PS5 has a better 4K Blu-Ray player than Xbox Series X
According to an audio-visual expert’s testing
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If you’ve ever wondered if thePS5has a better4K Blu-Ray playerthan theXbox Series X, we finally have an answer: it turns out that the PS5 takes the crown.
Vincent Teoh fromHDTVTestput the two consoles side-by-side for an in-depth comparison, which revealed that the Xbox Series X exhibits more color banding than PS5, and that the Xbox Series X doesn’t display 12-bit color, leading to less chroma bandwidth thanSony’s machine.
The PS5 also avoids the odd stutter or frame rate hitch during playback, which the Xbox Series X is prone to. Teoh shows this problem in action in the4KBlu-Ray release of the Fifth Element, which shows how the Xbox Series X skips frames.
While most casual viewers are unlikely to notice these issues, it’s clear that the PS5 has a slight edge over Xbox Series X when it comes to 4K Blu-Ray playback, which Teoh summarises nicely below.
“To sum up, the Sony PS5 is better than the Xbox Series X in terms of 4K Blu Ray playback,” Teoh says. “While casual viewers will still be satisfied with the4KHDRpresentation from the Xbox Series X, when watchingUltra HDBlu Rays, the Sony PlayStation 5 simply delivered superior color gradation with less posterization, higher chroma bandwidth with less roll-off, as well as glitch-free 24 FPS output.”
Media frenzy
It’s worth noting that even though the Xbox Series X loses out in this head to head comparison, it’s the only console that supportsDolby VisionandDolby Atmoswhen using streaming apps likeNetflix. The Xbox Series X is also set to receiveDolby Vision support for gamesin 2021.
Of course, while it’s nice to have a 4K Blu-Ray player in both the next-gen consoles this time around (thePS4 Prodidn’t), if you really want to get the best out of your 4K Blu-Ray collection, consider buying a standalone player.
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Adam was formerly TRG’s Hardware Editor. A law graduate with an exceptional track record in content creation and online engagement, Adam has penned scintillating copy for various technology sites and also established his very own award-nominated video games website. He’s previously worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor and once played Halo 5: Guardians for over 51 hours for charity. He is now an editor at The Shortcut.
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