Burning ISO files...

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Back in the mid-2000s, I got some software that would let me rip and back-up DVDs as ISO files. Essentially, the disc in its entirety was backed up on a computer hard drive as a computer file in an ISO image. If I wanted, I could burn these ISO files onto blank DVD-Rs and have a copy of the DVD that could play in a DVD player.

Commercial DVDs were often dual-layered. I could rip and store a commercial DVD in its entirety as a computer ISO file (ripping BOTH layers), but couldn't easily make a copy, as blank DVD-Rs were only single-layered. (I could add compression to fit it onto one disc, which would degrade quality.) Essentially, I could rip and back-up a TWO-LAYER commercial DVD, but couldn't burn it to a blank DVD without losing quality.

Following so far?

Now, if I buy some sort of Blu ray burner drive, and find some type of software, can I burn the DVD ISO files onto blu ray? I know blu ray holds more space than a DVD without compression/going to the next layer. I know the quality of a DVD file is standard definition (vs. high-def of blu ray), but it doesn't matter. Most of these DVDs were from a pre-High Definition time.

Can I burn an ISO file (made from a DVD) onto a blank blu ray and have it play like a regular DVD? In other words, burn the DVD ISO files onto a blank blu ray disc without losing any quality and having it play regularly in a blu ray player?

I have some backed-up DVDs in ISO format that I'd like to make for my mother. If I can burn them onto a blu ray disc that can play as if it were a DVD on a blu ray player connected to a TV, it would be wonderful.

Anyone have any experience? Can DVD ISOs be burned onto a blank blu ray and it will play as if it were a DVD? Or am I in for a world of trouble?

Last edited by ezbzbfcg2 on 21 Nov 2021, 10:30 am, edited 1 time in total.

In theory, yes, as long as you burn the disc correctly. Blu-ray players are supposed to be backwards compatible with DVD discs/images and the ISO filesystem used by Blu-ray is identical but for the size.

Thank you, Mikah. Have you yourself ever tried it?

I didn't know if there was a difference between DVD ISO files and Blu Ray ISO files. Back when I ripped these DVDs into ISO, there was no such thing as Blu Ray.

I'm afraid not.



It's been in use since the late 80s and the CD era. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_9660

The ISO filesystem won't be a problem, it's the old obsolete video/audio stream that might trip up a badly designed player, but I am 99.9% certain that any Blu-ray player can handle old DVD streams, even the cheapest Chinese junk. The earliest Blu-rays actually used the same MPEG-2 codec as DVDs.

Yes, the ISO format has been around for ages. And I'm sure I could easily burn a blu ray data/storage disc with an ISO (or more) files on it. The concern isn't the ISO software itself.

My main concern is burning it as a playable blu ray disc from an ISO image. I wasn't sure if the Blu Ray format could be configured to burn a blank blu ray disc as if it were a DVD disc.

Yes, a blu ray player can play a DVD. And it could play an ISO image burned onto a blank DVD. In either case, the blu ray player identifies the physical disc as a DVD and handles it accordingly.

My concern is if it can play a physical blu ray as if it were a DVD.

We've reached the same conclusion: Inconclusive, not sure.

I don't know if you can do exactly what you're describing, but I know you can convert them to AVCHD before burning (but you'd have to check your BluRay player for compatability).

...but why not just buy some dual-layer DVD discs? I'm sure it would be a lot cheaper.

Fair question. Once upon a time, double-layered blank DVDs were very rare and very expensive. Maybe they're cheaper now? Also, while a standard drive can read and rip a double-layer commercial DVD, and back up both layers in ISO form, it can't burn a blank double-layer disc. That requires a special double-layer burner. Maybe they've come down in price too now. Matter-of-fact, most of the early DVD burning software assumed the blank disc was single-layered, since the standard DVD burning drive was single-layer only.

Also, DVDs in general are disappearing. Blu ray as well, but at a lesser pace. It would be nice to have the physical media compatible with the last physical media player (blu rays) rather than on the older DVDs. Plus, since a blu ray can hold more on a single layer, there's no need for doubling-up like with a double-layered DVD. Which actually helps with quality. One of the biggest complaints of the rare double-layer DVD burner drive was that...while commercial doblue-layered DVDs were fine... blank discs burned with two layers seemed to lag or have artifact damage, especially toward the "end" of the movie on the second layer. I'd like to keep it all on ONE LAYER without compromising quality, which a blu ray is theoretically capable of if the source is DVD.

But I don't know if the DVD menu playback software that's bundled into the ripped ISO, which conforms to a DVD format, will be compatible and readable and playable when burned onto a blank blu ray disc, if it can even be burned in the first place.

Plus, if it comes down to buying a double-layered DVD burner drive, or a Blu Ray recording drive, I'd rather go with the blu ray.

They're pretty affordable, IMO. Or at least they were before the pandemic. I bought a big spool of Verbatim ones, but I don't burn movies very often. When I do, it's usually the kind of thing that can't be bought on DVD, and a lot of those are formatted for single layer.
But I've burned some 720p AVCHD discs of the Star Wars original trilogy, and that was kind of fun.


That's true. If your drive(s) doesn't already support burning to double layer, you'll have to buy one.
I don't remember them being too expensive when I looked, but I found that one of my laptop drives could burn them, so I just use that.
I'd be more wary of being able to find one that still works well.


DVDs are 100% compatible with BluRay players, though...


If you ripped the source disc correctly, and burned the duplicate DVD correctly, they should be 1:1.


Idunno, I've never heard that one before. I've never noticed anything like that with any discs that I've burned, but they were all Verbatim discs, so maybe that makes a difference?

^What it sounds like is that "DVD files" should be burned onto actual DVDs with a proper DVD dual-layer burner, then played in a blu ray later if need be. Fair enough.

I'd also like to be able to rip and burn blu ray discs, and didn't want the redundancy of TWO different external drives (a DVD double burner, and a blu ray <double> burner. But it seems in order to make recorded DVDs of backed up ISO DVD files, I should settle for a DVD two-layer burner...blu ray should be treated as a separate animal.

<<This doesn't effect playback, as I know a blu ray player can PLAY a DVD disc...it's the burning process I'm concerned about.>>

Still odd, as this tech is somewhat dated now and I'm behind the times, no one here ever tried it...burning a DVD ISO to a blank blu ray disc but expecting it to play as if it were a DVD in the blu ray player after burning?

Burn a DVD ISO to DVD. I wouldn't mess around.

In this video they rip from DVD to ISO and then
burn the ISO to Blu-ray.

Idunno, I would think that most people who have BD burners are only really interested in 2k and 4k content these days.

I appreciate your responses and help.

I guess there were three unique periods for TV/film/home media:
1) Standard Definition/Analog-only, nothing digital (the time before DVDs and computer ripping, etc)
2) Digital media but for mostly older analog shows (when they began releasing older standard definition shows and films onto digital disc.)
3) Digital discs for digital, high-definition films and whatnot (blu ray).

So, yes, nowadays we're solidly into #3 scenario that you speak of. But most of these ripped DVDs were made in epoch #2 and consist of show and films that were produced in period #1 long before high-def was ever even a thing. And DVDs are a hybrid "bridge" in a sense: digital media that can be ripped and computerized (the NEW world), but still standard definition, pre-HDTV, analog OLD world.

My interest is mainly to still be able to play these old, non-HD, not 2k/4k, etc. files, but burn them onto compatible "new" media.

Thank you! I'll check it out.