Modern gaming consoles like the PS4 have irrevocably changed the face of our living rooms. Gone is the hotchpotch of Blu-ray players, smart-TV receivers, and antennae, to be replaced by a single console that can do everything they do and then some more.
Indeed, with its gaming capabilities, apps, and ability to stream Blu-ray in resolutions of up to 4K and even in 3D, the PS4 has earned its place as the center of every entertainment hub.
Due to the aforementioned features, many people have replaced their Blu-ray Players with a PS4. Therefore, they get very concerned every time they try to play a movie on it and get the “unrecognized disc” message.
In this article, we will discover the reasons behind this error and how to fix it.
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Why won’t my PS4 recognize discs
There are five main issues that could prevent a PS4 from recognizing discs:
Reason 1. Bug in the console’s OS
Sometimes, if the PS4 is left running for extended periods of time, it can develop minor bugs that could affect it in a number of ways. One of these ways is that your console won’t be able to play discs.
Reason 2. Issues with the software
It is not uncommon to get the “unrecognized disc” error on your PS4 after an update. Alternatively, neglecting to keep it up to date, could affect your console in similar ways.
Solutions for Reason 1 & 2:
Reboot the PS4
- Remove the disc from the PS4.
- Press and hold the PS button on your controller until the power menu pops up.
- There, choose the “Restart” or “Power Off” options.
- Re-insert the disc.
- Try to run it and see if your PS4 recognizes it or not. If not, check out the next method.
Try safe mode
- With a disc still in:
- Turn off your PS4.
- Press and hold the power button on your console until you hear two beeps. One when it turns on and another one after about 7 seconds.
- Connect your Dualshock controller to your PS4 via USB and press the PS button.
- Out of the options given, select option 5 “Rebuild Database“. The PS4 will then create a new database for all the content.
- If this doesn’t work, repeat the above steps and instead choose option 7 “Initialise PS4“.
Reason 3. Faulty hardware
The PS4 could also give you the “unrecognizable disc” error either due to a bad optical drive or some malfunction in one of its components.
Solution for Reason 3:
Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done at home if this is your issue. Instead, you should contact Sony customer service or a certified technician.
Reason 4. Problem with the disc
There is a chance that the problem does not lie with your PS4. Instead, it could be the disc that has been damaged and has become unrecognizable.
Solution for Reason 4: Clean the disc
- Take a clean cloth (preferably microfiber).
- Apply a cleaning solution.
- Clean the disc gently.
- Or switch to another disc.
There is also a guide on how to fix DVDs here that can be applied to Blu-ray discs.
5. Region code discrepancy
An issue that arises primarily with movie discs is when the region code on the disc doesn’t correspond to that of your PS4. That could prevent your console from recognizing the disc.
Solution for Reason 5: Bypass the region protection
- The first thing to do would be to try and find a copy of the Blu-ray in question with a compatible region code.
- Alternatively, you may use a Blu-ray ripper app to rip the contents of your Blu-ray and remove the region protection. Read further down to find out how to play any movie on your PS4 without the optical drive.
The ultimate way to play Blu-ray and DVD movies on your PS4
There is one very easy way of getting any movie to play on your PS4 regardless of whether it can recognize discs or not, and it needs only three things:
- A computer: Even low-end models will work fine.
- A USB storage device: This can be either a Flash drive or an external Hard drive. It needs enough space to save the target Blu-ray or DVD movie.
- A BD/DVD Ripper: This is the most important of the three, as it is the computer program that can rip movies from discs and convert them to other formats. Therefore, we recommend using one of the best BD/DVD Rippers in the market, Tipard Blu-ray Converter.
Tipard Blu-ray converter
Would you like to resolve the issue of your PS4 not being able to recognize discs with zero hassle? With Tipard Blu-ray Converter you can rip Blu-ray and DVD to 500+ formats, very quickly and with zero loss of quality. Download the program on your computer, you can easily:
- Convert to 4k UHD, 1080p and 3D.
- Do tasks 30 times faster than all competitors thanks to its state-of-the-art technology.
- Use a vast array of powerful video editing tools.
- Turn 2D videos to 3D, enhance the quality of older videos, compress large files, and make GIFs.
- Reap the benefits of a user-friendly interface.
How to rip movies from your discs with Tipard
Step 1: Go to Tipard’s website and download the installer.
Run the program after you are done installing it.
Step 2: Transfer the movie into Tipard Blu-ray converter.
- Run the disc on your computer.
- Click on “Load Blu-ray” in the “Ripper” tab or the big blue plus symbol in the middle of the interface.
Step 3: Ready the movie for ripping.
- Pick the parts of the movie you are keeping by clicking the “Full Title List” button.
- Use the two audio and subtitle track menus to decide what subtitles and audio your movie will have. (if any).
- Click on the Edit (star) and Cut (scissors) buttons to open the editor and/or trimming tool.
- Go to “Device” > “Games” and pick the PS4 format from the “format selection” menu.
Step 4: Rip the Blu-ray.
- Set the storage location.
- Click on “Rip All”.
Conclusion
For one reason or another, there are times when the PS4 cannot recognize discs depriving us of hours of fun activities like gaming and watching movies. In this article, we offered a series of solutions to this problem after pointing out the possible causes. What is more, we came up with a way to be able to enjoy movies on our console, even if the latter can’t read discs.