Sony Exits Blu-Ray Market – Rumor!
All Image Credit: Sony
Just when it looked like a 4K Blu-ray revival was in full swing, Sony could be about to bring the party to a crashing halt. Sony maybe driving the preverbal nail into 4K Blu-ray physical medias’ coffin even further. Rumors are swirling about Sony discontinuing their last and only Blu-Ray player, the UBP-X700/K, that was launched just over a year ago and only arrived on shelves in May 2025 (still available as of 10/28/2026 on Sony UK web site). Potentially leaving PlayStation 5 as the company’s only disc-capable product.
Apparently the UBP-X700/K has vanished from Sony’s Japanese store and allegedly gone out of stock across Australian retail. According to Japanese Sony specialist site and retail partner Kunkoku, the company has ended shipments of the UBP-X700/K, its last remaining Ultra HD Blu-ray deck, with sales to continue only until existing stock runs out. There has been no announcements from Sony regarding its replacement.
Sony has not yet officially confirmed a global discontinuation at this time of writing, so it is possible the UBP-X700/K still lingers in some markets after Japan. However, between the retail disappearance, the lack of a successor, and Sony’s broader drift away from physical formats, their direction of movement is hard to miss. Especially as Sony has said that future PlayStation consoles will not support physical discs.
That only leaves Panasonic as the last major mainstream electronics brand still making dedicated 4K Blu-ray players, the DP-UB820 and flagship DP-UB9000. Only to be bolstered by other companies like Krovatar , Magnetar and Australian company Laser (BLU-BD4K-384 ) to fill the gaps and demand.
So while their appears several life lines for those of us that want the best of video and audio playback, it does not change the fact that streaming has never offered the bitrates or lossless audio support that Ultra HD Blu-ray still delivers (acknowledgments to Kaleidescape here), and physical discs remain the only way to guarantee a film stays in your collection regardless of licensing changes. That’s exactly why interest in 4K Blu-ray has seen a genuine resurgence among collectors even as the mainstream electronics industry loses interest in serving them.
Oppo was the first major manufacturer to exit this market, rapidly followed by several others. Sony’s exit from the category is clearly not good news, leaving only Panasonic as the remaining mainstream manufacturer. However, other manufacturers are picking up the baton in both the lower cost and higher-end markets. Let us all hope that the public demand for these shiny discs continues to grow and support those few remaining player manufacturers.
