Sony says it will stop manufacturing blank Blu-ray discs for the Japanese market along with MiniDiscs and MiniDV cassettes that could be used to save media in a physical format. “We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our many customers for their patronage,” a short press release concludes. It has been 18 years since the Blu-ray was first introduced coinciding with the launch of the PlayStation 3.
Blu-ray is popular for its high bitrate and ability to store hours of high definition footage. Many still appreciate the format over streaming services, which generally encode video at much lower quality—and of course physical media like Blu-rays cannot be taken away when an internet service goes offline or loses its license to host a show or movie. It is also a good idea to store important family mementos, like home movies, on DVDs a backup in case a digital format becomes corrupted.
The good news is Blu-ray is not going away just yet. Sony simply will not be manufacturing recordable disks for its home market anymore. A quick visit to Amazon shows a plethora of other manufacturers from which blank Blu-rays can be purchased. And film studios are still producing physical copies of new releases, though for how long is anyone’s guess.
In a statement, Sony wrote, “In Japan, we have a unique culture to record TV programs in the Blu-ray disc and we sell blank storage Blu-ray discs for this use only in Japan. The subject of this notification are these discs.” Physical media remains significantly more popular in Japan than in other markets as the country lagged behind in streaming adoption, but that is starting to change, and Sony is phasing out its own production of recordable discs.
Globally, the writing is on the wall for the trusty disc. Sales of DVDs has continued on a steep decline over the years; Best Buy has stopped stocking DVDs; and Redbox machines are now just worth their value in scrap metal. In gaming, of course, companies including Microsoft are pushing hard on streaming gameplay over the internet. Offering content over the internet allows entertainment companies to charge monthly and annual recurring subscription fees, which is more attractive than the lumpiness of one-time sales whenever a new film or TV show is released.
Streaming services allow consumers to watch from anywhere, and most are fine with the quality of the content and lack of true ownership. The data is clear: For most people who are not hardcore film buffs, that supersedes the downside of not owning a physical copy that stays with you forever.
Be at peace and support physical media as long as you can, but remember the phrase: “You’ll own nothing and be happy.”
