Why Do DVDs Look Blurry in VLC, and Can I Make Them Sharper?
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CedarMoth47
I'm watching Drive (2011) from a DVD using my computer's internal disc drive and the picture looks noticeably blurry in VLC. Movies I stream look sharp, but DVDs played locally all seem soft. Is this simply because DVDs have lower resolution and are being enlarged to fit my screen, or is there a VLC setting that can improve the image? I've tried a few video tutorials without much success.
Answers
If the disc is a standard DVD, the source is only about 480 lines of vertical resolution. On a 1080p or 4K monitor, VLC has to upscale it, so it will naturally look softer than streamed HD video. Try right-clicking the video and disabling “Fit to screen” so it plays at its native size. It’ll be smaller, but usually looks less blurry.
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You can try VLC’s sharpening filter under Tools > Effects and Filters > Video Effects > Sharpen. Adjust it gradually, since too much sharpening can create halos and noise. It won’t restore detail that isn’t present on the DVD, though. For better upscaling, a player that supports madVR, such as MPC-HC, may produce a cleaner result than VLC.
CedarMoth47: It is a regular DVD, so I’ll try the sharpening filter first. Thanks for explaining why it looks different from streaming video.
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CedarMoth47: That actually helps a bit, thanks. I don’t mind the smaller picture since it’s easier for me to see the whole image that way.