It’s no surprise that 4K Blu-ray is much better than DVD. Not only are we talking about the massive leap from 480p to 2160p, but we’re also looking at a huge jump in audio quality. There’s really no debating that, even if you’re somebody who has a soft spot for DVD. What can be argued, however, is the quality of a 4K Blu-ray disc. While most of the 4K upgrades are good, there are some that are botched, for lack of a better term.
There’s a mix of some famous examples, while others are lesser known, but the reality is that there are some 4K Blu-ray transfers that you should steer clear of. In fact, there are some examples where a regular DVD is preferred over the 4K release. That’s obviously going to come down to how much you can tolerate the look of a DVD on a 4K screen. Upscaling can help, but it can only do so much.
In some cases, it’s worth hanging on to the DVD copy of your movie just for special packaging or features that aren’t included in the 4K release. This does happen, and it’s part of why some box sets are still sought after even if the 4K release looks much better.
UHD Blu-ray technology
Trivia challenge
4K discs, Dolby Vision, and beyond — how much do you really know about UHD
Blu-ray?
4K VideoAudioHardwareFormatsStandards
What is the maximum video resolution supported by the UHD Blu-ray format?
Correct! UHD Blu-ray supports a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160,
commonly known as 4K UHD. This is four times the pixel count of standard 1080p Full HD Blu-ray,
delivering stunning on-screen detail.
Not quite. The answer is 3840 x 2160, which is standard 4K UHD
resolution. While 8K (7680 x 4320) exists as a consumer format, UHD Blu-ray tops out at 4K — still a
massive leap over traditional Full HD discs.
What is the typical maximum data capacity of a dual-layer UHD Blu-ray disc?
Correct! A dual-layer UHD Blu-ray disc can hold up to 100GB of data.
This extra capacity over standard Blu-ray’s 50GB ceiling allows studios to pack in high-bitrate 4K video
alongside lossless audio tracks and bonus features.
Not quite. The correct answer is 100GB for a dual-layer UHD Blu-ray
disc. Standard Blu-ray maxes out at 50GB on a dual-layer disc, but UHD Blu-ray needed more headroom to
accommodate the much larger 4K video files and premium audio formats.
Which of the following lossless audio formats is natively supported on UHD Blu-ray
discs?
Correct! DTS-HD Master Audio is one of the lossless audio formats
officially supported by the UHD Blu-ray specification. It delivers bit-for-bit identical audio to the
studio master, making it a favourite among home cinema enthusiasts.
Not quite. DTS-HD Master Audio is the correct answer. Dolby Digital Plus
is actually a lossy compressed format, not lossless, while MP3 Surround and AAC 5.1 are not part of the
UHD Blu-ray audio specification at all.
Which High Dynamic Range (HDR) format was mandatory in the original UHD Blu-ray
specification?
Correct! HDR10 is the mandatory baseline HDR format for all UHD Blu-ray
discs. It uses static metadata and supports up to 10-bit colour depth with a peak brightness of 10,000
nits, significantly improving contrast and colour range over SDR content.
Not quite. HDR10 is the mandatory HDR format in the UHD Blu-ray spec.
Dolby Vision and HDR10+ are optional enhancements that some studios add on top, but every UHD Blu-ray
player and disc must support HDR10 as the baseline standard.
What laser colour is used in UHD Blu-ray players to read discs?
Correct! UHD Blu-ray players use a violet (blue-violet) laser with a
wavelength of 405nm, the same as standard Blu-ray. This shorter wavelength compared to the red laser
used in DVDs allows data to be packed much more densely on the disc surface.
Not quite. The answer is violet — specifically a blue-violet laser at
405nm. DVDs use a red laser at 650nm, and CDs use an infrared laser at 780nm. The shorter the
wavelength, the more data can be stored, which is why Blu-ray outpaces its predecessors.
What maximum video bitrate does the UHD Blu-ray specification allow for video
content?
Correct! The UHD Blu-ray specification allows a maximum video bitrate of
82 Mbps. This is substantially higher than standard Blu-ray’s 40 Mbps ceiling, enabling richer detail,
smoother gradients, and less compression artefacts in 4K content.
Not quite. The correct maximum video bitrate is 82 Mbps. Standard
Blu-ray tops out at 40 Mbps, and while streaming services like Netflix offer 4K, they typically deliver
it at just 15–25 Mbps — making physical UHD Blu-ray the highest quality option available to consumers.
Which video codec is most commonly used to encode 4K content on UHD Blu-ray discs?
Correct! H.265, also known as HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding), is
the dominant codec used on UHD Blu-ray. It offers roughly twice the compression efficiency of H.264,
meaning studios can deliver 4K footage at high quality without exhausting the disc’s storage capacity.
Not quite. H.265 (HEVC) is the correct answer. While H.264 was the
workhorse of standard Blu-ray, it simply isn’t efficient enough to handle 4K video at acceptable quality
levels within the disc’s bitrate limits. AV1 is a newer codec but isn’t part of the UHD Blu-ray spec.
Which of the following connection types is required to pass a UHD Blu-ray signal at
full 4K HDR quality from a player to a TV?
Correct! HDMI 2.0 or higher is required to carry a 4K HDR signal from a
UHD Blu-ray player to a display. HDMI 2.0 supports the 18 Gbps bandwidth needed for 4K at 60fps with
HDR, whereas HDMI 1.4 maxes out at 4K/30fps without HDR support.
Not quite. HDMI 2.0 or higher is the correct answer. HDMI 1.4 can
technically carry a 4K signal but only at 30fps and without HDR, making it insufficient for the full UHD
Blu-ray experience. Component video is an analogue connection and cannot carry 4K signals at all.
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Old Star Wars DVDs have the theatrical cuts on them
The last remnants of the Old Republic
The theatrical versions of the original Star Wars films are hard to come by nowadays, as they’ve pretty much been totally replaced by the 1997 special editions. That doesn’t mean they’re impossible to find, though. If you track down the 2006 DVDs of A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, or Return of the Jedi, you can get both the special edition and the original releases — well, as close as you can get. Instead of being the actual theatrical version, they’re based on the LaserDisc versions, so it’s a weird middle ground between theatrical and special edition.
If you know where to look, you can find the original theatrical cuts of the original trilogy in 4K, and you can even experience them on your TV through the power of the USB port. If you don’t want to take that route, these DVDs are the next best option. Yes, they’re DVDs, but these make for a nice collector’s item. They aren’t very expensive either if you browse around eBay. I’ve even come across a few at thrift stores for cheap.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is awful on 4K Blu-ray
Many actually prefer the DVD
It’s almost common knowledge at this point that Terminator 2 has a terrible 4K disc. If you’re a fan of DNR (digital noise reduction), then you might actually like it. The problem with this version is that all of the film grain has effectively been scrubbed out of it, and the result is an image that looks like vaseline as been smeared all over it. I don’t like the look of it at all, and it’s something that many of James Cameron’s 4K releases have been plagued with. His True Lies 4K fell victim to the same thing. I have the T2 4K, and I don’t enjoy popping that into my player, I’ll tell you that much.
If you have the Blu-ray or DVD copy of this movie, you better hang on to it, as it’s the only official way to watch the movie with its grain intact. It’s hard to say a DVD looks better than an actual 4K release, but that’s where we’re at. If you want something more akin to how the movie originally looked, the DVD or Blu-ray is your best choice. The original releases also have the added benefit of the original mono soundtrack, something that a lot of new 4K releases fall victim to. There’s plenty of room for soundtracks, so there’s no reason not to include original theatrical tracks if they’re out there.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy has very cool DVD packaging
It’s worth having for this alone
A lot of what makes physical media cool is how it looks on your shelf. There’s a reason people gravitate toward special edition releases, and it’s not always because of it being in the best format. The Lord of the Rings has always had good home video releases, and I’d argue the 4K box set is actually the worst of them all, packaging-wise. It still comes in a box, but it feels very uninspired compared to older releases on the market.
Those Extended Edition DVDs that looked like books on your shelf were some of the best-looking box sets around, and I’d even say they still are to this day. The Blu-ray Extended Edition set is nice as well, but nothing beats those original DVDs. I wouldn’t want to watch those movies on DVD today, but I certainly think they’re worth owning just for display purposes. It also helps that you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to get your hands on the set.
