Differences and Similarities Between Blu-ray and DVD
DVD and Blu-ray are popular media storage mediums. Ten years ago, you bought or borrowed DVDs from stores. Today, you can enjoy Blu-ray and UHD Blu-ray while standard DVDs are becoming outdated. What makes this great change? You should know Blu-ray vs DVD first, then you can understand why Blu-ray has taken the place of DVD and understand if Blu-ray is better than DVD.
Part 1: Definitions and Similarities of Blu-ray and DVD
When it comes to the similarities of Blu-ray and DVD, they are both optical media storages. And they both have the capacity to store high-resolution media files.
Part 2: Blu-ray vs DVD - Their Differences
The differences in storage medium lead to a tenfold increase in the storage capacity of Blu-ray discs compared to DVDs. A single-layer Blu-ray disc could store 25GB of data while the storage capacity of a single-layer DVD is 4.7GB. So, is Blu-ray better than DVD? It is when it comes to the storage capacity.
If you have viewed Blu-ray movies, you would understand the advantage of Blu-ray discs in terms of resolution. Since Blu-ray discs can store much more data, it can hold much higher quality of video and audio. Blu-ray resolution is 1080p (1920×1080). On the other hand, it is impossible to contain HD movies on a standard DVD. The resolution of the DVD is only up to 720×576.
Moreover, 3D movies are only distributed on Blu-ray movies. We summarize all the differences between Blu-ray discs vs. DVDs in the table below.
Format | Blu-Ray | DVD | HD DVD |
---|---|---|---|
Storage Capacity | Normal 25GB/Dual layer 50GB | 4.7GB D5/ 8.7GB D9 | 15GB/ 30GB |
Laser Wavelength | 405 nm (blue violet laser) | 650nm (red laser) | 405 nm(blue violet laser) |
Mandatory Video Codecs | H.264/MPEG-4 AVC/VC-1/MPEG-2 | MPEG-1/MPEG-2 | H.264/MPEG-4 AVC/VC-1/MPEG-2 |
Video Resolution (Maximum) | 1920 × 1080P | 720 × 480 NTSC/ 720 × 576 PAL | 1920 × 1080P |
Frame Rates | 24/30p, 50/60i | 24/25/30p, 50/60i | 24/25/30p, 50/60i |
Maximum Bitrate(Video) | 40 Mbit/s | 9.8 Mbit/s | |
Maximum Bitrate (Audio+Video) | 48 Mbit/s | 10.08 Mbit/s | |
Usage | Data storage, High-definition video (1080p) High-definition audio, Stereoscopic 3D, PlayStation 3 games, PlayStation 4 games, Xbox One games | Animations, movies, and videos | |
Content Protection System | AACS-128bit / BD+ | CSS 40-bit | |
HDMI Video Output | Native | Upscaling | |
HDMI Audio Output | Supports up to 8 channels | Supports up to 6 channels | |
Region Codes | Three regions | Eight regions | None |
Part 3: How to Play Blu-ray and DVD
You should have learned the detailed information about Blu-ray vs DVD above. As the successor of DVD, Blu-ray movies have some excellent viewing experience. But how can you watch Blu-ray movies on a computer with original video quality?
If you are looking for Blu-ray player software, why not try Tipard Blu-ray Player? This program provides the best audio and video quality for your PC and Mac. If you want to playback 4K UHD movies and 1080p HD videos smoothly, Blu-ray Player is also one of the best choices.
- 1. One-click to load Blu-ray discs/ISO files and play the video.
- 2. Play both Blu-ray discs and many other 4K digital videos.
- 3. Easily select audio tracks and subtitles while you play the video.
- 4. Add video and audio effects to both Blu-ray and 4K videos.
Part 4: What If You Need to Rip Blu-ray/DVD
What should you do if you want to copy the video from a Blu-ray/DVD? Also, you may want to upscale a DVD video to a Blu-ray video after you learn about Blu-ray vs DVD.
You should know that the format of those types of videos is not compatible with many other player devices or software. Therefore, you should extract the videos first, and then convert them to other popular video formats. you can try Tipard Blu-ray Converter to rip Blu-ray/DVD and convert the videos to desired 4K, 1080P HD videos. And then you can enjoy the videos on iPhone, Samsung, BD players, and other occasions.
- 1. Easily load Blu-ray/DVD discs to rip the videos inside.
- 2. Convert the Blu-ray/DVD to other videos with high quality.
- 3. Offer detailed video adjustment features after you rip Blu-ray.
- 4. Convert both Blu-ray discs and 4K digital streaming videos.
Step 1Download Tipard Blu-ray Converter and launch it. Click the Load Blu-ray button to load the Blu-ray disc. If you want to rip a DVD, you can click the Load DVD button.
Step 2When you've loaded the Blu-ray disc, you can choose a desired video format in the Video panel. Then, you only need to click the Rip All button to convert the Blu-ray video to another video format. You won't meet Blu-ray format not supported if you convert it to a popular format.
Part 5: FAQs of Blu-ray vs DVD
Can a Blu-ray player play a DVD disc?
Yes, it is. When you compare Blu-ray with DVD, a particular fact is that a Blu-ray player is compatible with DVD. However, a DVD player can't play a Blu-ray disc. If you want to watch Blu-ray and DVD on your TV, you can purchase one TV with a Blu-ray player.
Can I convert the DVD to Blu-ray?
It depends. You can transfer a video from a DVD to a Blu-ray disc. However, if you want to upscale a DVD video with true Blu-ray video quality, it's difficult to do that.
Can I put a Blu-ray video into a DVD?
No, you can't. The greatest difference between Blu-ray and DVD is the size. A Blu-ray movie has dozens of gigabytes, while a DVD has only several gigabytes. Therefore, you can't put a Blu-ray video into a DVD. If you want to enjoy Blu-ray discs, DVDs, and VHS tapes, you can rely on a VHS DVD Blu-ray player.
Conclusion
In this article, we introduced the basic knowledge related to Blu-ray discs and DVDs. As storage mediums, both of the two use optical media to store data, such as videos, audio, and other files. But a Blu-ray disc has a much larger storage capacity than a DVD. That leads to more differences between Blu-ray and DVD. If you want to rip a Blu-ray disc to copy its content, you can use Tipard Blu-ray Converter. When you want to play Blu-ray discs with the highest quality, Tipard Blu-ray Player should be the best choice.