SmartStream

In a move that has caught AV enthusiasts by surprise, Samsung has stopped selling Blu-ray Disc and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc players in the U.S. Could this be one more sign that physical media will ultimately disappear, only to be replaced by streaming movies and TV?

The move comes less than a year after Oppo announced that it was ending production of its Blu-ray players.

Samsung had originally announced that it would release a high-end 4K player in 2019 but has now decided to scrap it. A Samsung spokesperson confirmed in an email that the company “will no longer introduce new Blu-ray or 4K Blu-ray player models in the U.S. market.” The company currently lists five 4K models and four regular Blu-ray models on its website, at prices ranging from $80 to $500.

The last new Samsung 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player was released in 2017 and reviewed favorably in these pages, even achieving Top Pick status.

While Samsung hasn’t issued a definitive explanation, the facts support a trend of increased 4K streaming and diminished use of Blu-ray and DVD players. In its Q2 2018 Total Audience Report, Nielsen counted Blu-ray players among devices that are in the “declining phase of their product life cycle as streaming devices gain prominence” and noted that the number of households that own a DVD/Blu-ray player dropped from 72% to 66% between June 2018 and June 2018.

Then again, as Variety pointed out in a recent article, “While overall disc sales remain challenged (down 11.5% in the third quarter), sales of 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs, which often include a digital copy, soared 68% in the quarter from the same quarter last year, according to the latest numbers from DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group.” But 4K Blu-ray discs account for only 5.3% of total disc sales in the U.S., compared with 57.9% for DVD, according to Forbes.

Perhaps the issue is one of waning demand for disc players. When you can buy a videogame console that plays 4K discs, as the Microsoft Xbox-One X can, why purchase a 4K stand-alone disc player?

Whatever the research shows, the fact remains that most consumers are satisfied to stream movies, especially now that they are available in 4K, increasingly with high dynamic range (HDR) and Dolby Atmos surround sound.

Prices have dropped since 4K streaming movies were first offered for sale at prices over $30. Purchasing 4K movies for streaming now costs about the same as buying an HD movie. Apple iTunes and Google Play Movies and TV will even upgrade movies you own to the 4K verison for free. And purchased digital copies often include special features. Likewise, when a movie is downloaded and stored in a Plex library, related videos that are similar to bonus material offered on DVD and Blu-ray are added. We are at a point where the average consumer simply finds it easier to stream movies, especially now that faster internet speeds make it possible to stream with high quality audio and video.

Still, to quote the famous line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, “I’m not quite dead yet,” Blu-ray players continue to hang on and become even more upscale. Sony unveiled the high-end UBP-X800M2 4K player at CES 2019, which is listed as “available soon” on sony.com, and Pioneer released the high-end ($1,099) UDP-LX500 4K player last year (watch for our review).

Whether Samsung’s exit from manufacturing Blu-ray players means the end of physical media, or that it is becoming a niche market for video connoisseurs, it certainly puts an exclamation point on the continuing trend toward digital streaming media.

S&V Poll: How Long Will You Continue to Buy Discs?