A Comprehensive Guide to Blu-ray Resolution

A high-quality Blu-ray disc can give you a superior viewing experience, especially a 4K Blu-ray. But what does Blu-ray resolution mean? Is Blu-ray in 1080p or 4K? What's the difference between DVD and Blu-ray?

In this article, you'll delve into the world of Blu-ray resolution and compare it with DVD. Meanwhile, here will guide you on how to play and convert Blu-ray movies. Just keep reading. You will get a better way to enjoy your Blu-ray movies.

Part 1. What is the Resolution of Blu-ray

In general, there are 2 types of Blu-ray Disc resolutions: 4K UHD and 1080p. The resolution of Blu-ray is higher, and its picture is clearer, more detailed, and more vibrant. It is especially noticeable on larger screens or when watching movies closer to the screen.

Standard Blu-ray discs have a 1920×1080 pixels resolution, also known as 1080p. In addition to standard Blu-ray, there are also 4K UHD Blu-ray discs. These discs have a much higher resolution of 3840×2160 pixels, also known as 2160p. The 4K Blu-ray is four times the resolution of a standard Blu-ray.

In addition, a Blu-ray player can downscale the resolution to 720p (1280×720 pixels) to match the capabilities of the display device if necessary. And it can also compress the size of the video to free up more space.

Here's a comparison of 4K Blu-ray, 1080p Blu-ray, and 720p Blu-ray:

Part 2. DVD vs. Blu-ray Resolution

After learning what Blu-ray resolution is, here you will get the comparison between standard Blu-ray and DVD.

As you can see, Blu-ray discs offer a significant leap in resolution compared to DVDs. (If you want to learn more about DVDs, you can read here: different types of DVD discs) Meanwhile, Blu-ray offers a higher resolution and has a larger storage capacity, allowing for better video compression and quality.

Part 3. How to Play Blu-ray Movies (4K & 1080p)

To enjoy the Blu-ray with high resolution, you'll need a suitable Blu-ray player. AVAide picked Blu-ray Player, a professional desktop player that lets you easily enjoy 4K and 1080p Blu-ray movies. This software can let you play Blu-ray discs/ISO files/folders on your Windows 11/10/8/7 or macOS computer. It also supports multiple video formats, such as MP4, MOV, etc., and plays audio in Dolby Digital with superior quality. Moreover, it also supports controlling Blu-ray playback with the keyboard or mouse, which can enhance your viewing experience.

Step 1Free Download the Blu-ray Player

Download and install this Blu-ray Player on your desktop. Load your Blu-ray disc on your computer. Then, open the program and click Open Disc on the main interface.

Step 2Select the Blu-ray Disc

After loading, select the 1080p or 4K Blu-ray disc you loaded. Then, click OK to proceed to play.

Step 3Control the Blu-ray Playback

The player will play your Blu-ray movie automatically. Now, you can control the playback from the bottom menu. You can click Next, Pause, Stop, Eject, and more.

With this program, you can enjoy your Blu-ray movies on your computer smoothly.

Tips: You can capture the full-frame screenshots of Blu-ray movies while watching if you like.

Part 4. How to Change Blu-ray Resolution

When you need to upscale the 1080p Blu-ray to 4K for better quality or reduce the resolution of Blu-ray movies for releasing storage, you can use the AVAide picked Blu-ray Ripper. This program is available on Windows 11/10/8/7 and macOS. It is a powerful Blu-ray ripping tool to change Blu-ray resolution accordingly, such as 4K, 1080p, and 720p. Moreover, it can rip Blu-ray into 300+ digital video formats, including MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI, WMV, etc. More importantly, its interface is user-friendly for beginners.

Step 1Get Blu-ray Resolution Converter

Download this Blu-ray ripping software. Insert a Blu-ray disc into your computer's drive. Open the software and go to the Ripper tab. Then, click Load Blu-ray to load a disc.

Step 2Set the Blu-ray Resolution

After loading, select Main Title or Full Title List, then click OK. Next, click the drop-down list next to Rip All to. You can choose the 720p, 1080p, 4K resolution, etc.

Step 3Rip Blu-ray

Click Rip All to rip your Blu-ray disc with a new resolution.

If you have multiple Blu-ray disc collections, you can use this program and other Blu-ray copy software to make digital copies of your favorite movies for playback on portable devices.

Part 5. FAQs of Blu-ray Resolution

What is the difference between 4K and Blu-ray?

Blu-ray is a digital disc storage format. And Blu-ray discs usually include 4K resolution and 1080p resolution. In comparison, 4K refers to the horizontal display resolution with approximately 4,000 pixels.

Can I upscale 720p to 4K?

Yes. You can use third-party software upscale 480p or 720p to 1080p, 4k or even 8k.

Can I play Blu-ray discs on a regular DVD player?

No. You can't play Blu-ray discs in a DVD player. But you can play DVDs on a Blu-ray player. If you still want to watch Blu-ray discs, you can try some best Blu-ray players for Windows and Mac.

By Jane Pineda on Jun 16, 2023