Can DVD players play Blu-ray discs

The answer is yes.

Какие форматы дисков можно воспроизводить на проигрывателе Blu-ray?

Будьте уверены: все проигрыватели дисков Blu-ray могут воспроизводить DVD . Blu-ray долгое время пользовался популярностью благодаря своей обратной совместимости, позволяющей пользователям воспроизводить CD , диски для хранения и, в некоторых случаях, диски 3D Blu-ray . Все проигрыватели Blu-ray также могут повысить разрешение DVD до HD-качества, а некоторые с поддержкой сети, то есть вы можете использовать их для доступа к службам потокового мультимедиа.

Повышение качества контента на проигрывателе Blu-ray

Стандартное разрешение DVD составляет 480p, что намного меньше, чем разрешение 1080p, поддерживаемое проигрывателями HD и UHD (4K) Blu-ray. Большинство проигрывателей Blu-ray могут преобразовать собственный DVD-сигнал в сигнал, соответствующий стандартам телевизора и его подключений. Это означает, что при правильном оборудовании DVD можно увеличить с 480p до 720p, 1080i, 1080p и, на некоторых проигрывателях, до 4K. Конечно, для просмотра этих стандартов вам понадобится телевизор HD или 4K Ultra HD . И даже в этом случае преобразование не всегда гладкое , особенно при масштабировании до UHD.

Виды дисков, которые вы можете воспроизводить в проигрывателе Blu-ray.

Все проигрыватели дисков Blu-ray также могут воспроизводить компакт-диски. Некоторые плееры могут также воспроизводить HDCD, SACD и DVD-Audio , а также записываемые диски, такие как CD-R / RW. Некоторые плееры позволяют копировать компакт-диски на USB-накопитель.

Can DVD players play Blu-ray discs?

They were once the media playback device of choice, but can DVD players play Blu-ray discs? At the turn of the millennium, DVDs were introduced with improved image quality and the ability to bundle extra content. Almost overnight, older VHS players were replaced with DVD players, heralding a new era of home entertainment.

However, with the arrival of Blu-ray players and the advent of ever more higher resolution displays native to the best TV sets, even the best DVD players struggled to match the astonishing visual and audio fidelity experienced with the best Blu-ray players.

However, DVD players aren’t quite obsolete. Many offer a more affordable alternative to expensive Blu-ray players, with DVDs now being sold extremely cheaply. If you’d like to know whether you can play a Blu-ray disc on your DVD player, let’s delve into the what obstacles you might face and explore the solutions that are available.

Can DVD players play Blu-ray discs?

While most Blu-ray players are capable of playing DVDs, sadly the same can’t be said for DVD players and Blu-ray discs. Blu-ray discs are designed to hold far more data than a DVD player is capable of reading, which accounts for the significantly higher video and audio quality found in Blu-rays over DVDs.

This is due to the way the machines read data from a disc using lasers. Blu-ray players read Blu-ray discs using a blue laser, unlike DVD players, which read embedded data with a red laser. Data is embedded on a disc in microscopic ‘pits’ where the data can be ‘read’ by the fine point of the laser. Blue lasers emit a light beam of a shorter wavelength than red lasers, which can better read the much smaller pits embedded in Blu-ray discs.

DVD discs have larger pits that are designed to be read by a DVD player’s red laser component only, which simply isn’t up to the job of reading the vastly more expansive amounts of data compressed onto Blu-ray discs.

Fortunately, most Blu-ray players are built with both a red laser and a blue laser, which enables them to read Blu-rays, DVDs and CDs. But where does that leave DVD player owners who want watch Blu-ray movies and video on their older machine?

(Image credit: Getty)

How to watch Blu-ray discs on DVD players

Fortunately, the solution to the question ‘Can DVD players play Blu-ray discs’ can be found in various third-party software called Blu-ray rippers or DVD rippers, such as those in our guide to the best DVD ripper software. These applications usually require a computer or laptop with a compatible disc drive that can read Blu-ray discs. We recommend a program called MakMKV, which we explore in our MakeMKV review.

This type of software, known as a transcoder, can convert most video formats into MKV files. These require another piece of software such as Handbrake which compresses the file; especially useful for squeezing the immense amount of data contained on Blu-ray discs into a smaller file able to be stored on a DVD, which can then be read by a DVD player.

Alternatively, if your DVD player has a USB port, once you’ve ripped or saved a copy of a Blu-ray to your computer you can then save that file onto an external USB hard drive, or USB stick, which can be attached to a DVD player in order to stream the content. Not all DVD players will have a USB slot, but they are more common on more modern machines and bring a great deal more versatility to an aging technology that still holds a special place in many peoples’ homes.

However, be advised that you are unlikely to experience the better visual and audio clarity found on Blu-rays when you play a compressed file on a DVD player. But the effort can still be worth it if you find yourself with some Blu-ray discs and only a DVD player to watch them on.

If you’re comfortable getting more hands-on with video files, it’s also worth checking out the best video converter software to optimize the compression. And if you plan to split files into several different movies, the best video editing software will give you the edge you need.

Practical Tips of Blu-ray Players Playing DVDs without Region Limit

If you want to purchase a DVD player or a Blu-ray player device, can you play a DVD on Blu-ray Player?

The answer is yes.

A Blu-ray playing firmware is able to play regular DVDs. However, a DVD player device cannot handle Blu-ray discs. So if you have to plan to purchase a disc player, you’d better choose an appropriate Blu-ray player device according to your budget.

If you want to learn more things about Blu-ray players play DVDs, you can spend a few seconds to read the introductions below.

Play DVDs on Blu-ray Players

• Part 1. Does Blu-ray player play DVDs?
• Part 2. How a Blu-ray player play DVDs?
• Part 3. Play DVDs on Blu-ray player without region limit by settings
• Part 4. Get region free Blu-ray players
• Part 5. Play any protected DVDs on Blu-ray player (software)
• Part 6. FAQs of Blu-ray Players Playing DVDs

Part 1. Does Blu-ray player play DVDs?

Blu-ray Players absolutely play Blu-ray discs and someone could play 4k Blu-rays, but those are not the only formats of discs they support.

Almost all Blu-ray player hardware has the ability to playback standard DVDs. That means you can enjoy current DVD library with your Blu-ray disc player. What is more, a Blu-ray player not only plays DVD in HD, but also up-scales the DVD playback signal to 720p, 1080p or even 4K. So you can enjoy the ordinary movies on an HDTV similar to the HD movie.

If you want to grasp Blu-ray player to play DVDs, you can browse the complete list in user manual.

Part 2. How a Blu-ray player plays DVDs

Before you use a Blu-ray player for DVD discs, we should know the methods to store data are different between DVDs and Blu-ray discs. Blu-ray discs use shorter wavelength blue laser; while DVD uses longer wavelength red laser. A Blu-ray player could load both Blu-ray discs and DVDs , because the BD player usually holds two laser assemblies.

When you insert a standard DVD into a Blu-ray disc player, Blu-ray Player will detect the format of the disc and adjust to the appropriate assembly to play it back automatically. If your media player cannot read the disc, it will eject the disc or show you an error message on the screen connected to the player firmware.

On the contrary, a DVD player cannot read Blu-ray discs. That is because a Blu-ray disc integrates more video and audio information than a DVD player is designed to load. Moreover, the media player need dedicated assembly to read the information stored with shorter wavelength blue laser. But conventional DVD player does not have such assembly to focus on the smaller pits of a Blu-ray disc.

Part 3. Play DVDs on Blu-ray player without region limit by settings

Here comes another question, will Blu-ray players play DVD from all regions?

Just as you know, both DVDs and Blu-ray discs are constrained by region code. If the region code of DVDs does not match the region code of your media player, you cannot play DVDs smoothly. The only thing you can get is a message saying region not allowed but not excellent viewing experience. The region code of DVDs is similar to the region code of Blu-rays. And there are two solutions to fix this problem. The first one is to make your Blu-ray player region free.

Step 1. Check the region code of DVD, which is usually on the cover of the DVD box.

Step 2. Power your Blu-ray player on without disc inside.

Step 3. Go to SETUP and locate to Preferences.

Step 4. Hit NEXT CHAPTER > PREVIOUS CHAPTER >NEXT CHAPTER > PREVIOUS CHAPTER successively.

Step 5. When the OSD shows the current Region Code of your Blu-ray player, you can set the region code according to the region code of the DVD to play. Or you can set 0 to make the Blu-ray player for region free.

Step 6. Hit OK to confirm the changes.
Then you can use the BD player to play DVDs with any region code at the moment.

Part 4. Get region free Blu-ray players

Another solution to play DVDs on Blu-ray players is to buy some region free Blu-ray players. Although region code is helpful to protect digital rights, it is not convenient for many Blu-ray fans. Some vendors have realized such demands and released several region free Blu-ray players. With these Blu-ray players, you can play DVDs from any region. Sony UBP-X800 4k UHD is the latest version of Sony Blu-ray player line, and supports to play DVDs with any region code.

1. The Blu-ray Player works with DVDs, DVD audio and super audio CDs.

2. Supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X object-based surround.

3. Compatible with 4K HDR and play almost any disc or file format.

Besides playing firmware above, there are several region free Blu-ray players on the market. You can make a decision depending on your requirement and budget.

Part 5. Play any protected DVDs on Blu-ray player (software)

As mentioned above, though Blu-ray player can play DVDs, it has the limit of region. For playing DVDs on Blu-ray player without limitation, you just need to adjust settings to change the region frequently.

Feel troublesome and wonder if you can play DVDs with Blu-ray player with breaking the region limit?

AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player is the software you will need exactly.

It has the capacity of playing any region DVDs and Blu-ray discs on your computer. Moreover, it supports 3D DVD/Blu-ray disc playback and 4K UHD high quality Blu-ray and DVD enjoyment.