3 ms·

Right? I have a half-dozen old devices around my house that could play a DVD, but I've never owned anything that can play bluRay, much less 4K disks (I've neve

by Pxtl 3y ago

Right? I have a half-dozen old devices around my house that could play a DVD, but I've never owned anything that can play bluRay, much less 4K disks (I've never even seen one of those IRL). And DVDs are no longer worth bothering with mostly because of the aspect ratio hassle if nothing else.

piperswe 3y ago
Many people own an Xbox One S/X, Xbox Series X, or PS5, which can all play 4K Blu-ray. Many more people own a PS3, PS4, or regular Xbox One, which can all play regular Blu-ray.
- LoganDark 3y ago
  Xbox One S/X doesn't have a disc drive, Xbox Series X doesn't have a disc drive, PS5 needs the disc drive bought separately and paired over the internet. Only the original Xbox One had a disc drive integrated.
  - endisneigh 3y ago
    > Xbox One S/X doesn't have a disc drive, Xbox Series X doesn't have a disc drive, PS5 needs the disc drive bought separately and paired over the internet. Only the original Xbox One had a disc drive integrated. It’s always fascinating that people say things that are verifiably untrue. Like, really?
    - afavour 3y ago
      OP may have meant Xbox Series S and X? Honestly a partly blame MS, their console naming has always baffled me.
      - LoganDark 3y ago
        My Xbox One X legitimately has no disc drive.
        afavour 3y ago
        Weird, everyone I can find online says that the One X has a disc drive.
        piperswe 3y ago
        The Xbox One X certainly does have a disc drive, it's a little out-of-the-way though. Check on the left side of the front of the console, under the overhang.
        LoganDark 3y ago
        I checked and you are right, apparently it does. It's weird that I was never able to find it before, because I did look under the overhang, but was unable to get any discs in there. Oops.
        tim-- 3y ago
        Not to dump on LoganDark, but I find it absolutely fascinating that you owned an Xbox and legitimately only today discovered that it has an optical drive! EDIT: Definitely shows the shift to online game delivery in a way that I have not seen before.
        LoganDark 3y ago
        I grew up with a 360, and knew about the drive on the original Xbox One, but I really could not tell that my Xbox One X had a disc drive. I don't know how I missed it.
      - piperswe 3y ago
        I meant One S and One X, plus Series X. The One S and One X are refreshes of the One, with the One S getting 4K HDMI and Blu-ray support and the One X getting both of those plus more power and 4K gaming support. There was a version of the One S that didn't have an optical drive, but it was a bit of a flop. The Series X is one of the two successors to the One line (along with the Series S), with the Series X having a 4K Blu-ray drive and the Series S not having an optical drive. Source: I own all of them except for the One X.
    - LoganDark 3y ago
      > It’s always fascinating that people say things that are verifiably untrue. Like, really? I have an Xbox One X and there is no disc drive. I remember having an Xbox One before that did have a disc drive. When I looked it up, the first search results are news outlets saying the Xbox Series X/S are not going to have disc drives...
    - mr_toad 3y ago
      > PS5 needs the disc drive bought separately You can get a PS5 with a built in disc player. Ironically one of the reasons I bought a PS3 was to play Blu Ray movies. But during Covid I ripped all my physical media and got rid of them, I only use the disc model of the PS5 to play my old PS4 games.
  - mananaysiempre 3y ago
    The regular One S and the One X both have 4K Blu-Ray drives (the One S All-Digital Edition doesn’t). The Series X does have a 4K Blu-Ray drive (the Series S doesn’t).
    - LoganDark 3y ago
      I have a One X (the Gold Rush Special Edition) and there is no disc drive. At least I haven't been able to find one.
      - wwtrv 3y ago
        > At least I haven't been able to find one Isn't there a slightly wider hole the left (other side than the Xbox log) between the top part and the black bottom part? You should be able to fit a disk there even if it's pretty hard to notice... e.g.: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61+XhWct5lL._AC_SL1500_.jpg https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61+XhWct5lL._AC_SL1500_....
        LoganDark 3y ago
        Apparently so?? I've never been able to fit a disc there. Oops.
  - TerrifiedMouse 3y ago
    There are 2 versions of the PS5: base and digital. The base version comes with a Blu-ray drive that can play Ultra HD Blu-ray discs.
    - LoganDark 3y ago
      The "base" one didn't exist when the console first released, there was only digital. The "base" version bundles the disc drive that is normally purchased separately.
      - SpikeMeister 3y ago
        That is incorrect. The PS5 disc version was available at launch. The recent refresh has an optional disc accessory.
      - amaranth 3y ago
        They launched with one with a built-in disc drive and one without. For their mid-cycle refresh they changed it to a single model with a disc drive add-on but sell a SKU that includes the drive in the box.
downut 3y ago
This is HN in 2024, and people are complaining about aspect ratios? For about 15 years now I have been feeding physical DVDs & BluRays into < $100 USB DVD/BR players, filtered through makemkv, and then through mpv or whatever which understands AC3 pass through to at first a NAD pre-amp and currently now that my NAD died, Denon receiver, which does the down mix to 3.0. Looks and sounds glorious, aspect ratios are not a problem at all, and a backup drops out, huh. I loved greencine and physical netflix but those killed themselves, seppuku, it seemed like, a long time ago.
antisthenes 3y ago
DVDs aspect ratio is 16:9, just like the vast majority of TVs and PC Monitors. Were you referring to resolution instead? The picture quality of a DVD (even properly digitized) would be atrocious by modern standards (high bitrate 1080p)
- fomine3 3y ago
  NTSC DVD native max resolution is 720x480 (ignore more depth like overscan) that isn't 16:9. So most 16:9 titles uses non-1:1 PAR to display 16:9 that isn't ideal for quality. Though anyway any DVD quality is now considered poor regardless of aspect ratio.
  - Wowfunhappy 3y ago
    Why is non-1:1 PAR bad beyond just the raw pixel count?
    - fomine3 3y ago
      I think it's obviously bad for Dot-by-Dot displaying especially on LCD, but I remembered that 480p DbD LCD wasn't a thing.
      - Wowfunhappy 3y ago
        480p LCD's do exist (or did), iirc they were marketed as "Enhanced Definition" as opposed to the later "High Definition" displays. However, they were 4:3.
      - astrange 3y ago
        Remember it's compressed, so a higher pixel resolution at the same bitrate could end up lower quality.
- Pxtl 3y ago
  I guess either my DVDs or my player is garbage because even though it's hooked up by HDMI I often find DVDs with 4:3 menus and then double-letterboxed (so, like, framed) video within.
FalconSensei 3y ago
My pet peeve is that I wanted to buy a couple blu-rays a few years ago to watch on my PS4. But I either I had to buy the DVD, or the Blu-Ray+DVD. There was no blu-ray only option, and I was like... what I'm gonna do with the dvd?

by Pxtl 3y ago

piperswe 3y ago

Many people own an Xbox One S/X, Xbox Series X, or PS5, which can all play 4K Blu-ray. Many more people own a PS3, PS4, or regular Xbox One, which can all play regular Blu-ray.

LoganDark 3y ago
Xbox One S/X doesn't have a disc drive, Xbox Series X doesn't have a disc drive, PS5 needs the disc drive bought separately and paired over the internet. Only the original Xbox One had a disc drive integrated.
- endisneigh 3y ago
  > Xbox One S/X doesn't have a disc drive, Xbox Series X doesn't have a disc drive, PS5 needs the disc drive bought separately and paired over the internet. Only the original Xbox One had a disc drive integrated. It’s always fascinating that people say things that are verifiably untrue. Like, really?
  - afavour 3y ago
    OP may have meant Xbox Series S and X? Honestly a partly blame MS, their console naming has always baffled me.
    - LoganDark 3y ago
      My Xbox One X legitimately has no disc drive.
      - afavour 3y ago
        Weird, everyone I can find online says that the One X has a disc drive.
      - piperswe 3y ago
        The Xbox One X certainly does have a disc drive, it's a little out-of-the-way though. Check on the left side of the front of the console, under the overhang.
        LoganDark 3y ago
        I checked and you are right, apparently it does. It's weird that I was never able to find it before, because I did look under the overhang, but was unable to get any discs in there. Oops.
        tim-- 3y ago
        Not to dump on LoganDark, but I find it absolutely fascinating that you owned an Xbox and legitimately only today discovered that it has an optical drive! EDIT: Definitely shows the shift to online game delivery in a way that I have not seen before.
        LoganDark 3y ago
        I grew up with a 360, and knew about the drive on the original Xbox One, but I really could not tell that my Xbox One X had a disc drive. I don't know how I missed it.
    - piperswe 3y ago
      I meant One S and One X, plus Series X. The One S and One X are refreshes of the One, with the One S getting 4K HDMI and Blu-ray support and the One X getting both of those plus more power and 4K gaming support. There was a version of the One S that didn't have an optical drive, but it was a bit of a flop. The Series X is one of the two successors to the One line (along with the Series S), with the Series X having a 4K Blu-ray drive and the Series S not having an optical drive. Source: I own all of them except for the One X.
  - LoganDark 3y ago
    > It’s always fascinating that people say things that are verifiably untrue. Like, really? I have an Xbox One X and there is no disc drive. I remember having an Xbox One before that did have a disc drive. When I looked it up, the first search results are news outlets saying the Xbox Series X/S are not going to have disc drives...
  - mr_toad 3y ago
    > PS5 needs the disc drive bought separately You can get a PS5 with a built in disc player. Ironically one of the reasons I bought a PS3 was to play Blu Ray movies. But during Covid I ripped all my physical media and got rid of them, I only use the disc model of the PS5 to play my old PS4 games.
- mananaysiempre 3y ago
  The regular One S and the One X both have 4K Blu-Ray drives (the One S All-Digital Edition doesn’t). The Series X does have a 4K Blu-Ray drive (the Series S doesn’t).
  - LoganDark 3y ago
    I have a One X (the Gold Rush Special Edition) and there is no disc drive. At least I haven't been able to find one.
    - wwtrv 3y ago
      > At least I haven't been able to find one Isn't there a slightly wider hole the left (other side than the Xbox log) between the top part and the black bottom part? You should be able to fit a disk there even if it's pretty hard to notice... e.g.: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61+XhWct5lL._AC_SL1500_.jpg https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61+XhWct5lL._AC_SL1500_....
      - LoganDark 3y ago
        Apparently so?? I've never been able to fit a disc there. Oops.
- TerrifiedMouse 3y ago
  There are 2 versions of the PS5: base and digital. The base version comes with a Blu-ray drive that can play Ultra HD Blu-ray discs.
  - LoganDark 3y ago
    The "base" one didn't exist when the console first released, there was only digital. The "base" version bundles the disc drive that is normally purchased separately.
    - SpikeMeister 3y ago
      That is incorrect. The PS5 disc version was available at launch. The recent refresh has an optional disc accessory.
    - amaranth 3y ago
      They launched with one with a built-in disc drive and one without. For their mid-cycle refresh they changed it to a single model with a disc drive add-on but sell a SKU that includes the drive in the box.

downut 3y ago

This is HN in 2024, and people are complaining about aspect ratios? For about 15 years now I have been feeding physical DVDs & BluRays into < $100 USB DVD/BR players, filtered through makemkv, and then through mpv or whatever which understands AC3 pass through to at first a NAD pre-amp and currently now that my NAD died, Denon receiver, which does the down mix to 3.0. Looks and sounds glorious, aspect ratios are not a problem at all, and a backup drops out, huh. I loved greencine and physical netflix but those killed themselves, seppuku, it seemed like, a long time ago.

antisthenes 3y ago

DVDs aspect ratio is 16:9, just like the vast majority of TVs and PC Monitors. Were you referring to resolution instead? The picture quality of a DVD (even properly digitized) would be atrocious by modern standards (high bitrate 1080p)

fomine3 3y ago
NTSC DVD native max resolution is 720x480 (ignore more depth like overscan) that isn't 16:9. So most 16:9 titles uses non-1:1 PAR to display 16:9 that isn't ideal for quality. Though anyway any DVD quality is now considered poor regardless of aspect ratio.
- Wowfunhappy 3y ago
  Why is non-1:1 PAR bad beyond just the raw pixel count?
  - fomine3 3y ago
    I think it's obviously bad for Dot-by-Dot displaying especially on LCD, but I remembered that 480p DbD LCD wasn't a thing.
    - Wowfunhappy 3y ago
      480p LCD's do exist (or did), iirc they were marketed as "Enhanced Definition" as opposed to the later "High Definition" displays. However, they were 4:3.
    - astrange 3y ago
      Remember it's compressed, so a higher pixel resolution at the same bitrate could end up lower quality.
Pxtl 3y ago
I guess either my DVDs or my player is garbage because even though it's hooked up by HDMI I often find DVDs with 4:3 menus and then double-letterboxed (so, like, framed) video within.

FalconSensei 3y ago

My pet peeve is that I wanted to buy a couple blu-rays a few years ago to watch on my PS4. But I either I had to buy the DVD, or the Blu-Ray+DVD. There was no blu-ray only option, and I was like... what I'm gonna do with the dvd?