The PS5 Features You Need To Know About If You Use Discs Or DVDs

If you are one of the lucky ones who got ahold of the PlayStation 5, then you probably want to know the best ways to get the most out of your console. While the Digital Edition of the PS5 lacks a disc drive and therefore only supports game downloads, the Standard Edition of the console has a disc drive and related features and tricks unique to using the drive. The latter console can play Blu-ray discs and DVDs in addition to game discs.

Whether you encounter a defect and your disc gets stuck or you want to upgrade an old PS4 game, Sony has a feature for it, though they're not all readily obvious. Some simply allow you to adjust the type of audio playback you get from movies, while others require a bit of elbow grease in order to free trapped discs from the drive of a dead console. Once you know the features are there, using them is as simple as a few clicks or a turn of a screw.

When the PS5 console loses power while a disc is in the drive, you obviously won't be able to remove it using the disc drive button until power is restored — and that's a problem if the console's power system is damaged or defective. Though it's a frightening thought, there's an easy solution to this issue. If your PS5 won't power up, Sony shares how to recover discs trapped within the console's drive.

1. Unplug the console and disconnect all other cables.
2. Remove the console's base.
3. Place the console on a table with the PS5 logo facing down and the disc slot facing opposite you.
4. Lift the console's cover to slide it off. You will see a black, plastic sticker on the disk drive that hides the release mechanism.
5. Puncture the sticker or remove it to reveal a screw.
6. Using a #1 Philips screwdriver, turn the screw clockwise until the disc is mostly out of the slot.
7. Grab the disc and slowly pull it from the drive.

Just as it was simple to open the PS5 to retrieve your trapped disc, closing the console back up is just as easy by sliding the cover back in place. With Sony making the PlayStation 5 easy to open, it has also made the PS5 easier to clean.

Using the PlayStation 4 to watch Blu-rays and DVDs came with audio issues — specifically, some users couldn't hear the surround sound properly for the first disc play and instead received the audio in mere stereo format. Finding a solution to the problem was a pain, and unfortunately, the surround sound issue seems to persist with the Standard PS5, at least based on many comments from console owners on social media (via Reddit). Thankfully, Sony includes an arguably hidden audio setting that, when selected, enables surround sound playback on its latest PlayStation model.

1. Insert the disc and select Play Movie.
2. Press the Options button on the DualSense controller or your Media Remote.
3. Select the three dots icon in the menu that appears at the bottom of the screen.
4. Go to Settings, Audio Format, and then select Bitstream.

After completing these steps, surround sound playback should work properly. The audio issue may only affect the first DVD or Blu-ray playback, based on some users' reported experiences, so you only need to enable Bitstream once. Afterward, future DVD audio should have no issues. However, if you ever factory reset the console, you may need to re-enable Bitstream again to use Dolby Atmos surround sound.

When Sony announced the PS5, one concern gamers had was whether it would be backward compatible with the PS4. While the PS5 is backward compatible, one of its best features allows users to upgrade eligible PlayStation 4 games to the PS5. Keep in mind that in order to upgrade your PS4 games, the discs need to be from the same country as your PlayStation Network account.

1. Sign into your PSN account on the PS5.
2. Insert the PS4 game into the PS5's disc drive.
3. Select the upgrade offer that appears and review it.
4. Select Download or Purchase.

After the download finishes, the title will be a playable digital PS5 game. You will, however, have to insert the disc each time you play it, as is the case on the PlayStation 4, as well. Of course, many games are purchased as digital copies, and those, too, can be converted from the PS4 to the PS5, as explained on the PlayStation website.