Standard screen definition is 720p, high definition (HD) is 1080p, ultra-high definition (UHD or Ultra HD) is 2160p, also commonly called 4K. The question is whether in a home theater setting this is enough to overcome HD Blu-ray's very high-quality 1080p compression as well as the uncompressed audio typically included on disc. Even with audio, you HD streaming typically has something more to offer viewers than HD: 3D immersive sound, typically delivered in Dolby Atmos but as.
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.
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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 |
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
When you finish all the settings, click on the 'Play Movie' button to start watching the Blu-ray movies with original video/audio quality.
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!