Although the age of using DVDs is coming to an end, I am still not ready to part ways with hundreds of them in my collection. Probably no DVD enthusiast would. And with time, the only thing that has ever replaced my DVD player is my PS4.
Just last week, one of my friends came over to spend some quality time, and we decided to watch a classic movie together. As I inserted the movie’s DVD into my PS4, my friend shocked me by telling me that he never knew if PS4 could play the DVDs.
The PS4 has been out for about eight years now. But most people still seem unaware of all the features of this console, especially the ability to play the DVDs. That’s why I decided to write this article to clear up the confusion.
Can the PS4 play DVDs? Yes, PS4 can play DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. You will have to enable the disc playback feature of the PS4 over the internet (for the first time only). Once that feature has been enabled, the PS4 will play the DVDs even without an internet connection. However, PS4 does not support the UHD Blu-Ray format.
Many people are seldom aware that the PS4 can also play DVD or Blu-Ray discs. They just switch to Netflix to stream movies or use a dedicated DVD player. But the PS4 is actually a really good DVD player: Easily as good as some of the best dedicated upscaling DVD players money can buy.
If you are interested in knowing all about the DVDs and PS4, this article is just the one for you. Let’s dig deeper into details surrounding your favorite console and the digital video discs.
Can The PS4 Play DVDs?
The PlayStation 4 is a powerful gaming machine with many features. One feature that has not been widely known by PS4 owners is its ability to play DVDs.
The PlayStation 4 can indeed play DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. You don’t have to purchase a separate DVD player or Blu-Ray player for that purpose.
You will be able to watch your favorite movies after connecting your console to the internet and enabling the disc playback feature (one time only). Once you have enabled that feature, your PS4 won’t have to connect to the internet again to play BDs or DVDs.
Next time, just insert the disc and select the DVD content from the content area to play it. But your PS4 doesn’t support all the disc formats.
Here are the formats your PS4 can play:
- Blu-Ray Disc Formats
- BD-ROM (Hybrid discs are supported)
- BD-R/RE (BDAV, BDMV)
- DVD Formats
- DVD-ROM
- DVD-R/RW – video mode, VR mode (AVCHD and CPRM are supported)
- DVD+R/RW (AVCHD is supported)
These supported formats are the same for all PS4 editions (PS4, PS4 Pro, PS4 Slim). Now let’s move on to the steps you should follow to play those DVDs.
How To Play DVDs On PS4?
The first thing you have to do is to ensure that your PS4 is connected to the internet.
If you are trying to play a DVD on your console for the first time without an internet connection, this message will pop up on your screen:
“To play Blu-Ray discs or DVD videos, you must enable this PS4’s disc playback feature via the internet. Connect the PS4 to the internet and play the disc again. The disc playback feature will be automatically enabled, and you will be able to play videos. (NW31246-6)”.
The error code at the end of the message simply suggests that the DNS settings are invalid. That means the internet connection is either unstable, or there’s no internet connection at all.
Here’s how you can enable the disc playback feature and play the DVDs.
- Take Out The Disc First
Eject the disc if you have already inserted it without connecting your PS4 to the internet.
- Connect The PS4 To The Internet
Now connect your PS4 to the internet. Make sure that the connection is stable. Go to “Settings” > “Network” > “Set Up Internet Connection,” and then follow the on-screen instructions to configure the network settings.
You can use either Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable (LAN connection) to connect your PS4 system to the internet.
- Enable The Disc Playback
The disc playback feature will be automatically enabled when you insert your DVD in the PS4 after connecting the console to the internet. No extra steps there.
After this, you can play your DVDs automatically without any issues. No need to connect your PS4 to the internet hereafter.
This process is pretty straightforward, and you should be able to play the disc formats your console supports. But at times, your PS4 may refuse to budge and play the DVDs even after you’ve followed the above steps correctly. Let’s go through why it happens.
Why Can’t I Play DVDs on my PS4?
There are several reasons you won’t be able to play DVDs or Blu-Ray discs on your PS4.
- Playback Format Not Supported
Your PS4 does not support the playback of these types of discs.
- CD
- BD-RE version.1.0
- BD-R/RE XL
- DVDs that have not been finalized.
- UHD Blu-Ray format
Burning videos on the DVDs in any incompatible formats will also render them unplayable on your PS4.
- Physical Features Not Supported
Do not attempt playing these DVDs, as doing so may damage your console’s optical drive or laser.
- 8 cm discs.
- Non-circular discs, such as discs in the shape of a card, square, or heart.
- Discs that are cracked or deformed, or discs that have been repaired.
Make sure you are using only the compatible ones to avoid any physical damage to the optical drive.
- DualDisc Not Supported
A DualDisc DVD has one side that conforms to the DVD standard and the other side that is audio-only. Your PS4 system cannot play the audio-only side.
- Outdated Encryption Keys
For continuous playback of copyright-protected DVDs or Blu-Ray discs, AACS (Advanced Access Content System) encryption key might need renewal every once in a while. The encryption key is automatically renewed when your PS system is connected to the Internet after you have inserted the DVD.
- Damaged Discs
Some DVDs may not be playable due to scratches on the surface, dust, or simply the lousy recording quality. In case of dust, just take out the DVD, clean it and insert it again.
However, if there are scratches or grooves on the plastic surface of the DVD, you’ll have to do more than just clean it. Grind the surface down a little, polish or buff it to make it good enough to be played on your PS4.
This way, you will just be resurfacing or refinishing the DVD surface without tampering with the data.
- Region Code Not Matching
Region coding is a standard for most commercial DVDs and Blu-Rays. And your PS4 is region-locked for multimedia content on DVDs.
DVD won’t play? It could be because of your DVD’s region code, which differs from the region settings on your PS4. There are several workarounds for this issue. The easiest one is to copy your DVD multimedia to a USB stick and then insert it in your PS4 to play the contents of the DVD.
- PS4 Optical Drive or Laser Issues
If you have checked and ensured that the issue is not related to any of the ones above, the optical drive of your console may be faulty, or the laser diode may have malfunctioned.
You can confirm this by:
- Noticing the weird sounds of your PS4’s optical drive’s rotation by listening closely when the disc is inserted.
- Looking at your DVD, which will have circular scratch marks all over its surface due to the faulty laser of your console.
Get professional help as soon as you suspect that your console has malfunctioned to avoid further damage to the optical drive or laser.
- Issues In Recording Softwares Or Manufacturing Process
In some rare cases, DVDs, Blu-Rays, and other media may not play properly on your PS4. That may be because of the differences in the manufacturing process of DVDs or encoding of the multimedia recording software.
When PS4 does not support the format of multimedia files on your disc, it will not play the DVD. In that case, you will have to RIP your DVD to your PS4. That’s what we are about to learn in the next section.
How To RIP DVDs To Your PS4?
Even though the PS4 can play DVDs, it’s still far from perfect. Sometimes, the lack of video playback of specific formats on DVDs may become a reason for frustration.
So you will have to RIP those DVDs to your PS4 first. The files will then be converted into a PS4 supported format so that you will have no issues playing them on your console.
There are several DVD rippers available over the internet. You can even opt for a free version if you are not willing to pay for it. Most of the DVD rippers can also rip copyright-protected DVDs, regardless of the number of files or the length of the videos.
Just be sure that you own the DVD that you wish to copy to your PS4.
Here’s the easiest way to RIP DVDs To Your PS4.
- Download A DVD File Ripper
Some DVD rippers are more suitable for ripping HD movies, keeping subtitles and other details intact. Others work best for ripping different types of data. Just download the one you think is more appropriate for your needs and install it on your PC.
- Import Your DVD Multimedia
Load your DVD into the computer’s DVD-ROM, launch the ripper program and click on “Load DVD” from the interface. While most DVD rippers have that option named “Load DVD,” the wordings may vary for others. However, the function remains the same.
Now import or load the files that you want to convert into PS4 friendly formats.
- Select The Output Format
Now choose the output format of your multimedia files. PS4 supports several formats. The best one that PS4 can play seamlessly in HD is the MP4 format.
- Select The Output Folder
Once you have selected the format, choose the output folder of your converted files.
- Convert The Movies To PS4-Supported Format
Now initiate the conversion and give the software a few minutes to convert all the files into the desired format. Once the files have been converted, simply transfer the videos to your PS4 to enjoy a seamless experience.
Converting the file formats was easy, but what if the resolution of your videos or DVDs is lower than you want it to be? Would your PS4 upscale it to a higher resolution then? Let’s get to know more about it.
Does the PS4 Upscale DVDs to 1080p/4k?
Are you looking to upgrade your TV and wondering if the PS4 will upscale DVDs to 1080p/4k? The answer is different for different versions of PS4.
PS4 Pro does upscale DVDs to 1080p/4K as long as you have a 4K display. The PlayStation 4 Pro can upscale Full HD content (1080p) at up to 60fps. But if your TV doesn’t support 4K resolution, PS4 Pro won’t be able to upscale everything in full resolution.
Technically, the PS4 Pro supports a technology that is far superior to upscaling. It is called checkerboard rendering. The resulting differences between the video qualities of upscaling and checkerboard rendering are exceptional. The latter provides richer and smoother graphics.
On the other hand, PS4 and PS4 Slim do not support upscaling, but if you own a 4K TV, the upscaling is handled by the TV itself.
Unfortunately, upscaling is not something that you can control or configure. It is native to the devices, so you won’t be able to upgrade your PS4 or PS4 Slim to incorporate upscaling physically.
So PS4 Pro is your best bet if you are into watching DVD movies in 4K resolution.
However, even if you are all set to watch your favorite DVDs in 4K, you may encounter another issue of having your DVDs unplayable due to region restrictions. The following section will look into the probable solutions to that issue.
Can The PS4 Play DVDs From Any Region?
PS4 games are region-free. That means you can play your copy of the game anywhere in the world. However, DVDs are copyright-protected discs and have region restrictions as well. And PS4 is region-locked for both DVDs and Blu-Ray discs.
However, you have the option to change the DVD region code of your PS4 4 times. 4 times only. After that, your region code will be locked forever. But how can you change your system’s region to match the one on DVDs? There are several solutions to this issue.
- Change The Default DVD Region On PS4
- Insert a DVD (of a foreign region) into your PS4. A message will pop up on the screen saying:
“To play this DVD, change the DVD region code of the PS4.”
- Click on “Next” to go to the following prompt. You will now be given an option to choose the DVD region code of your PS4.
You simply cannot play any foreign DVDs and out-of-region content on your PS4. Whenever you try to play a DVD of another region on your PS4 after consuming the limit (of 4 times), you’ll get the following error:
“Cannot play this disc due to region restriction. (CE-35489-9)”
The error code represents an invalid region, and you won’t be able to change the region setting of your PS4 henceforth.
- Use a DVD Ripper To Remove Region Restrictions
Another option to play a region-restricted DVD on your PS4 is to make it region-free. A good DVD ripper software should be able to remove the DVD region restrictions of all the regions and any other encryptions on the DVD.
- RIP your DVD Contents On A Flash Drive
Any easy workaround for region restriction is to copy your DVD multimedia to a USB stick and then insert it in your PS4 to play the disc’s contents.
The next thing you may think of is if you can play media remotely on your PS4 with DVDs. The following section explains it all, so let’s get into it.
How To Use The Media Remotely On PS4 With DVDs
The Remote Play feature of your PS4 allows you to stream your games to a remote device. By installing it on a device that supports a DualShock controller, you can use your PS4 on that device’s screen. This feature allows you to access your PlayStation 4 even when you don’t have access to your TV.
However, Remote Play is not available when a DVD or Blu-Ray disc is playing on the PS4.
But what’s the reason behind it? That’s because the DVDs have copy protection. And that includes streaming too. The PlayStation doesn’t know that you are trying to watch the media remotely with DVDs for personal use only. It could be considered copyright infringement.
But either way, movies and media on DVDs are unavailable to be streamed remotely.