The Most Overall Answers to DVD Resolution

Q1: What is normal DVD’s resolution? I want to burn some videos on a normal DVD, and I want to know the standard DVD resolution.

A1: In addition to HD DVD and Blu-ray, the standard DVD’s resolution is 720×480 pixels for NTSC DVD and 720×576 pixels for PAL DVD in either 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio. Therefore, you need to understand that the standard DVD video resolution belongs to SD (standard definition) instead of HD (high definition).

Q2: Does higher DVD resolution mean better video quality? Why many people prefer to DVD’s resolution like DVD 720p or DVD 1080p?

A2: This is a misunderstanding about DVD quality resolution. It cannot improve DVD quaility to HD standard. What really affects video quality is the video bit rate, rather than the resolution. If the bit rate of the source video is very low, then higher resolution will result in video quality degradation. Just imagine, a fuzzy picture, even if it is magnified many times, the final effect will get worse and worse. That is the same reason.

Q3: Can I burn 720p or 1080p videos on a DVD disc? I have a Blu-ray Player, so will the video look better?

A3: You can burn 720p or 1080p videos/movies on a DVD disc. But in fact, during the burning process, the DVD burning software has automatically re-encoded the video and downscale it to the standard DVD resolution above. If you want a video with 1080p quality, you need to burn it to a Blu-ray Recordable (BD-R) disc with a Blu-ray burner. Otherwise, even if you insert a DVD into a Blu-ray burner, the normal DVD won’t record 1080p.