If you’ve been in the physical media game long enough, you’ll know that we’ve seen some massive shifts over the years. The days of low-quality and fragile VHS tapes are long gone, and now 4K Blu-ray reigns supreme. It looks like that latter format is here to stay for a long time, so it’s what I’d recommend a new collector start picking up unless they like replacing their old discs with newer ones.
I’ve been a collector for a while now, and that means I have a variety of VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K Blu-ray options in my collection. The VHS tapes are a novelty at this point, and honestly, the DVDs are becoming that as well. I know those are the best-selling physical media format, but I just don’t want to put up with them anymore. DVDs were an excellent form of physical media when they were released, but I just can’t see the point in using them anymore.
DVDs are locked at 480p, and while modern TVs have solid upscaling options, it’s still not worth the trouble for me. Aside from the picture quality, the audio is also lacking. DVD simply doesn’t hold up when compared to modern formats, and that’s okay. I don’t expect it to compete, but I don’t think people should rely on upscaling from a Blu-ray player or a TV to make it better, but that’s only going to result in marginal gains. If it were somehow possible to match 4K, people would just stop buying 4K discs completely.
DVD upscaling can only take you so far
It’s okay, but that’s all it is
I see a lot of people say that upscaling can help an older DVD feel more modern, and while that’s accurate, it’s not like it’s going to magically add detail to a movie that doesn’t exist. DVDs aren’t known for their high quality in the first place, and unless the TV is able to perform witchcraft, all it’s going to do is slightly clean up the image. With that said, there’s nothing wrong with watching a DVD on a 4K TV if it’s what you’ve got. The only problem I can think of is that blowing up a 480p image onto a 75-inch screen is going to expose a lot of flaws, but there’s not really a way around that.
This is a decades-old format we’re talking about here that’s very much trapped at a specific point in time, even if it’s still being produced today. If affordability is a concern, which it is for a lot of people, I’d recommend going up to at least a Blu-ray disc. When compared to 4K Blu-ray, regular Blu-ray is a steep bargain, and it’ll look a lot better than what’s being offered on DVD. Another big factor is that Blu-ray has access to modern audio formats such as Dolby Atmos, something that’s just not possible on DVD. DVD is often stuck with much older formats, and there’s not even a guarantee it’d be lossless.
Keep in mind that TV upscaling only applies to the picture quality, so your audio will be stuck with what it is. You can pick up a receiver that upscales audio, and it’s something that I took advantage of for a while before going back to the intended format. Then again, if you have a 4K TV complete with a Dolby Atmos sound system, you probably aren’t very interested in squeezing out the best performance from a DVD.
DVDs are good if you know what to expect
They have a specific lane
Where a DVD can shine is when you’re looking for something that might not have a Blu-ray or 4K version, or you’re looking for a way to save a lot of cash. Thrift stores and used disc shops have DVDs at extremely low prices, and it’s often one of the most affordable ways to collect older TV shows without breaking the bank. I have seasons of Monk and Smallville on DVD, and while it’s not the best quality, it’s what I have. These aren’t shows where I need the best quality, since they originally broadcast back when TV quality wasn’t the best anyways. I wouldn’t want to watch something like Game of Thrones on DVD, but those early 2000s shows are fine.
As long as you’re aware of the limitations of the DVD format, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with picking up a few discs. It’s never going to match the quality of a Blu-ray or a 4K Blu-ray, even with upscaling, so don’t expect that out of it. DVDs are at their best when you can save an arm and a leg by picking up a stack of them. Perhaps you even want the novelty of using them with a CRT TV, where they do look surprisingly solid, probably due to the smaller screen sizes.
