An Insight and Comparison of Blu-ray and 4K

The era of new technology brings us a diverse way to stream videos on our phones, computers, and other gadgets. It makes watching movies more enjoyable, given that our screens showcase high-quality visuals and details. With that said, it is important to distinguish various qualities, such as Blu-ray VS 4K, and this article will guide you in full detail.

• Part 1. Is Blu-ray 4K
• Part 2. Blu-ray VS 4K
• Part 3. 4K Blu-ray: An Enhanced Version of Blu-ray
• Part 4. Bonus: A Great Player to Play All Blu-ray, 4K, and 4K Blu-ray
• Part 5. FAQs about Blu-ray VS 4K

Part 1. Is Blu-ray 4K

The answer is no. To differentiate the two, Blu-ray was developed in 2005 by the Blu-ray Disc Association to allow recording, rewriting, and streaming high-quality video. It is also a digital disc storage device with five times more storage capacity than the traditional DVD.

Now, what is 4K resolution? It is a video resolution that displays about 4,000 pixels horizontally. It was standardized by many organizations, making it commonly used for digital cinematography and movie projection. However there are many variations of usage of 4K in consumer media. For example, 4K UHD is used in the professional field as it displays 3840x2160 pixels and 4096x2160 pixels. However, through recent years, the development of 4K UHD with 3840x2160 pixels is the only widely supported by many products, while 4096x2160 pixels have a few.

Part 2. Blu-ray VS 4K

Given that Blu-ray has 1080p as the standard resolution, it has a huge difference in 4K compared to compatibility, price, and other aspects. You can check below to learn if 4K is better than Blu-ray.

Resolution

The standard Blu-ray has 1080p resolution, which means it displays 1920x1080 pixels on a screen. Meanwhile, 4K can be up to 3840*2160 pixels and is twice the amount as the standard Blu-ray.

Compatibility

1080p is pretty much supported with a normal Blu-ray player, but this is not the case with 4K. The resolution requires a 4K TV, video player, and at least HDMI 2.0 or Display 1.4 connections to be able to display its visuals completely.

Price

Knowing that 4K is more enhanced than 1080p, the price of the devices is not cheap. In fact, you can find an affordable smart TV with a built-in DVD player or Blu-ray player that supports 4K, but many users are wary and would go for a more expensive option.

For more information, the table below shows a detailed comparison of the standard Blu-ray and 4K resolution.

Part 3. 4K Blu-ray: An Enhanced Version of Blu-ray

Meanwhile, 4K Blu-ray was released in February 2016, and it was the next generation of Blu-ray disc technology. While the primary difference between 4K Blu-ray and the standard is resolution, the former brings more enhanced quality and other features:

Video Codecs

4K Blu-ray often uses video codecs like HEVC or H.265 to handle a large amount of data and maintain quality. HEVC also has higher bitrates, which means it delivers outstanding details and smoother images.

Consistency

4K Blu-ray provides a higher level of consistency in many variations. Other than the higher bitrates, its physical media offers a consistent playback experience with sharpening videos quality than streaming on WiFi. Also, its wide color gamut and HDR has more consistency than the average Blu-ray.

Audio Codecs

Of course, there is also improvement in the audio quality as 4K Blu-ray uses various lossless audio codecs, such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, which preserve and provide higher audio reproduction. However, lossy audio codecs are also available on 4K Blu-ray, including Dolby Digital Plus for compressed but improved audio quality and DTS-HD High-Resolution Audio for an enhanced sound than standard DTS.

Part 4. Bonus: A Great Player to Play All Blu-ray, 4K, and 4K Blu-ray

Blu-ray Player makes a great alternative to play Blu-ray in 4K and 4K UHD. The desktop software's primary purpose is to stream Blu-ray discs, folders, and ISO files in the best quality. It has no restriction in region code and also handles protected Blu-rays in BD+, CSS, or AACS. Of course, you can also expect exceptional streaming quality with a home theater-like playback. Blu-ray Player is the top choice for you to enjoy up to 8K movie night on Windows and Mac.

• User-friendly interface with flexible screen size.
• Read discs and list the titles, chapters, and episodes.
• Clear visual definition and outstanding audio quality.
• Create a playlist for spontaneous streaming on the desktop.

Step 1. Download and install Blu-ray Player on Windows or Mac. Then, launch the software and insert a disc into the optical drive. Click the Open Disc button and load the content to the media player.

Step 2. The video will automatically start playing. Using the tools in the upper menu, you can adjust the screen size and audio volume or create a playlist. If you need to add subtitles, just open the Video dropdown menu.

Step 3. For advanced settings, go to the Preferences menu, where you can change the hardware-accelerated decoding, HDMI audio passthrough, and others. Click OK and enjoy watching.

Whether you have the standard or 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray Player is the best choice for a seamless watch. Instead of spending too much for 4K UHD hardware, this alternative is sufficient with an affordable upgrade on PC and Mac.

Part 5. FAQs about Blu-ray VS 4K

• Can you get 4K on Blu-ray?

  Yes, it is possible to get 4K on Blu-ray. However, you will need to get 4K UHD Blu-ray since this is the only standard that can deliver 4K content. Moreover, ensure that your TV and disc player fully support 4K resolution so that you can enjoy high-quality streaming.

• Do 4K players make Blu-rays look better?

  Although it will not magically upscale standard Blu-ray, a 4K player can improve some aspects of the playback. For example, it can improve detail and reduce the blurriness of the video, better color processing, and enhance clarity.

• Can Blu-ray upscale to 4K?

  Yes, a standard Blu-ray can be upscaled to 4K. Unfortunately, the picture quality only changes slightly, but it is noticeable since it can fill in some missing pixels.

Wrapping up

This article has taught you the answer to whether Blu-ray is 4K. Blu-ray resolution comes in variations like 1080p and 4K, offering different features and characteristics. But despite the differences, you can play standard and other types of Blu-ray with Blu-ray Player on Windows and Mac. The software offers a great viewing experience with the original video resolution. You can try the free version by clicking the Free Download button.