Sony is exiting another market it once dominated: Blu-ray players. You’re probably having flashbacks to PlayStation’s big announcement that it would end production of game discs in 2028. The thing is, this decision has more subtle ramifications, ones that will affect more than just movie collectors. This turns all physical media into a potentially expensive proposition designed only for those most dedicated to collecting it.
Japanese blog and retailer Sony Kunkoko (via FlatPanelsHD) first reported that Sony had stopped shipping its UBP-X700/K Blu-Ray DVD player. It is currently listed as out of stock on Sony’s Japan-centric online store with a note that it will not be restocked. Sony has positioned this player as its latest budget device for 4K discs. Now that it’s no longer in production, expect it to cost significantly more than a “budget” price offered by resellers.
The worst part is that while you can get a current generation console to play your Blu-Ray movies, they aren’t the best for this purpose. Case in point: Sony’s PlayStation 5 consoles don’t support Dolby Vision or Dolby Atmos for movies. If you have a bright and beautiful 4K QLED or OLED TV installed on your TV, you cannot watch your content optimally.
Sony players, like the Sony UBP-X700/K, are cited by several outlets as being among the best currently available to the average consumer. It’s completely sold out on sites like Walmart and Best Buy. That being said, there are Sony 4K evergreen models that you can find on sale at the time of writing. You may be lucky enough to find these products at various electronics stores over the next few months, but the inevitable byproduct of Sony’s decisions will make watching your physical movies more expensive.
And that was the goal of these players. Sure, streaming is now the most popular way to watch movies, but Blu-ray players appeal to people with specific appetites — if you don’t want to be beholden to streaming speeds and the vagaries of services that might pull out your favorite 4K movie at any time, for example.
The conspiracists among us will imagine that this is all part of Sony’s plans to kill off all physical media and then rule the garbage pile of an all-streaming world. In reality, Sony is withdrawing from many of its previous businesses over which it claimed to reign supreme. For example, the former gadget empire sold the majority of its TV business to TCL, which will now be entirely in charge of manufacturing its upcoming Bravia displays. If you were looking for a physical example of Sony’s withdrawal from physical products, the company told Bloomberg that it would not attend CES 2027, by far the biggest tech showcase of the year.
However, Sony’s withdrawal from disc players is further compounded by its plans to end support for game discs. The upcoming PlayStation console appears to not support any type of optical drive. Instead, we’ll have to rely on the few companies still willing to let go of new players. In September, Panasonic released a DMR-4X1010 player that doubles as a 4K streaming tuner. It is also currently exclusive to Japan. Other new Blu-ray players coming out this year include the Magnetar Ultima, a sort of reference disc player that seems expressly designed for audiophiles with deep pockets. Magnetar Audio also wants you to spend $12,000 on this new player.
There is still a market for physical media. Knowing how retro technology is becoming more and more popular, there could be a bigger push for a renaissance of vinyl-style DVD players. But it’s for the future. For now, moviegoers’ movie collections are going to get a lot harder to watch at best when there are fewer Blu-ray players to play them on.
Gn tech
