Like with much of physical media, the onslaught against optical media is ongoing. In the latest hit against physical media fans, LG has discontinued i

The optical disc onslaught continues, with LG quitting Blu-ray players

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2024-12-13 07:00:02

Like with much of physical media, the onslaught against optical media is ongoing. In the latest hit against physical media fans, LG has discontinued its remaining Blu-ray players. However, this doesn't spell the end for Blu-rays, which, in at least some categories, are seeing growing interest.

LG has no plans to make more Blu-ray players, FlatpanelsHD reported on Wednesday. Its most recent players, the UBK90 and UBK80, came out in 2018 and are no longer available for purchase on LG’s website. You can still find them at third-party retailers, but when stock runs out, LG won’t be replenishing. Trying to access LG's "Blu-ray & DVD Players" webpage now results in a redirect to LG's 4K TVs. We can take a hint, LG.

FlatpanelsHD spoke with LG Korea, which reportedly didn’t commit to a permanent exit from Blu-ray players. But for the foreseeable future, the company won’t be selling a type of device that it hasn’t updated in almost seven years.

Other tech companies have also shown reduced interest in the Blu-ray business. Panasonic, Sony, and Oppo also haven’t released a Blu-ray player since 2018. And Samsung stopped making new Blu-ray players in 2019. Video game consoles don’t even automatically include disc readers like they used too. The features are optional for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles. And Sony said this year that it's ending the development and production of recordable Blu-rays for consumers.

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