If you have a Sony PlayStation 5, do you really need one of the best 4K Blu-ray players? If you have the version of the console with a disc drive, common sense would seem to suggest that you don’t, as it’s perfectly capable of playing 4K Blu-rays.
However, there are compelling reasons to own both. What we have here is a classic case of convenience and value versus quality and ease of use. There are important things the PlayStation 5 just can’t do when it comes to playing discs, and when you’ve invested in one of the best TVs, you want to get the most out of it, right?
Still, the PS5 can play 4K Blu-rays, and actually it’s not bad at all, so in this guide we’ll explain exactly what it does well, and where it’s beaten by the power of a dedicated player.
What follows isn’t a completely fair fight – there are apples in one corner and pears in the other – but we’ll let both sides show off their significant pros and cons. And when it comes down to it, we both ask to do the same job.
So here we’ll talk about the PS5’s Blu-ray capabilities, but we’ll also compare it to the Panasonic DP-UB9000 Blu-ray Player, which actually costs a lot more (about $1,000 / £899 for the $ 499 from the PS5 / £449 – but they’re two players we’ve been able to compare through direct use, and it helps to show you just how good the PS5 is in certain places.
PS5 as a 4K Blu-ray player: specifications compared
Let’s go on: the PlayStation 5 is an average 4K Blu-ray player overall. There is no support for Dolby Vision HDR and immersive audio reproduction is a mess.
The console gives you Dolby Atmos sound from discs, but turning it on is far from intuitive. The PS5’s default audio format is multi-channel linear PCM, which doesn’t include all of Atmos’s excellent object-based surround wizardry. It can play Dolby Atmos from a Blu-ray, but you need to find the right setting to activate it. Once you’ve done that, you can choose to have it go through the ‘bitstream’, which basically means it only feeds all the audio data to your TV instead of processing it itself, so if you have a TV with Dolby Atmos support, you will then get the full effect.
There are actually two bitstream out settings on the console. To access the relevant movie menu, you’ll need to play your disc before pressing the Options button on the joypad and going to Settings. There you’ll find the bitstream out audio setting that unlocks Dolby Atmos.
When it comes to connectivity, the PS5 has a single HDMI output. Some Blu-ray players offer more. The premium Panasonic DP-UB9000 has two HDMIs, one of which is purely for audio (useful if you’re powering a screen and an AV receiver). There are also optical and coaxial digital audio outputs, stereo analog phonos and a full 7.1 channel output, plus balanced Neutrik XLR stereo connections – all of which might be of interest to home theater geeks. (OK, we admit we don’t use them all.)
It’s worth noting that the PS5 doesn’t support 3D Blu-rays (if you have them in your library).
PS5 as 4K Blu-ray player: picture and sound quality
We suspect most users will be happy with their PS5’s video performance, despite the lack of Dolby Vision support. Images show a lot of detail and the color fidelity is impressive. However, compared to the Panasonic DP-UB9000, it does not have the same subtle cinematic presentation.
Obviously a PlayStation 5 has a tremendous amount of processing power at its disposal, but its primary purpose is not to process video disc images. A dedicated player has only one goal and has chips designed solely around it.
For example, the Panasonic DP-UB9000 uses a second-generation HCX SoC with a 4K High Precision chroma processor and Multi-Tap filter that can interpolate a 4K 4:4:4 video output from 4K 4:2:0 content. Translated: image quality is superb.
The Panasonic also supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ dynamic metadata support, in addition to HDR10 and HLG. The PS5 only supports HDR10 and HLG.
Simply put, with a mid-range TV, the PS5’s picture performance is almost certainly good enough, but if you’ve invested in a large, high-end TV for home theater sensations, a dedicated player will be a notable improvement.
When it comes to audio quality, if you play discs with Dolby Atmos then provided you can output a Dolby Atmos bitstream correctly, there should be no significant difference between the PS5 and a dedicated Blu-ray player when it comes to immersive sound. In that case, your decoding electronics and speaker system require performance.
If you don’t have a Dolby Atmos sound system, you don’t have to bother selecting the PS5’s bitstream output. Stick with the PS5’s standard Linear PCM, as it actually sounds excellent.
A dedicated Blu-ray player will also support various high-end audio discs, with dedicated hardware to make the most of it – the PS5 can’t match this, but then only hardcore audiophiles would be interested anyway, and probably never consider it. the PS5 primarily for this task.
PS5 as 4K Blu-ray player: ease of use
When it comes to usability, a dedicated Blu-ray player outshines the PS5 hands down. An included standard remote is better suited for navigating disc menus than a joypad. You won’t be derailed by low battery warnings, or having to wait while the firmware is updated.
You can place a movie disc in the tray and press Play. If you need to navigate to a settings menu, it’s just a few clicks away.
That said, you can get the PS5 media remote for improved control compared to the DualSense controller, though you’ll have to pay extra for it. And some controls can be passed to your PS5 through your regular TV remote via HDMI-CEC, so you may find that you can use arrow buttons and play/pause buttons from your existing remote.
A dedicated 4K Blu-ray disc is compatible with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X or PCM multichannel. Bitstreaming from a regular Blu-ray player is a cinch compared to the settings you have to do in the PS5.
A dedicated deck is also quieter (although the PS5 isn’t particularly noisy for a big powerful console).
PS5 as 4K Blu-ray player: the conclusion
If all of the above hasn’t convinced you that a dedicated Blu-ray is better at spinning discs, then nothing will. But this doesn’t add up to a mountain of beans if you really want a PlayStation 5 for, you know, gaming.
It’s clear that when it comes to value for money, the PlayStation 5 is the clear winner. A Blu-ray player doesn’t even come close to its overall functionality. While we wouldn’t argue in favor of buying a PS5, mainly for its 4K Blu-ray powers, it will work just fine for most users.
But if you’re serious about home theater, a dedicated disc spinner makes perfect sense, especially when you pair it with a top-notch display and rich sound system.
It’s also worth noting that we rate the PS5 as a better Blu-ray player than the Xbox Series X. Picture quality is better – it’s that simple. We do have a separate guide to whether the Xbox Series X is a good 4K Blu-ray player if you want to read more.
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