The last major optical media format still standing, Blu-ray, is once again taking another step toward the sunset.
One of the format's original creators, Japan's Sony, has announced that it will end production of recordable Blu-ray players.
Recordable Blu-ray devices never became especially popular in Western markets, but in Sony's home country of Japan they have been fairly common - effectively "modern VCRs" used to record television broadcasts into a more permanent format on physical discs.
The final batches of Sony's recordable Blu-ray players will be shipped to retailers by the end of February 2026.
The decision does not come as a huge surprise. A year ago, Sony decided to stop manufacturing blank Blu-ray discs.
The format has faced other setbacks in recent years as well. Korean electronics giant LG ended production of all Blu-ray players at the end of 2024. And another Korean giant, Samsung, had already announced back in 2019 that it would no longer release new 4K Blu-ray players.
The Blu-ray format is unlikely to disappear entirely, and players will still be manufactured. But its fate will most likely be that it becomes a niche format for the most dedicated film enthusiasts. The mainstream audience already moved to streaming services in the 2010s.
As a company, Sony itself is clearly positioning more strongly as an entertainment powerhouse, owning one of the world's largest film studios as well as, of course, the PlayStation ecosystem. The company also recently announced that it will stop manufacturing televisions and transfer its TV brand to a new joint venture.
Recordable Blu-ray devices never became especially popular in Western markets, but in Sony's home country of Japan they have been fairly common - effectively "modern VCRs" used to record television broadcasts into a more permanent format on physical discs.
The final batches of Sony's recordable Blu-ray players will be shipped to retailers by the end of February 2026.
The decision does not come as a huge surprise. A year ago, Sony decided to stop manufacturing blank Blu-ray discs.
The format has faced other setbacks in recent years as well. Korean electronics giant LG ended production of all Blu-ray players at the end of 2024. And another Korean giant, Samsung, had already announced back in 2019 that it would no longer release new 4K Blu-ray players.
The Blu-ray format is unlikely to disappear entirely, and players will still be manufactured. But its fate will most likely be that it becomes a niche format for the most dedicated film enthusiasts. The mainstream audience already moved to streaming services in the 2010s.
As a company, Sony itself is clearly positioning more strongly as an entertainment powerhouse, owning one of the world's largest film studios as well as, of course, the PlayStation ecosystem. The company also recently announced that it will stop manufacturing televisions and transfer its TV brand to a new joint venture.
