What Formats Do DVD Players Support? A Complete Guide

You'd think all DVD players are the same, right? You pop in a disc, and it just plays. But if you've ever tried to play a homemade DVD or an old movie and gotten an error message, you know that's not always the case. The truth is, not all DVD players can read every type of disc or digital file. Understanding what formats your player supports is the key to avoiding frustration and ensuring a smooth movie night. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about DVD player formats compatibility, from the standard movie discs to the other formats you might encounter.

Part 1. What Format Are DVDs

The DVD, which stands for digital versatile disc or digital video disc, is a digital optical disc data storage medium. The video/audio format that DVD use is MPEG-2. Formerly, it was mostly used for storing software and other computer files and has been widely used as a medium to watch videos with a DVD player later.

DVDs use a specific folder structure and file extensions to organize video, audio, and navigation data. Here's a quick breakdown of the key file extensions you'll find on a standard DVD-Video disc:

These files are typically located in the VIDEO_TS folder on the disc. There's also an AUDIO_TS folder, which is usually empty unless the disc is a DVD-Audio format.

But not all DVDs are compatible with all DVD players. So, what formats do DVD players use?

Part 2. Formats DVD player use

DVD players usually could load regular DVDs, VCDs and SVCDs. A modern DVD player that has DivX certification could read AVI file coded in DivX on data DVD. That is more convenient, because most videos downloaded online are DivX encoded. You can burn the movie to DVD and play it on a modern DVD player directly without transformation. The benefit of DivX codec is to compress long video into small size while maintaining relatively high visual quality. In addition, some modern DVD players can play Blu-ray discs, like AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player.

We use AVI and MP4 on PCs regularly; however, they are not normal file formats DVD players use. MP4 has been supposed to be the official container for MPEG-4 video; but it never became prevalent. Instead, people have to compress the video into other formats, like DivX.

There are some specialized DVD players on market, like blu ray DVD players, 4k blu ray DVD players and more. These DVD players could read more disc video formats and video files.

Here, you can check what detailed file types DVD players read:

Part 3. Troubleshoot

Sometimes, your DVD player may refuse to load a DVD. Besides the format DVD players use, there are some reasons that could lead to a DVD being unreadable.

Dirty Lens

• • The laser lens inside the player might be dusty or smudged.
• • Fix: Use a lens cleaning disc or gently clean the lens with a soft cloth and cleaning spray.

Scratched or Dirty Disc

• • Even minor scratches or smudges can prevent the player from reading the disc.
• • Fix: Try cleaning the disc or test another DVD to confirm it’s not the player’s fault. Some people swear by using toothpaste or Vaseline to buff out scratches (gently!).

Improper Disc Placement

• • If the disc isn’t seated properly, the player may not detect it.
• • Fix: Reload the disc, making sure the label faces up and it’s centered in the tray.

Region Code Mismatch

• • DVDs are coded by region, and your player may not support the disc’s region.
• • Fix: Check the region code on both the disc and player. You can change the player’s region a limited number of times, or convert the DVD to a region-free digital file.

Loose or Faulty Connections

• • HDMI or AV cables might be loose or damaged, disrupting the signal.
• • Fix: Check all cables and ports. Unplug and replug them firmly.

Outdated Firmware

• • Some players need firmware updates to stay compatible with newer discs.
• • Fix: Visit the manufacturer’s website for updates and follow their instructions.

Part 4. Create DVDs with AnyMP4 DVD Creator

AnyMP4 DVD Creator is a professional DVD creator. It has the capacity to burn any popular video format, like MP4, AVI, WMV, FLV, 3GP and more, to DVD with high image and audio quality. So you can create a playable DVD without understand what format do DVD players use. Moreover, DVD Creator supports to burn video to DVD folder and ISO file. You can playback DVD folder or ISO file on DVD player via USB flash drive.

1. Open AnyMP4 DVD Creator on your computer and insert a new disc into CD-ROM drive.

2. Click on Add Media Files button on home screen and import the videos to burn on DVD. If you want to create a DVD with online videos, you can press Download Online Video button.

3. After videos imported, click on Next button to go to next screen.

4. In settings screen, you can customize some basic parameters, like DVD Type to create, Aspect Ratio and Video Quality.

create-a-dvd

5. Tap on Next button to navigate to template screen. And you can choose your favorite template on the video.

6. When you are ready, click on Next button to start burning DVD.

A few minutes later, you get a DVD player compatible disc.

Part 5. Play DVDs with AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player

Even if you can use a DVD creator to make DVDs for your DVD player, however, DVD player software is essential because most modern computers no longer include built-in support for DVD playback. Besides, the discs themselves use specialized formats like MPEG-2 and Dolby audio that require dedicated codecs. A DVD player program can handle encryption and region coding found on commercial DVDs, allowing you to access content that would otherwise be restricted.

AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player is one of the best player software. It supports playing multiple types of DVDs, such as DVD-ROM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-DL, DVD-R, and DVD+R. With it, you don't need to take a heavy DVD player to play your DVDs.

Beyond basic playback, they enable full DVD functionality, like navigating menus, viewing subtitles, and skipping chapters, offering a complete viewing experience. In short, the software bridges the gap between your hardware and the complex structure of DVD media.

Here are a few steps on how to play DVDs with AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player.

1.Download, install, and launch AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player on your computer. Then, insert the DVD into the DVD drive.

2.Click File on the left top or directly click the Open Disc button in the center of the main interface to open the file you want to play. Then, the player will play your video automatically.

Note: You can use this tool to play DVDs on Windows 8, 8.1, 10, and 11, because Windows removed built-in DVD playback from Windows Media Player starting with Windows 8.

Conclusion

In this article, we have introduced what format do DVD players use. For most ordinary people, it is difficult to understand the specialized concepts related to encode. And readable formats to various DVD players are different. A regular DVD player, for example, could play videos in MPEG-2; while only the DVD players that have DivX certification could read AVI. And you cannot play popular online video on DVD players directly.

Actually, ordinary people could use DVD creator to burn playable DVD easily. We introduced a simple DVD burning program, DVD Flick, for Windows users. If you need a more powerful DVD creator, you can try AnyMP4 DVD Creator. It not only produces readable DVDs for DVD players, but also creates DVD folder and ISO files. Moreover, AnyMP4 DVD Creator is a cross-platform application available to both Windows and macOS.