Eli is a journalist who lives in Detroit, MI. He got his start in journalism covering video games and sports for Heavy before branching out into greater esports coverage at Dexerto. He also has bylines at SlashGear, Sports Illustrated, and more.
He added technology coverage to his plate over his years of writing, and it's something he continues to cover at Pocket-lint. He's interviewed numerous game developers and covered several live events, such as the launch of Destiny 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 in Los Angeles.
He has written more than 5,000 articles and looks to continue adding to that number in the years to come. For Pocket-lint, he specializes in home theater audio/video formats, and he loves streaming devices like the Roku Ultra and Apple TV 4K. He is also a lifelong collector of physical media, and he's a huge fan of 4K UHD Blu-ray, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos.
He has a degree in Journalism from Central Michigan University.
The DVD format has been around for decades now, and you were an early adopter to the format, you might have hundreds, if not thousands, of discs in your collection. These DVDs can last a very long time, so there's a good chance that the ones you have from 20 years ago still work today. It's nice to see a physical media format last for that long, because the same can't be said for the expired ones like HD-DVD or Laserdisc.
What will hold you back, however, is the limitations of the DVD format itself, and, in turn, your player. Your DVD from years ago might still be working, but you'll run into trouble if you try to play a newer Blu-ray or 4K Blu-ray disc. DVDs players can only play DVDs, so you'll need to pick up an entirely new player if you want to hop onto a newer format. Some exceptions to this rule exist, like if you're using a game console as your DVD player. Modern PlayStation and Xbox consoles can play everything, but your PS3 only plays Blu-ray and lower.
While there's not a hard expiration date, your DVD player's days are ticking if you're looking to upgrade to a modern format. Unfortunately, that's easier said than done.
Quiz
8 Questions · Test Your Knowledge
Blu-ray and DVD technology
Trivia challenge
From spinning discs to high-definition glory — how much do you really know about Blu-ray and DVD?
HistoryHardwareFormatsCapacityStandards
01 / 8
History
In what year was the DVD format officially launched for consumer use?
That's right! DVD was officially launched in Japan in November 1996, before rolling out to North America in 1997. The format was developed by a consortium of major electronics companies including Sony, Panasonic, and Philips.
Not quite — DVD launched in Japan in November 1996. It then made its way to North American markets in 1997, quickly displacing VHS as the dominant home video format over the following years.
02 / 8
Hardware
What colour laser does a standard Blu-ray player use to read discs?
Correct! Blu-ray players use a blue-violet laser with a wavelength of 405nm. This shorter wavelength compared to the red laser used in DVDs allows data to be packed much more densely on the disc surface.
The answer is blue-violet, with a wavelength of 405nm. This is actually what gives Blu-ray its name. The shorter wavelength compared to the red laser in DVDs is what enables the significantly higher storage capacity.
03 / 8
Capacity
What is the storage capacity of a standard single-layer Blu-ray disc?
Spot on! A single-layer Blu-ray disc holds 25GB of data. Dual-layer discs double that to 50GB, while newer BDXL triple-layer discs can hold up to 100GB, making them ideal for 4K Ultra HD content.
The correct answer is 25GB for a single-layer Blu-ray disc. Dual-layer discs hold 50GB, which is why most feature films are released on dual-layer media to accommodate high-bitrate video and lossless audio tracks.
04 / 8
Formats
Which format did Blu-ray defeat in the high-definition disc format war of the mid-2000s?
Exactly right! Blu-ray defeated HD DVD in a format war that concluded in early 2008. The turning point came when Warner Bros. announced it would exclusively support Blu-ray, prompting Toshiba to discontinue HD DVD shortly after.
The correct answer is HD DVD, backed primarily by Toshiba and Microsoft. The format war ended in February 2008 when Toshiba officially discontinued HD DVD after Warner Bros. threw its exclusive support behind Blu-ray.
05 / 8
Standards
What is the maximum video resolution supported by a standard Blu-ray disc (not Ultra HD)?
That's correct! Standard Blu-ray supports up to 1080p (Full HD) resolution at up to 60 frames per second. It was a massive leap over DVD's 480p standard definition, and helped drive widespread adoption of HD televisions.
Standard Blu-ray tops out at 1080p Full HD resolution. This was a significant upgrade over DVD's 480p and helped establish the format as the premium home video choice — until 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray arrived to raise the bar again.
06 / 8
History
Which company originally developed the DVD format alongside JVC, Sony, and others?
Correct! Philips was one of the founding members of the DVD Consortium alongside Sony, Panasonic, Hitachi, JVC, and others. Philips had already co-developed the CD format with Sony, so its involvement in DVD was a natural progression.
The answer is Philips, which co-developed the DVD standard alongside Sony, Panasonic, JVC, and Hitachi among others. Philips had significant experience in optical disc technology, having previously co-invented the CD with Sony back in the early 1980s.
07 / 8
Hardware
What laser wavelength does a standard DVD player use to read discs?
Well done! DVD players use a red laser with a wavelength of 650nm. This is shorter than the 780nm infrared laser used in CD players, allowing DVDs to store more data, but longer than Blu-ray's 405nm laser which enables even denser storage.
DVD players use a 650nm red laser. For comparison, CD players use a 780nm infrared laser, while Blu-ray uses a 405nm blue-violet laser. The progression to shorter wavelengths is what has driven increases in optical disc storage capacity over the decades.
08 / 8
Formats
What does the acronym 'BD-ROM' stand for in Blu-ray terminology?
Correct! BD-ROM stands for Blu-ray Disc Read-Only Memory. It is the standard format used for commercially pressed Blu-ray movies and games, as opposed to BD-R (recordable) or BD-RE (rewritable) formats used for home recording.
BD-ROM stands for Blu-ray Disc Read-Only Memory. This is the pre-pressed, non-recordable format you find on commercial movie and game releases. The Blu-ray family also includes BD-R for write-once recording and BD-RE for rewritable discs.
Challenge Complete
Your Score
/ 8
Thanks for playing!
Your DVD player has a big limitation
It can only take you so far
DVD players are great as long as you pick a lane and stay in it. For a DVD player, that means strictly sticking with DVDs. That's not difficult to do as pretty much every major release still comes to the platform. The main thing that's working against your DVD player is the fact that there are simply better ways to watch things. Your DVD player is stuck on 480p and good, but not great, audio. In a vacuum, it can work, but DVDs have been vastly outclassed by newer formats. I'm a big audio guy, and you're never going to find a DVD that supports Dolby Atmos.
If you decide to move on, you have some decisions to make. The big thing is finding a player to watch your movies on. There are still quite a few Blu-ray players around, but you might have to go thrifting for them to get the best price. 4K Blu-ray players are still hitting the market, but these cost a few hundred dollars to pick up. That's not a great buy for somebody only watching DVDs, but it's one of your only choices if you want to add 4K movies into the mix.
The common middle ground for a lot of people is a game console. A lot of people already have an Xbox or a PlayStation, so that means you don't need to pick up anything to play newer discs. If you have nothing that can play a 4K Blu-ray disc, it's a pretty bad time to buy a game console thanks to the rising prices. In this scenario, it would be cheap to find a dedicated 4K Blu-ray player, or a used last-generation Xbox.
It's for reasons like this that I can understand why people are hanging on to their DVD collections. If it's working for you, there's no reason to change it. Unfortunately, I've seen the light that 4K Blu-ray offers, and that's why I picked up a dedicated player.
A dedicated 4K Blu-ray player is better than a game console
You get more features with the purchase
If you're looking for an upgrade from your DVD player and are doing so for the best quality, you'll want to get a nice 4K Blu-ray player. Game consoles are fine choices for a lot of people, but they have some limitations. The big one is the lack of Dolby Vision, which is weird, because it's supported for gaming. A dedicated player is your pathway toward this, and if you watch a lot of movies with Dolby Vision support and have a nice 4K TV that supports it, then I'd say it's well worth the purchase.
I wouldn't say you should go out and upgrade your current TV if it doesn't have Dolby Vision, but it's something to keep an eye on when you're in the market for a new one. It's something I paid attention to when I bought a new TV, and 4K Blu-ray discs are why I settled on a Mini-LED TV, actually. I wanted something that could get the most out of my discs, so it really came down to Mini-LED or OLED. I went with a Mini-LED TV since it's in my living room and has to fight off a nagging glare during the day.
DVD players definitely had their time, and I don't regret buying a player or DVDs, but that time has come and gone. Even if you don't want to upgrade, you have to admit that there's a large leap from DVD to 4K Blu-ray, and it's even pretty big going to just regular Blu-ray.