Treat Ultra HD Blu-ray as great a jump from Blu-ray as Blu-ray was from DVD. In terms of resolution, that really is the case: DVDs supported up to 480p video compared with Blu-ray's 1080p, and now. The film was remastered under the supervision of the director Michael Mann for Ultra HD presentation, which provides 2160p resolution and High Dynamic Range color. The 2-disc combo edition from.
Blu-ray discs usually store videos in these three resolutions: 4K (3840*2160), 1080P (1920*1080), and 720P (1280*720). What do they mean and what are the differences? We listed some frequently asked questions and their simple answers related to Blu-ray resolution. If you want to dive in, you can also read the second part.
Quick Q&A about Blu-ray Resolution
1. Is Blu-ray 4K?
Blu-ray is a physical media, and 4K is a resolution. The resolution of Blu-ray disc can be 4K but not has to be 4K.
2. Is Blu-ray in 1080P?
The resolution of a normal Blu-ray movie is 1080P. That means most of the commercial Blu-ray disc that you can see on the market is in 1080P. A small niche of Blu-ray disc is in 4K. That’s call 4K UHD Blu-ray.
3. Is Blu-ray or 1080P better?
Blu-ray resolution can be 4K, 1080P, 720P or others. We can’t jump to the conclusion that Blu-ray is better than 1080P. But if you ask the quality gap between 1080P Blu-ray disc and 1080P regular video, 1080P Blu-ray is better because of the higher bit rate.
4. Is Blu-ray better than HD?
HD (High Definition) means 720P. Blu-ray resolution can be 720P too. For example, if you burn videos to a recordable Blu-ray disc, you can select 720P as the output resolution.
5. Will there be 8K Blu-ray?
A good quality 8K Blu-ray probably need 120Mbps. That will use up (24.5+120)*(2*60*60)/8/1024≈127GB of disc space for a 2-hour movie (just a rough calculation). Blu-ray disc is able to hold up this much data. However, you need to either have a big screen over 120″ or sit three feet away to perceive the difference. I can’t see 8K Blu-ray happening for the moment because it is a niche of niche.
6. Is Blu-ray better quality than Netflix?
High resolution doesn’t mean high quality. Quality relates to multiple factors and the most important one is bit rate. Streaming media like Netflix has provided videos in 4K or 1080P but it uses a quite heavy compression system to reduce bit rate for easier transmission. In general, the quality of 4K Netflix videos can’t compare with 1080P normal Blu-ray disc.
Detail Explanation about 4K Blu-ray, 1080P Blu-ray, and 720P Blu-ray
Blu-ray movie runs at 4K, 1080P, 720P or others. Most of them are in 1080P.
4K Blu-ray (also be called Ultra HD Blu-ray, 4K UHD Blu-ray)
A 4K Blu-ray disc has a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels – 3840 pixels on the width and 2160 pixels on the height. In fact, the word “Ultra HD Blu-ray” would be more accurate than “4K Blu-ray”. “4K” is more like a word for propaganda purposes because 3840 pixels do not reach 4000 pixels.
Resolution: 3840 x 2160
Storage: 50 GB (dual-layer, 82 Mb/s), 66 GB (dual-layer, 108 Mb/s), 100 GB (triple-layer, 128 Mb/s)
Encoding: H.265/MPEG-H Part 2 (HEVC)
Released: 2016
1080P Blu-ray (also be called Full HD Blu-ray, normal Blu-ray, standard Blu-ray, 2K Blu-ray)
1080P Blu-ray refers to 1920 x 1080 pixels. With a Windows/Mac computer, an internal/external Blu-ray drive, and Blu-ray player software, you will be able to enjoy Blu-ray movies on the computer.
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Storage: 25 GB (single-layer), 50 GB (dual-layer), 100/200/300 GB (BDXL)
Encoding: H.262/MPEG-2 Part 2, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC
Released: 2006
720P Blu-ray
Recordable Blu-ray disc can store 720P video (1280 x 720 pixels). If you have tried burning some videos to a recordable Blu-ray disc, you probably have found that there are two output options: 720P Blu-ray or 1080P Blu-ray. If selected 720P, the output Blu-ray video resolution would be 720P regardless of the resolution of the original video you imported.
You may have seen “720P Blu-ray” at the movie download site. Some people will downgrade 1080P commercial Blu-ray to 720P Blu-ray and then post them on the site for downloading.
Quick Tip: How to Play 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc/Folder on PC
If you have more puzzles about Blu-ray resolution, don’t hesitate to drop all of them in the comment so we can discuss it together.
When talking about Blu-ray resolution, there are so many descriptions in front, such as 720P Blu-ray, 1080P Blu-ray, 4K Blu-ray, even 2K Blu-ray, which might be confusing: what they are and is there really so many types of Blu-ray disc resolution? Which Blu-ray disc resolution should I get? Or, how to watch a certain resolution of Blu-ray disc, such as 4K? In this article, we bring the detailed message about Blu-ray disc resolution as well as the answer above to our readers.
CONTENTS
- 1. Answer: Resolution of Blu-ray Disc
- 2. Which Blu-ray Resolution should I get?
- 3. What Do I Need to Watch 4K Resolution Blu-ray Disc on TV?
- 4. External Tips: Building a Blu-ray Compatible Computer
Answer: Resolution of Blu-ray Disc
Generally speaking, there are only two types of resolution for a commercial Blu-ray disc: 1080P (1920*1080 pixels) and 4K UHD (3840*2160 pixels).
But what are 720P Blu-ray and 2K Blu-ray?
720P Blu-ray usually means video resolution, but not Blu-ray disc resolution. Some people will rip 1080P Blu-ray to digital video as 720P (1280*720 pixels), then the converted video can be called 720P Blu-ray. As for 2K Blu-ray, it is the same as 1080P Blu-ray in the field of home video, but '2K Blu-ray' may not be an accurate description.
After knowing the above information, let's focus on 1080P Blu-ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray. That's the only two types of Blu-ray disc resolution.
1080P Blu-ray | 4K UHD Blu-ray | |
Resolution | 1920*1080 | 3840x2160 |
Color Gamut | BT.709 | BT.2020 |
Dynamic Range | 100nit | 1000 - 10,000nit |
Bit Depth | 8-bit | 10-bit |
Peak Video Bitrate | 40Mbps | 100Mbps |
Codec | MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) | HEVC (H.265) |
Capacity | 25GB, 50GB | 50GB, 66GB, 100GB |
Which Blu-ray Resolution Should I Get?
Blu-ray disc is capable of storing hours of video in Full High-Definition (1080P) and Ultra High-Definition (2160P, also known as 4K UHD). For now, most Blu-ray disc is 1080P. If I want to create a Blu-ray compatible environment, which Blu-ray resolution should I get, 1080P Blu-ray or 4K UHD Blu-ray?
Blu Ray 1080p High Definition Led
Of course, the resolution is the most obvious difference between 1080P Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray. But more than that, 4K Blu-ray:
• Has higher visual fidelity than 1080P Blu-ray.
• Has almost twice the color range as 1080P Blu-ray.
• The exponential increase in luminosity range with HDR (High-Dynamic-Range) support.
• Has smoother more realistic color gradations.
• Has higher peak bitrate ensures more detail fast action scenes.
• Encode in H.265, which is an advanced codec for better compression.
• Capacity up to 100GB, it can better storage longer videos at higher quality.
Base on this, most people will easily notice and find the differences between 1080P Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray. There is no denying Ultra HD Blu-ray player and 4K TVs are luxuries, but they're luxuries worth having. If you want the absolute best possible picture from your 4K TV, 4K Ultra HD resolution Blu-ray is where you will find it. Besides, there is an important point: 4K Blu-ray device is backward compatible with 1080P Blu-ray. Therefore, you can enjoy 1080P Blu-ray on 4K Blu-ray player too.
However, if you don't seek for the extraordinary video-watching experience, 1080P Blu-ray disc is good enough in quality, and both the 1080P Blu-ray player and 1080P Blu-ray TV are more affordable than 4K's. In the next part, you will know the detail about what you need to watch 4K UHD Blu-ray disc.
What Do I Need to Watch 4K Resolution Blu-ray Disc on TV?
To watch 4K UHD Blu-ray disc on television, four things listed below is necessary.
1. 4K Blu-ray disc.
2. 4K Blu-ray player.
3. 4K Blu-ray TV with HDMI 2.0 adapter. (You'd better get a 4K HDR TV because HDR requires TVs that can display more colors and have a higher peak brightness.)
4. Audio equipment that supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Auro3D, etc.
The first 4K TV went on sale back in 2013 — Sharp announced the LC-70UD1U. But it wasn't until 2015 that the first 4K Blu-ray players from Samsung went on sale. In the current market, there are some of the 4K Blu-ray players to choose from, you can choose according to your needs and budget.
• Sony UBPX-X700 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player - $249
• LG UBK80 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray Player with HDR Compatibility - $176
• LG UBK90 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray Player with Dolby Vision - $276
• Panasonic Blu-ray disc player Ultra HD Blu-ray playback support DMP-UB900-K - £625
And, Microsoft's Xbox One S game console has a 4K UHD Blu-ray drive. It was the first game console to be compatible with 4K Blu-ray discs, and the price is at around £249. This is one of the ways to get a taste of 4K Blu-ray disc movie, as well as playing 4K Blu-ray disc game.
External Tips: Building a Blu-ray Compatible Computer
Even if you already have a Blu-ray TV and Blu-ray player, playing Blu-ray on a computer provides another choice to enjoy Blu-ray movie. Compared to watching Blu-ray movies on TV, building a Blu-ray compatible computer is more convenient and cheaper. You will need:
1. Blu-ray disc.
2. Software Blu-ray player such as VideoSolo Blu-ray Player.
3. External Blu-ray drive.
4. Win/Mac computer.
Once you have tried VideoSolo Blu-ray Player, I sincerely hope that you will fall in love with it. VideoSolo Blu-ray Player is specially designed for helping people enjoy Blu-ray movies on both Windows and Mac. It allows you to play 1080P Blu-ray disc/Blu-ray/Blu-ray ISO files without Blu-ray region limitation. And this program offers full playback control, which allows you to choose the subtitles tracks, audio tracks, titles, chapters, etc. at will. Now you can download the trial version below.
Step 1. Connect External Blu-ray Drive to Computer
Connect an external Blu-ray drive with your computer and then insert the Blu-ray disc into it. Now launch VideoSolo Blu-ray player. On the main interface, choose the 'Open Disc' button to load Blu-ray disc to VideoSolo.
Step 2. Select the Audio Tracks/Subtitle Tracks/Other Titles
After loading, you will see a menu on the interface, where allows you to select your favorite audio tracks, subtitles, etc. You can click on 'Other Titles' to watch all the content in the Blu-ray disc such as the movie trailer and storyboard.
Blu Ray Resolutions
Step 3. Watch Blu-ray Movies Now
When you finish all the settings, click on the 'Play Movie' button to start watching the Blu-ray movies with original video/audio quality.
What Is Blu Ray Player
Below is the video tutorial to help you watch Blu-ray movies easier.
Hope this article is clear enough to explain what is Blu-ray disc resolution and how to play Blu-ray disc on TV/laptop. If you have more questions about the resolution of Blu-ray discs, you can leave it below or contact via email. Thanks for reading!