Bluray backwards compatibility

[Davidk]

I have always understood that the later generation of players was backwards compatible - eg, a bluray player could detect and play a CD or a DVD, as well as bluray. At least in part, because the blank disks have the type(CD, DVD, Bluray) encoded in the blank during manufacture, and when burnt they also have the style (eg DVD DL, or +R) written to them at the start again so the files can be correctly recognised.

One of my VS students reported a case yesterday that's caused me to re-think that a bit.

The case was a home movie of her grandson's football matches, and the disk was created OK, but when loaded into the player, the image was reported to have text out of position and bounds, with what looked like "too much zoom". There was an exchange of 'have you?' and 'what if's' between us, and the reported result was - the same disk loaded into a standard DVD player (in lieu of the bluray item she was previously using) also attached to the same screen played perfectly. In this context, standard DVD image displayed on an HD screen may well look like too much zoom or as I put it "washed out" - not much detail because the HD system was filling in pixels on the screen for which it did not have enough data (756 pixel data amplified to 1920 or more will look like there isn't enough detail). But that doesn't explain off-centre text in the display.

Which brought into question of just how backwards compatible bluray players really were.

Can anyone offer any thoughts on that (backwards compatibility) subject?

DAvidk

[skier-hughes]

No idea on he actual question, but have you tried other bluray players to test if it's just one type?

[Ken Veal]

Have you tried going onto your graphics card website or doing a search to see if the player is compatible ?My new card gave a list of recommended blue ray recorders, dont know if the same applies to players.

[Davidk]

The lady concerned has only the one screen and Bluray player, so the answer to both Skier-hughes and Ken Veal is - no, there were no BD TV player alternatives to try.

But the question isn't about individual players - obviously we have one here that's doing unexpected things. But rather, what is the general "community" or even the bluray spec expectation about backwards compatibility. Someone probably knows that. The item that informed my original thoughts about that was my own PC BD player/burner - an LG BH16 unit. And it's spec sheet includes compatibility with a whole range of BD, DVD and CD disk variants. And as far as I can tell re burning a DVD on it and then playing on a standard DVD player it is (compatible). I don't have a BD TV player yet to make any comparisons with, so encountering one that gave the results reported was unexpected to say the least.

Davidk

[Ken Berry]

I use two PlayStation 3s as my Blu-Ray players (one upstairs, one down and both networked to my computer systems, one wireless and one hard wired). Both play not only Blu-Ray and hybrid AVCHD discs, but also standard def DVDs and CDs (and indeed VCDs and SVCDs -- remember those??? )They also play a variety of video formats on USB sticks and external USB hard drives (although the PS3 specifications require the USB drives to be formatted FAT and not NTFS).

But I'm afraid I also have no real idea more generally about backward compatibility. I do recall, though, the difficulties a lot of us had a few years ago getting our home made (with VS) DVDs to play in certain stand-alone DVD players. The problematic ones were usually the higher end, more expensive name brands which often didn't like a particular brand of discs, or if they were +R or -R, or even the coloured dye on them, or didn't want to play if the disc was burned at its maximum rated speed. It seemed at the time that there was almost a converse rule applying, whereby the cheaper the player, the more things it could play! In other words, what I am suggesting is that perhaps a similar thing may be happening with Blu-Ray players.

[Ken Veal]

My Pioneer blue ray player gets firmware updates via email which are then transferred to the player through a usb stick, is this available with the player in question?I did an internet search hoping to post some info re compatibility but there much out there, it is worth having a look.

[Davidk]

If it seems like I am being a bit vague about the details - that's probably true. The class on VS I mentor (and from which this query arose) are getting good enough at using it to make fair movies, but they are all retirees that are not IT people by any means - can work the technology as long as it doesn't do anything unusual or unexpected. Even getting them to have good file organisation habits (so they can find materials for projects) has been hard.

I would not think it hard for manufacturers to produce - as a result of combining specs for the various disks codecs and filetypes - equipment that should be backwards compatible and works. It's all in the embedded software. Nevertheless, as a quote I posted in another forum thread concerning filetypes and codecs indicated, while PC software can be updated, the code in entertainment systems like TV, monitors and player devices generally cannot. I've never had one that could, so altho it's nice to see that Ken has such a device with manufacturer support, that is a real exception. The manufacturers typically don't make provisions for it and often choose to take short cuts in the supported filetypes for commercial reasons. And that is possibly true for disk types as well, despite what the specs say. The usual means of update is - buy a new one. And if the old one is basically working Ok that's a tough call to make.

What the thread seems to be saying so far is that there is an expectation of backwards compatibility, some equipment actually is, but no one knows of a spec or standard that says they must be? Disappointing if true.http://forum.corel.com/EN/posting.php?m ... =1&t=53433#

Davidk