Will non-HD/blu-ray dvds play on HD/blu-ray players?

Question

I need to buy a new dvd player and i'd quite like an hd or blu-ray player. However, i don't want to have to update my entire dvd collection. Some information would be nice :)

Answer 1

yes

i think i got Toshiba hd player and normal Sony player and thy both play the the hd DVD but blu ray can only play on blu ray DVD player and the cheepest player is PS3

Answer 2

Don't buy an HD DVD player.

They are phasing those out.

Get a Blu-ray player.

I bought a PS3 in December and love it.

PS3s play Blu-ray discs and regular DVDs.

A PS3 is the same price as any of the other Blu-ray players and have really cool games.  Love Call of Duty 4...

Might as well have the ability to play games for the same price.

You can also access the internet with a PS3.

And they have the best upconvert I've ever seen.

Your old DVDs will look almost HD.

Answer 3

HD-DVD is dead in the water (like Beta), get a Blu-Ray player (e.g. Playstation 3).

They will play all normal DVD's and upscale them nicely to an HD-Ready TV for you, can be used on a standard telly too and looks great.

Answer 4

Tazzi Pee,

You don't want to buy an HD DVD player due to them being phased out because blu-ray won the format war, if you do you'll will regret buying one because all of the new movies are being released on blu-ray now.

Now onto your question;  You will not have to update your entire dvd collection because blu-ray players can and will play your regular dvd movies and depending on the blu-ray player sometimes even convert the format to 720 or 1080i or p.

Just my 2 cents, I hope this helps.

Answer 5

Yes, your DVD collection will play in a Blu-ray player -- and you definitely don't want the now-defunct HD DVD unless you can get a player plus movies for almost nothing.

I recommend the 40gb Playstation 3 because:

1) It's one of the cheapest Blu-ray players at $400 USD. In the UK it's about £285.

2) It will upconvert your existing DVDs to HD-resolution and output it by HDMI which is the ideal digital collection. Note that upconverted DVDs will look sharper but still nowhere near the detail of good Blu-ray disks.

3) It can connect to internet by wi-fi to download new videos, trailers, or upgrade itself. The latest update includes something called BD-Live which lets you download new content when you insert movie disks that support it.

4) It's the latest Playstation and can download free game demos to play.

Only downside is that it's a bit bulkier and may not stack well with other devices unless it's at the top. If that's important then consider getting a stand-alone Blu-ray player.

Answer 6

Just to add to the great advice that many people have already given.

If you still have a tube television, do not expect a much better picture over DVD's.  The real treat from Blu-ray players will come when you upgrade your television to either a 40"+ plasma or lcd "Full HD" (1080p) display.  That's a picture with six times the detail than most current tube televisions!

Answer 7

Standard DVDs playback in a blu-ray player and are upscaled to HD resolution, though other factors that affect picture quality other than resolution remain the same - so compared to a good blu-ray transfer will still not look that great, but better than they would on a standard DVD player.

Upconversion can only be done through component and HDMI connections.

Answer 8

Yes. They are backward compatible so you do not have to update your dvd collection.