In this digital era, if you are often confused about the most popular two digital optical discs, DVD vs Blu-ray, to meet your streaming, data backup or other purposes, let's get a complete guide on what's the difference between DVD and Blu-ray. Despite being an optical disc specially used for storing and streaming movies, there are many differences between DVD and Blu-ray based on quality, usability, storage capacity, etc. So, let's start with what is DVD and Blu-ray followed by their prominent differences and digital conversion options.
What Is a DVD?
A Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc is commonly known as a DVD, which is used to store digital data such as video, audio, subtitles, software, etc. As it works as an optical storage medium, DVD is dedicatedly designed to store movies, software distribution, audio storage, or data backup. DVDs can be played on DVD players, a computer's optical drive, and gaming consoles. Mostly there are four types of DVDs:
- Read-Only Memory DVD: It contains pre-recorded data such as films, software, etc. For example, DVD-ROM
- Recordable DVD: It can be written only once. For example, DVD-R or DVD+R.
- Rewritable DVD: It can be erased and reused repeatedly. For example, DVD-RW or DVD-RW.
- Random Access Memory DVD: This is a high-durability disc specially used for data backup, such as DVD-RAM.
What is a Blu-ray?
Blu-ray is another digital optical storage disc that stores five times more digital data than a DVD. Blu-ray is the successor of the DVD, with more data storage capacity and better content quality. It can store HD and UHD content. Blu-ray can deliver data with more depth, color, and tone, adding more details to the content. While storing movies and TV shows, Blu-ray is also used to store video games, backup media data, documents, etc. All Blu-ray disc can be played on a Blu-ray player, Blu-ray drive compatible with your computer, gaming consoles, etc. Four types of Blu-ray are commonly used in the market. Let's see what they are.
- Read-Only Blu-ray: It is used to store pre-recorded movies, software, games, etc., like BD-ROM.
- Recordable Blu-ray: It is for one-time use only. It can be written only once to store data or video recordings, such as BD-R.
- Rewritable Blu-ray: This can be used multiple times by erasing and reusing. For example, BD-RE.
- Ultra HD Blu-ray: It drives 4K quality content with HDR support.
DVD Vs Blu-ray: Difference Between DVD and Blu-ray
To get a clear and comprehensive idea about the difference between Blu-ray and DVD, you must focus on the various factors of these optical discs. So, to make the comparison between DVD Vs Blu-ray more compact, precious, yet useful, here is a detailed comparison table.
Parameters |
DVD |
Blu-ray |
---|---|---|
Data Storage Capacity |
Single-Layer: 4.7GB |
Single-Layer: 25GB |
Leser Type |
Red Laser(650nm wavelength) uses large data pits with less storage | Blue-Violet Laser (405 nm wavelength) uses small data pits resulting more storage |
Disc Structure |
0.6mm substrate, prone to scratches | 0.1mm coating, harder, scratch resistance |
Resolution |
480p (SD) to 720p | 1080p (Full HD) to 4K |
Audio Quality |
Dolby Digital (5.1) | DTS-HD MA, Dolby TureHD |
HDR Support |
No | Yes |
Bitrate |
5-10 Mbps | 25-40 Mbps |
Playable Compatibility |
DVD & Blu-ray Players | Only Blu-ray Players |
Gaming Compatibility |
Older Consoles | PS3, PS4, Xbox One Games |
Is Blu-ray Better Than DVD? How to Choose?
Yes, Blu-ray is always better than DVD, depending on various aspects such as more data storage capacity, better content quality, faster data reading support, device compatibility, etc. However, if you think about why Blu-ray is better than DVD, then over the years, Blu-ray has become more affordable, and most DVD movies are also available on Blu-ray. Therefore, instead of compromising on streaming quality, you should always choose Blu-ray over DVD.
Why to Convert DVD/Blu-ray to Digital Format?
With the immeasurable growth of digital streaming platforms like YouTube, OTT services, cloud storage, USB drives, etc., DVD and Blu-ray discs have lost their demand and market. In addition, they face several other limitations.
- The physical discs are not compatible with most of the common devices like phones, tablets, etc
- It's also very inconvenient to carry them while traveling
- Discs are not easily shareable to various platforms or friends
- Physical discs often get damaged, scratched, or broken
- Discs have occupied lots of storage space on your shelves
Therefore, it's always recommended to convert your entire DVD or Blu-ray collection to all device-compatible digital formats like MP4, MKV, etc., and enjoy the digital version of your favorite DVD or Blu-ray on any device anytime. For this, use the DVDFab DVD Ripper and DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper.
How to Convert DVD/ Blu-ray to Digital Format with DVDFab Software
You can convert your desired DVD and Blu-ray to your preferred digital format while removing encryption by using DVDFab DVD Ripper and DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper. These tools can convert DVD and Blu-ray content to digital format or copy them to ISO files or folders with their original quality. The converted files can be played and stored on portable or smart devices. These rippers also support lossless compression to reduce file size and store multiple files in small device storage. Using these programs’ batch processing function, you can convert multiple DVDs and Blu-rays simultaneously.
👍Futuristic Features
- Eliminate advanced encryption or regional code using Cloud Decryption Service
- Convert DVD or Blu-ray to 1000+ digital file formats according to your choice
- Enjoy lossless conversion with a 1:1 ratio
- Ensure device-specific conversion with 245+ device presets
- Select video resolution up to 8K using Profile filters
- Customize output video with codec, sample rate, quality, etc, using "Advanced Setting"
- Explore built-in video editor to trim, cut, add watermark, subtitles, etc
Steps to Convert DVD / Blu-ray to Digital Format With DVDFab
Step 1: Launch the DVDFab 13 version on your Windows and Mac computers. Insert your desired DVD or Blu-ray disc into the drive. Otherwise, you can import the content file by selecting the "Add" option.
Step 2: Go to "Choose Other Profile" > select your desired output format from the options shown, such as MP4, MOV, MKV, etc., to convert DVD or Blu-ray to your preferred digital format.
Step 3: Next, you can choose subtitles, audio track, and other audio-video parameters depending on your need. Lastly, after all the required settings and parameter adjustments, select the "Start" option to complete the conversion process.
Conclusion
Even though you know what's the difference between DVD and Blu-ray and why is Blu-ray better than DVD, there are always lots of challenges that have come across while using these optical discs. In that case, converting them to your comfortable digital format is the smartest way to enjoy or share your favorite DVD or Blu-ray on any device or platform without any challenges or limitations.
FAQS
What Are The Differences Between Blu-ray Vs 4K
Factors | Blu-ray | 4K |
Data Storage Capacity |
Single Layer: 25GB Double Layer: 50GB |
Single Layer: 66GB Double Layer: 100GB |
Video Resolution | 1080p | 4K with HDR |
Color Space | Wid Color (Rec.709) | Wid Color (Rec.2020) |
Audio Quality | Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD MA, Channel up to 7.1 | All Blu-ray formats, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, 3D audio |