some 4K Blu-ray optical drives are unfriendly for reading disc data (they implement AACS2 protection), let alone ripping it to your hard drive or copying it to another writable disc. As such, tool is specifically designed to downgrade the firmware on such drives, so that you can rip, copy or even play discs without any limitations.

At the time of writing, DVDFab UHD Drive Tool currently supports twenty-one 4K Blu-ray optical drives, which you can see on the comparison table below. DVDFab UHD Drive Tool is designed for Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10, and it requires 2GB of RAM, 10GB hard drive space and an Internet connection.

Supported 4K Blu-ray optical drives

Leawo UHD Drive Tool DVDFab UHD Drive Tool
ASUS BC 12D2HT LG UH12NS40
ASUS BW 16D1HT LG BP55EB40
LG BH16NS40 LG WH14NS40
LG BH16NS55 LG WH16NS40
LG WH16NS58 LG BH16NS40
LG WH16NS60 (Official) LG BH16NS55
LG BU40N (HP HLDS BDRE BU40N, Official) LG BH14NS58
LG BU50N (Official) LG BH16NS58
ASUS BC 12B1ST b LG WH16NS58
ASUS BW 16D1H U LG BE16NU50
LG BE16NU50 LG BU40N
LG BH14NS50 LG BU50N
LG BH14NS58 LG WH16NS60
LG BH16NS50 ASUS BC-12B1ST b
LG BH16NS58 ASUS BC-12D2HT
LG BH16NS60 ASUS BW-16D1HT
LG BP50NB40 (Official) ASUS BW-16D1H-U
LG BP55EB40 Archgon MD-8107S-U3-UHD BU40N
LG BP60NB10 (Official) Buffalo BU40N
LG CH12NS40 HP HLDS BU40N
LG UH12NS40 HP HLDS BU50N
LG WH14NS40
LG WH16NS40
LG WP50NB40
Buffalo BRUHD-PU3-BK (Official)
Archgon MD 8107S U3 UHD BU40N (Official)

Pricing

Currently, Leawo UHD Drive Tool’s 1-year license is valued at $99.99, but you can get it now for $59.97 through Leawo’s promotions which are always running monthly. The lifetime license is valued at $109.95, but you can get it for $65.97 through Leawo’s monthly promotions. In comparison, the DVDFab UHD Drive Tool 1-year license costs $99.99, and its lifetime license costs $113.99.

Flexibility

As a single handy gadget, Leawo UHD Drive Tool is more flexible than DVDFab UHD Drive Tool. It presents an intuitive interface which will clearly guide you through the process of downgrading your 4K UHD drive firmware. In fact, you can even do everything in just one single click if you are an advanced user. Leawo UHD Drive Tool also works hand in hand with other Blu-ray software such as Leawo Blu-ray Ripper, Leawo Blu-ray Copy, and Leawo Free Blu-ray Player, which are used by millions, and popularly known for their smoothness and reliability.

Part 3: How to Downgrade Firmware on UHD Drive with Leawo UHD Drive Tool

In comparison to DVDFab UHD Drive Tool, Leawo UHD Drive Tool presents better features and advantages, while having an even lower price. Thanks to Leawo UHD Drive Tool and its ease of use, making your 4K Blu-ray optical drive ‘friendly’ through firmware downgrading can be done effortlessly. You can downgrade your UHD optical drive easily in a few steps by using this software, and before we show you the steps, here is a summary of the Leawo UHD Drive Tool’s features:

  • Leawo UHD Drive Tool
  • Leawo UHD Drive Tool

    It supports a wide range of 4K UHD drives.
    It enables you to downgrade UHD-unfriendly Firmware on Blu-ray drive to a compatible version for 4K UHD Blu-ray ripping, copying or playing via certain programs.
    It has an intuitive interface
    It can provide you with detailed information about your UHD Bu-ray drive, as well as a helpful log when you use the software.
    It supports Windows 7/8/10 and macOS 10.13/10.14/10.15/11.

If you need to learn more about this software, kindly visit the product page to learn more. To downgrade or flash firmware of your 4K UHD optical drive by using this software, follow the steps below:

  • select-the-uhd-drive-from-the-available-list

    Step 1: Select the UHD drive from the available list. Ensure that the UHD drive is connected to your computer, then start Leawo UHD Drive Tool. Select the optical drive by clicking the downward triangle icon.

  • select-the-desired-firmware-from-the-list

    Pick out a target firmware. Choose a firmware version from the drop-down box by clicking the Downgrade Firmware button.

  • downgrading-the-firmware

    Step 3: Downgrade the firmware. When you click continue, the firmware should begin downgrading.

Note: When the downgrading process is finished, restart your computer to make sure that your UHD drive runs smoothly and flawlessly.

DVDFab UHD Drive Tool and Leawo UHD Drive Tool are both top tools for downgrading your 4K Blu-ray optical drive, and the best to use among them is easily Leawo UHD Drive Tool. Most importantly, Leawo UHD Drive Tool spots a lower price while supporting more UHD optical drives in comparison to DVDFab UHD Drive Tool. Moreover, Leawo UHD Drive Tool is arguably the easiest and more flexible to use among them, and therefore we recommend you to try it today.