Share this article
Improve this guide
2 Ways to Play Blu-rays on Xbox One When There’s no Internet
Simple solutions around an annoying Xbox problem
7 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
Share this article
Improve this guide
Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more
Key notes
The Xbox One was first launched all the way back in late 2013 as an all-in-one entertainment system. Besides playing games, you could also live stream, watch TV, andplay your favorite movies.
In order to watch any movie on the Xbox One, you have to first download the free DVD player app from the online store. The catch is that you need to beconnected to the internet at all times.
It’s not the old days when all you had to do to watch a movie was simply insert the disc and kick back on the couch. With the Xbox One, Microsoft forced people to connect to the internet.
And if you’re connection was out, you were out of luck. Luckily, there are ways to get around this problem so you can enjoy movies offline.
But before we get to that, it’s essential to go into detail about whether or not the Xbox One can play Blu-ray discs, and if there are any restrictions.
Does Xbox One play Blu-ray?
Yes, all Xbox One models can playBlu-Ray discsand standard-definition DVDs, USB drives, and content from streaming services like Netflix and Apple TV.
Things do get a little messy withglobal regions, however. Every single DVD is coded to only work on machines from specific regions. Region A DVDs only work on players from the same part of the world.
Xbox One consoles are no different. This standard was set into place by the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) and other similar organizations worldwide to control DVD distribution.
Blu-Ray disks are less restrictive than standard DVDs. Below is a list of the various Blu-Ray global regions.
DVD regions, however, are much more detailed as there are eight in total.
If you’re interested in playing 4K-resolution movies, you’ll need to purchase either the Xbox One S or the One X as the base console doesn’t support such high-quality content.
Below is a table detailing all of the notable video features for each Xbox One model.
As you can see in the table, both the Xbox One S and One X models are fantastic for watching Ultra HD Blu-Ray movies. The base model just isn’t capable of handling such a high resolution.
But if you have to choose between the two, you should go for the One X. Its support for Native 4K resolution means it’s actually reaching that high quality.
This is especially important if you decide to use your Xbox One for playing video games. It ensures the quality of those titles actually reaches that high.
The Xbox One S has to use various upscaling techniques to reach 4K resolution; more so than the X model. Ideally, there shouldn’t be a difference between upscaling and native 4k, but there is.
Upscaled 4K isn’t as good. You may encounter some performance issues or graphical glitches if you try to play content at 4K resolution on the S model. For the Xbox One X, graphical issues aren’t as impactful.
Can you watch Blu-ray on Xbox One offline?
Going to the main question: yes, you can actually watch Blu-ray movies on any Xbox One console offline. Doing so will require you to go into the console’s settings and reconfigure it.
The following solutions go for all Xbox One models.
1. Go offline
The final few steps will solidify your Xbox profile with its configurations as the main one.
That way, you won’t have to go back into Settings and go offline every time you turn on the console and want to watch a movie. Of course, you can revert the settings any time you want.
2. Connect via hotspot
After that, you’re ready to watch Blu-ray movies at any time you want. And you can do this with any phone too; so long as it can provide a hotspot.
Do I need to download the Xbox One Blu-ray player app?
In order to watch a Blu-ray movie on the Xbox One, you will need to download the Blu-ray player app, and it’s easy to do this. There are two ways to go about it.
The first method is simply to insert the disc into the console, at which point the Xbox will detect that it’s a Blu-ray and give you the opportunity to download the app from the Xbox Store.
Install it, and after a few seconds, the movie will begin to play automatically. The second method will have you go into Xbox Store.
How do I play a non-Blu-ray DVD on Xbox One?
There’s no difference between playing a Blu-ray and a non-Bluray DVD on any Xbox One model. According toMicrosoft’s Xbox support page, all you have to do is insert the DVD.
The movie will begin playing automatically. You won’t even need a player app to watch standard DVDs. But if you have the Blu-ray Player app from the previous solution, it will play from there instead.
Feel free to comment below if you have questions about any of the Xbox One consoles. Also, leave comments about guides you’d like to see or information on other Xbox features or guides like this.
Cesar Cadenas
Networking & Security Specialist
Cesar has been writing for and about technology going on for 6 years when he first started writing tech articles for his university paper. Since then, his passion for technology blossomed into a prosperous writing career. He first started writing about tech in the entertainment world and would later move on to write about smart life tech and social media. He was recently a Technical Writer for tech company Extron where he wrote user guides for audio and video equipment.
He has since moved on to being a freelance writer looking to have a career in copywriting and hopes to share his love and knowledge of technology with the world. Recently, Cesar has written for the cryptocurrency news site, BTCPro and helping people understand tech.
User forum
0 messages
Sort by:LatestOldestMost Votes
Comment*
Name*
Email*
Commenting as.Not you?
Save information for future comments
Comment
Δ
Cesar Cadenas
Networking & Security Specialist
Cesar is a tech expert passionate about Windows, Microsoft, and anything surrounding the world of PCs.
