Recently, LG announced it will stop making Blu-ray players, joining a trend that began years ago. Panasonic, Sony, and Oppo exited the market in 2018, followed by Samsung in 2019. Whether you’re a supporter of physical formats or see them as obsolete, the industry's stance is clear: Blu-ray players are becoming scarce, and the format may eventually disappear.
It’s not final, but it’s close. While LG has removed Blu-ray players from its website, Ars Technica reports that LG Korea hasn’t confirmed the move as permanent. However, production and sales are on pause, and LG hasn’t released a new model since 2018. The UBk90 and UBk80 are the last ones it has updated.
Consoles are losing their role as a safe haven. Adding to the scarcity of players is the shift in gaming consoles. The Xbox Series X and S and PlayStation 5 include Blu-ray drives, but digital-only models have gained traction. The PlayStation 5 Pro, for instance, comes without a disc drive by default, requiring users to purchase it separately at a discouraging price. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s “every device is an Xbox” philosophy emphasizes cloud gaming, signaling a move away from physical media.
Fewer discs, fewer stores. As hardware dwindles, so does the availability of discs. Game and movie releases on Blu-ray have declined, with retailers following suit. Best Buy stopped selling Blu-rays and DVDs in 2024, and Target now limits sales to specific dates.
A market in freefall. The U.S. DVD and Blu-ray market shrank 40% from 2019 to 2023. The decline is complex, with no single factor to blame, though streaming remains the primary driver. For casual viewers, streaming services more than meet their needs, making it unnecessary to accumulate physical copies. While Blu-rays offer superior quality, the benefits often appeal only to enthusiasts, especially in an era when many TVs come with default settings that distort a film’s photography and color work. Still, Netflix and Prime Video aren’t the sole culprits in this story.
It’s the market, my friend. The audience for physical media has evolved. Before streaming platforms, affordable formats like DVDs and the waning days of VHS made it economical to purchase movies. Today, physical discs have become a luxury item, much like vinyl records in the music world. Adding to this shift is the lack of storage space in modern living. With many people living in 645-square-foot apartments or smaller, every inch counts. Under these conditions, building a chaotic or compulsive Blu-ray collection is simply impractical.
Why studios are moving on. Production companies also favor streaming, which is more profitable. Platforms bypass retail intermediaries, bringing studios higher margins. Digital formats force users into recurring costs: once for initial viewing and again for rewatching if they no longer have access. Physical discs, by contrast, offer one-time ownership.
A haven for collectors. While major studios like Disney are scaling back physical releases—it recently announced fewer 4K titles—collecting is thriving. Special editions and boutique labels such as Criterion, Arrow, and Eureka are releasing classic and cult films at an unprecedented pace. This echoes the revival of vinyl records, with Blu-ray shifting toward a niche market for cinephiles and collectors. The future of Blu-ray isn’t mass-market consumption but a collector’s treasure, preserving cinema for enthusiasts.
Image | DS stories
Related |LG TV vs. Samsung TV: Which Smart TV Is the Best Fit for You?
View 0 comments