Can Blu-ray players play DVDs?

Yes, not that you’d know it from the BBC’s headlines.

A front-page story on its website reports the cataclysmic news that “John Lewis pulls the plug on DVD players“, suggesting that the Great British public is going to struggle to buy machines capable of playing Daniel O’Donnell And Friends – Live or whatever else they’ve still got on disc.

Of course, it’s all horse manure.

Any Blu-ray player – which John Lewis and every other electrical retailer on the planet will continue to sell – is perfectly capable of playing DVDs. And if you’re thinking those not-so-newfangled Blu-ray players sound expensive, Amazon sells a Sony model for less than £40.

Games consoles such as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 will continue to play your DVDs.

Laptops, desktop computers and other AV equipment with a disc slot will continue to play your DVDs. 

John Lewis discontinuing standalone DVD players is not front-page news. It’s barely news at all. 

Now read this: How do I find out what’s new on Netflix?