I’ve been a physical media lover for much of my life, and I’ve been collecting 4K Blu-ray discs for years now. Over those years, I’ve made my fair share of mistakes and wasted some money. I haven’t outright regretted any of my purchases, even my Morbius steelbook, but I certainly could’ve saved some cash.
Mistake is a loaded word, but for lack of a better one, I’d say there are a few major mistakes you can make as a collector. As you might’ve noticed, this isn’t a cheap hobby, so everything you add to your collection should be something you’ll watch or plan to watch at some point in the future. Loading up on $30 movies to sit on your shelf isn’t a good strategy, but we’re all guilty of it. Part of the fun of this hobby is just picking up random things that catch your eye, but you have to balance that with a selection of things you’re actually excited about. I hope these tips can help you avoid the mistakes I, and many others, have made.
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.
Your Score
/ 8
Thanks for playing!
Don’t buy movies because they look good
Buy them because you like them
I see people constantly asking questions like what’s the best looking 4K disc in your collection, and while that’s a fair question to ask, you should also ask yourself if you’d like the movie in the first place. Gemini Man is a movie that’s often called one of the best looking discs, but I don’t think very many people would be happy watching it on their display for enjoyment. The same goes for those Planet Earth documentaries that pop in 4K. I don’t think I’d get a lot of rewatch value out of a documentary, and that’s something I value a lot in my collection.
I’m obviously guilty of breaking this rule from time to time, but I’ve slowed down on it as of late, mainly due to 4K discs just costing so much these days. I can’t afford to pick up something that looks good for the sake of looking good. The good news is that there are many movies where both things are true — I don’t think you’ll find many people saying Blade Runner 2049 is a bad movie or bad-looking.
Sales can be too tempting, and your backlog will be angry
Don’t mindlessly buy everything
Something I’ve learned about this hobby is that there’s a selection of movies that feel like they’re always on sale, and if they’re not, it’s only a matter of time before they are. An example of this is The Lord of the Rings trilogy. That’s a trilogy I would suggest to never buy at full price because a sale is right around the corner. For that reason, I don’t think it’s worth immediately jumping on that when it hits a low price if you have no intention of watching it right away. There are many movies that fit this bill, and once you check out a few sales, like Prime Day or GRUV’s weekly sales, you’ll catch on to what’s always discounted.
Backlogs are something that happens naturally, but you can minimize it by going through what you already own before buying a laundry list of new movies. I get that it’s fun when mail day comes, and you have 10 new movies in the collection, but then you have to find a home for 10 more movies, and there’s no telling how long it’ll take to get to them. According to my Letterboxd list, I’ve only watched 56% of what I’ve owned, so I’m very guilty of doing this. I’ve been better, but I admit that there are still some moments of weakness that slip in.
Feel free to sneak in some regular Blu-ray discs
You don’t have to only buy 4K movies
It might sound like heresy, but what if I told you that you don’t always need to buy the latest release on 4K Blu-ray? I know, I know, but it’s true. When I finish watching a really good movie, rarely am I talking about how it looked or sounded. Don’t get me wrong, that’s important stuff, and it’s a big reason why I’m on board with the 4K format, but the quality of a film is far more important.
I’ve found that for many releases, mainly comedies, you don’t have to splurge and get the 4K release when you can find a Blu-ray release for half the price. The Bugonia Blu-ray I picked up on sale from Amazon might not look the same as the 4K release, but I wouldn’t say it’s bad. I still pick up quite a few Blu-ray discs, and it’s only with DVDs where I draw the line. In 2026, I’m not really interested in watching a 480p disc, even if it is the only option available. I’d much rather deal with streaming at that point. You’ll find that mixing some Blu-ray discs into your collection will be a lot healthier for your wallet, and it might actually allow you to watch more movies in the long run. Thrift stores typically have a vast collection of Blu-ray discs to sift through, while the 4K collection is much smaller and more expensive.
