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DVDs may seemingly be a thing of the past, but there are still a number of reasons why it’s worth keeping a DVD player around. Whether you’ve got screeners to review, need to keep the kids busy, or want to re-watch some of your favorite discs, a DVD player comes in handy when you’re stuck at home and looking to stay entertained.
The best DVD players these days are super affordable — we’ve found premium models for under $100 — and unlike the bulky, boxy DVD players of our youth, the latest DVD players are slim, streamlined units that easily tuck onto a table or shelf. They’re all packed with modern features too, like automatic upscaling of images to full HD and the ability to play a wide variety of file and disc-types (and yes, that includes DVDs you “burn” at home).
When it comes to films and documentaries, there are a lot of cult favorites and rarities that are still only available on DVD, despite how far technology has progressed since the films were first released. Case in point: many of these live concert films and music docs, which were specifically recorded for DVD, and have yet to be released for digital download or streaming. Many people also built up huge collections of DVDs that they’ve neglected over the years. Why are we so obsessed with vintage vinyl but scoff at old DVDs?
What You Need to Know Before Buying a DVD Player
Format: The acronym “DVD” stands for Digital Versatile Disc, and the format first came to prominence in the mid-to-late Nineties. Though it’s primarily used for video files, a DVD can actually store any kind of digital data. Different regions use different types of DVDs (I.e. a DVD you buy from China may not play on your DVD player here in the U.S.). However, we’ve included an option for a region-free DVD player, that will accept and play discs from all regions without stalling.
DVD vs CD: A compact disc (CD) is the same size as a DVD, but a DVD has more storage capacity, hence why it’s used to store audio and video files versus just audio. Some DVDs used to also be double-sided (side A and side B), with different files on each side, though that was discontinued after people found it cumbersome to manually flip the disc (and DVD players weren’t equipped with that ability).
Blu-ray vs. DVD Player: The main difference between Blu-ray technology and a DVD lies in the resolution. DVDs top out at 480i resolution, while Blu-ray discs have an upper level of 1080p. Blu-ray also supports HDR (High Dynamic Range) and WCG (Wide Color Gamut), and the latest Blu-ray players can run 4K content. The best DVD players will convert content from your DVDs to as close to 1080p HD as possible, but the image quality still won’t be as dynamic. A final difference: most Blu-ray players will be able to plays DVDs but not vice-versa.
