Samsung Will Stop Making New Blu-ray Players

It may seem like a lifetime since the last video format war, but it’s been barely a decade since Blu-ray trounced HD DVD. The format, backed by Sony, brought full HD video into homes just as HDTVs became affordable, and it was ready for the future with enough capacity for 4K video. Nothing lasts forever, but Blu-ray is waning faster than anyone in the early 2000s would have expected. Samsung has announced that it is done making new Blu-ray players.

Initially, the news only covered 4K Blu-ray disc systems, but Cnet obtained confirmation that cheaper 1080p players are also getting the ax. Samsung’s last new high-end 4K Blu-ray player, the M9500, launched in 2017. The company previously claimed it was planning a successor to its top-of-the-line M9500 4K Blu-ray player, but that device has been canceled.

You won’t need to ponder too long to figure out what’s going on here. Consumers just don’t buy as many physical discs as they used to. Blu-ray usage is already in decline just a decade after it won the format war, and there’s no new physical disc to replace it. Instead, everyone is heading to streaming services.

Both Netflix and Amazon offer all-you-can-eat 4K streaming on select content, and online stores like Vudu, iTunes, and Google Play all offer 4K purchases and rentals. The quality of 4K streaming content is arguably not as good as a 4K Blu-ray, but most consumers don’t seem to care. They’re watching more Netflix and buying fewer physical discs. It’s also much easier to stream 4K content than it used to be. Some TVs can do it out of the box, and a 4K-enabled box like the Roku Premiere only costs $40. The best 4K Blu-ray players cost $300-500, and even the cheapest ones are almost $100.

It might take a while for 4K Blu-ray to taper off completely. Image quality enthusiasts will keep purchasing the players and discs as long as they’re able, but you may not see budget-friendly options much longer.

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