Q: What's the difference between DVD and Blu-ray Disc™?

A: DVDs were designed with standard-definition TVs in mind. While they look great on standard-def sets, they're not able to take advantage of the benefits of high-definition TVs. As televisions have become more advanced, DVD's limitations have become more apparent.

Blu-ray, on the other hand, is a high-definition disc format designed to maximize the viewing experience available from today's HDTVs. Blu-ray discs and players offer several advantages over the regular DVD format, including improved picture and sound quality. For more information, check out our article on Blu-ray.
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Q: How should I connect a DVD or Blu-ray player to my TV to get the best possible picture?

Use HDMI whenever possible to get the best picture.

A: You'll want to use the player's HDMI output for the best picture quality. This noise-free connection carries the signal digitally for the best possible transfer. HDMI is also the only connection capable of carrying the improved signal from an upconverting DVD player, and the only that can deliver Blu-ray's top resolution of 1080p. And since HDMI carries both picture and sound, it lets you make a simple, one-cable connection. HDMI jacks can be found on all Blu-ray players and upconverting DVD players, plus most HDTVs.

HDMI not an option? Component video is the next best thing.

If your TV doesn't have an HDMI input, or if your DVD player doesn't have an HDMI output, then you'll want to use component video. You're not able to get 1080p with component video, but you can get resolutions of 720p and 1080i (Blu-ray only; component video connections on DVD players are limited to 480p). Component video connections can be found on all DVD and Blu-ray players, all HDTVs, and most newer standard-definition TVs.

Keep in mind that most DVD and Blu-ray players do not include cables — be sure to check before purchase to make sure you get all the cables you need.

See our A/V connections glossary for more information on these and other types of video connections, such as composite video, S-video, and DVI.
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Q: Do I have to have a 1080p HDTV for Blu-ray?

A: Blu-ray players let you select the resolution that best matches your TV. When you pair a Blu-ray player with a 1080p display, you'll enjoy the most detailed picture possible. But you'll still get an impressive HD picture with a 720p or 1080i set.
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Q: Are upconverting DVD players high-definition?

A: Unfortunately, no. Upconverting DVD players convert lower resolution images to apparently higher ones. In order to achieve that higher resolution, the player fills in additional image data by assessing existing pixels and intelligently predicting what the surrounding pixels should look like. However, it's not really high-definition because the original source, the DVD, isn't high-definition. True HD video needs to be recorded in high-def, with all of the image data present in the original recording.

The good news is most upconverting DVD players do an excellent job at predicting what the additional pixels should look like, and can make a noticeable improvement in the look of your DVDs.

If you're looking for true high-definition, consider a Blu-ray Disc player. This high-definition format delivers detailed HD images as well as improved surround sound. For more information, take a look at our article on Blu-ray.
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Q: I've noticed that all of today's DVD players are progressive-scan. What if my TV can't accept progressive-scan signals?

A: Unlike interlaced scan, which splits each video frame into two sequential fields, progressive scan displays the entire frame in one sweep. An interlaced-scan signal from a DVD player (480i) displays 30 frames (60 fields) per second, while a progressive-scan signal (480p) displays 60 full frames per second. Since progressive-scan signals display twice as many frames per second, and since none of these are broken up into fields, progressive-scan pictures look more filmlike, with better detail and less flicker.

Progressive-scan viewing requires a compatible digital TV (EDTV,HDTV-ready, or full HDTV). But don't fret — even if your current TV can't accept progressive-scan signals, your next TV almost certainly will. Also, current DVD players have a selectable output, so they can still send an older TV interlaced-scan signals.
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Q: How would I connect a DVD or Blu-ray player to my home theater receiver to get surround sound?

A: If you're hooking up a DVD player, you'll want to make an optical or coaxial digital connection between your player and receiver. These connections carry surround sound information from Dolby® Digital and DTS® soundtracks to your receiver, where they're decoded and sent to your speakers.

Optical and coaxial digital connections also let you enjoy Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks on Blu-ray Disc. However, these connections don't have enough bandwidth to support newer surround sound formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD™ Master Audio. So if you'd like to get the best surround sound from Blu-ray, you'll want to use either HDMI or a multichannel analog connection. You can find HDMI connections on all Blu-ray players and many home theater receivers, and it's the better option since it's a noise-free digital connection. However, HDMI by itself is not sufficient for getting surround sound — you'll also need a surround sound decoder for the newest audio formats built into your receiver or your Blu-ray player. It doesn't matter which component has it since both will do a great job.

If your receiver doesn't have HDMI, then you'll need multichannel analog audio connections on both your player and your receiver. You'll also need a player with a built-in surround sound decoder. In this setup, the player decodes the audio and outputs an analog signal. Be sure to use good quality cables to minimize signal loss. keep in mind that most DVD and Blu-ray players do not include cables — be sure to check before purchase to make sure you get all the cables you need.

For more information on whether to connect your Blu-ray player to your receiver via HDMI or a multichannel analog connection, check out our article on Blu-ray. You can find more information on HDMI, multichannel analog, coaxial digital, and optical digital connections in our A/V connections glossary.
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Q: Can Blu-ray players play audio and MP3 CDs?

A: Some early models could not play CDs, but all newer models can. Most newer players can also play MP3 discs. However, MP3 compatibility is not as widespread as audio CD compatibility.
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Q: What are BonusView and BD-Live? And what do the different "Blu-ray Profiles" mean?

A: BonusView is a feature found on some newer Blu-ray discs and players. It allows the player to play two different audio and video streams simultaneously, allowing for picture-in-picture functionality. BonusView is often used for director's commentary. The player displays the movie in its original, full-screen form while also playing video commentary from the film director on a smaller, inset screen. Blu-ray players with this function are also called Final Standard Profile or Profile 1 v1.1.

BD-Live refers to interactive features found on some Blu-ray discs. While these features vary from disc to disc, they typically range from behind-the-scenes videos to additional bonus content and online games you can download via your broadband Internet connection. BD-Live-capable players include an Ethernet port, and must also support at least 1GB of flash memory for storing downloaded content. This memory can either be built into the player or achieved through the use of a removable device such as an SD™ memory card or USB thumb drive. Blu-ray players that support BD-Live are also known as Profile 2.0.
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Q: My computer has a DVD-R/RW drive. Can I play these discs on my home DVD player? Similarly, can I play BD-R and BD-RE discs that I make on my computer's recordable Blu-ray drive on my home Blu-ray player?

A: For DVDs, this will depend on the recordable DVD format you use and on the compatibility of your DVD player. Virtually all current DVD players can play at least one type of recordable DVD (DVD-R/RW, DVD-RAM, DVD+R/RW), and many can play more than one type. The most commonly compatible is DVD-R; the least commonly compatible is DVD-RAM.

You don't have as many options when it comes to recordable Blu-ray discs. They only come in two varieties — write-once BD-R discs and rewriteable BD-RE discs. While some early Blu-ray players could not play these formats, we're starting to see newer players that can. Be sure to look for a player that's compatible with BD-R/RE discs if this is important to you.

Keep in mind that if you want to play home-burned DVDs or Blu-ray Discs on your home player, you'll also need DVD or Blu-ray authoring software. This software creates discs in the standard video formats that stand-alone players can recognize. If your computer, DVD burner, or Blu-ray burner didn't include this software, you can find it at leading computer retailers.
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Q: Why does it seem like newer DVD recorders don't include hard drives?

A: Built-in hard disc drives used to be a popular option on DVD recorders since they added a lot of recording flexibility. However, many people today get DVRs from their cable or satellite TV providers. As a result, the interest in DVD recorders with DVRs has waned over the past couple of years, and many DVD recorder manufacturers have found it much less feasible to put hard drives in their newer units.

If you'd like to have some of the same flexibility a combo DVD recorder/DVR offers, consider a DVD recorder that can record to DVD-RAM discs. These discs can be recorded, erased, and re-recorded. Although not quite as flexible as a hard drive, DVD-RAM does allow basic editing, such as adding chapter marks and erasing or combining chapters.
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Q: Why do some DVD movies include two versions (regular and widescreen)?

A: "Standard" (sometimes identified as "Full Frame") is formatted to fit the squarish screen shape of regular TV (4:3 or 1.33:1 aspect ratio). "Widescreen" covers a range of wide formats from 1.78:1 to 2.35:1 and beyond. These wide formats look better on a TV with 16:9 (1.78:1) screen aspect ratio because they fill up more of the screen, and are preferred by many film buffs and videophiles because they're more faithful to the original theatrical version.

Movies that are only available in widescreen can also be viewed on a standard TV, but you'll probably see horizontal black bars above and below the image. Each DVD's packaging should say which versions are on the disc. Check out our article on aspect ratio for tips on dealing with black bars.
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Q: How good are DVD players at playing music CDs?

A: DVD players make excellent CD players, and current models can also play audio CD-Rs and CD-RWs and MP3 CD-R/RWs you record yourself with a CD recording deck or computer CD-R/RW drive. Some DVD players can also play high-resolution audio, like SACD, DVD-Audio, or both.

A DVD player's advanced disc transport and digital-to-analog converters are designed for the demanding task of reading and processing the huge amounts of audio and video information on DVDs. By comparison, playing a music CD is a piece of cake. Based on our experience, DVD players sound at least as good as a typical CD player.
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Q: What are SACD and DVD-Audio?

A: SACD stands for Super Audio CD. These discs use an advanced process of sound recording and reproduction that enables a much more direct signal path and much higher sampling rate than the format of original CDs. As a result, SACDs produce a more faithful reproduction of the original source material and richer, warmer sound.

DVD-Audio is a music-oriented DVD format which devotes virtually all of a DVD disc's large data capacity to just audio. A DVD-Audio disc can hold up to 6 channels of 96kHz/24-bit audio (music for 5.1-channel home theater systems), or 2 channels of ultra high-resolution 192kHz/24-bit audio.

See our article on SACD and DVD-Audio for more information.
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