Despite the big announcement of the opening of its Experience Stores this week – and with notably less fanfare – Samsung told Forbes magazine that it will discontinue the manufacture of Blu-ray players for the US. A Samsung spokesperson also confirmed to CNET that “Samsung will no longer introduce new Blu-ray player models in the US market.”
With the shocking story last year that Oppo was leaving the field, followed by a recent Nielsen survey citing Blu-ray and DVD players as a tech that was “in the declining phase,” the news does not bode well for collectors of shiny discs and the means by which to play them.
Samsung did not specifically reveal its reasons for leaving the product space, but our readers will have noticed that HDR10+ and Dolby Vision features were conspicuous in their absence from its recent offerings.
Physical media sales have continued to decline for some years now, and UHD titles only currently account for 5.3% of sales, as opposed to DVD’s 57.9% of the total disc market. Streaming services have also gained momentum with Apple and Google selling 4K movies at the same price as 1080p titles, and Amazon has recently lowered prices.
Samsung had been working on a new high-end UHD player for release this year, but it appears that this model will also be ditched.
Martin, a seasoned journalist and AV expert, has written for several notable print magazines. He’s served in key roles at Lucasfilm’s THX Division, NEC’s digital cinema division, and has even consulted for DreamWorks. Despite his illustrious career, Martin remains rooted in his passion for cinema and acting, with notable appearances in several Spielberg films, Doctor Who, and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. He currently resides in San Francisco.
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