While the battle for the best home media format continues, Blu-ray seems to have the upper hand when it comes to tangible options. Although it itself faces stiff competition from major streaming services and the like, and declining sales have even led some retailers to begin phasing out the format, fans of physical media are unlikely to give up on Blu-ray anytime soon. Have you ever wondered why Blu-ray Disc players can read DVDs, but DVD players cannot read Blu-ray Discs?
Why can’t DVD players read Blu-ray discs?
People who are still addicted to DVDs are now in an even more difficult position. With physical media already having a very rough time, and advances in Blu-ray technology like 4K Ultra HD, regular DVDs will soon become obsolete. Likewise, if you use a DVD player, it won’t provide you with any benefits because they can’t handle the now mainstream Blu-ray discs, but why is that? DVDs and Blu-rays look the same, and their players seem to work similarly, so why can’t DVD players read Blu-rays? As with many aspects of the tech world, the devil is in the details.
The construction of DVD and Blu-ray is almost identical, but considering that Blu-ray players play DVDs just fine, it seems strange that Blu-ray itself doesn’t work the same way on DVD players, and the reason for this all has to do with the advanced way Blu-ray stores information. In order to support high-definition image modes such as 720p or 1080p, Blu-ray is equipped with specially designed pit bars that are much smaller than those of DVD. In order to scan the densely stored video and audio content within it, Blu-ray requires blue laser technology, hence the format’s name.
DVD, on the other hand, uses a red laser to scan the disc’s content and can be read by a regular DVD or Blu-ray player. However, regular DVD players cannot produce the blue laser needed to read Blu-ray discs, making them incompatible. Thankfully, many manufacturers produce both formats (including DVD and Blu-ray versions of a movie or show), giving buyers more options.
It’s worth noting that 4K and Ultra HD Blu-rays won’t play on standard Blu-ray players. Similar to the difference between Blu-ray and DVD, Ultra HD can store more information, requiring up to 100GB to support its higher-quality format. At the end of the day, it’s worth investing in a 4K or Ultra HD Blu-ray player, which means buying high rather than buying low, so you can play any physical disc you like without any worries.
Source: KOCPC Chinese