It is reported that Samsung is beginning to finish the production of Blu-ray players

by Dwayne Bent

Samsung, a global consumer electronics maker, has finished producing Blu-ray players supporting " 4K ULTRA HD " boasting 4 times the resolution of ordinary Blu-ray, economic newspaper Forbes reports. Also, as CNET overseas contacted Samsung, it became clear that full HD ( 1080p ) and 4K compatible Blu-ray players will be discontinued in at least some areas, and Blu- ray is also reporting that it is entering the decline period of the product life cycle .

Samsung Quits 4K Blu-ray Player Market
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarcher/2019/02/15/samsung-quits-4k-blu-ray-player-market/

Samsung to stop making Blu-ray players - CNET
https://www.cnet.com/news/samsung-to-stop-making-4k-blu-ray-players-report-says/

Samsung quits making new Blu-ray players - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/17/18228584/samsung-stops-producing-blu-ray-players

According to Forbes' proprietary information, Samsung intends to end production of 4K ULTRA HD compliant Blu - ray player, the already announced 'M9500' scheduled to be released in late 2019 is made by Samsung 4K ULTRA HD compatible Blu - ray player is expected to be the last product. Forbes noted that it could not know the specific reasons for the end of the 4K ULTRA HD compliant Blu-ray player production, because he decided that he could not get enough market share to justify production It is.

At the same time, a spokeswoman for Samsung who contacted CNET said, "Samsung will no longer introduce new Blu-ray players or 4K compatible Blu-ray players in the American market" In some countries and regions like the United States, it is also clear that handling of full HD and 4K compatible Blu-ray players will be completed early. Samsung has quite a lot of types of Blu-ray players in the product lineup as well, and it is clear that Blu-ray players will continue to be produced for the next few months to years. However, some regions such as America are expected to finish handling Blu-ray players early, Blu-ray players are sold only in some countries and regions.

Samsung has released a 4K ULTRA HD compliant Blu-ray player earlier than any other manufacturer, but it is also possible to withdraw from the Blu-ray business itself as soon as possible by giving up in the field earlier than other manufacturers If possible, The Verge of overseas media is wrote. The reason is simply because the number of Blu - ray discs sold is decreasing worldwide.

Investigation company Nielsen has published a report that examines what kind of media users are spending time on the media and says, "As streaming devices become popular, DVDs and Blu-ray players Some products are entering the declining phase of their product life cycle ".

The following image is a graph that summarizes "what kind of media are used by adults over the age of 18 in America?" Blu - ray players and DVD players are using only 5 minutes on average, the smallest a day, with TV, radio, games, computers, smart phones and tablets in line. From this graph, it is clear that the demand for Blu - ray players will shrink in the future especially in developed countries where streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu are popular.

In addition to this, the point that streaming service focuses on 4K compatible services and it is now possible to view 4K compatible content more cheaply is also a headwind for DVD and Blu-ray players. Both Apple and Google sell 4K compatible movie content at the same price as full HD (1080p), Amazon also lowers the selling price of 4K content.

Even now, there will be a certain number of layers "There is a video experience on physical disks", but there are a certain number of layers, but the rise of streaming service and cases where 4K movies are not necessarily 4K and are mastered at low resolution Considering that, the 4K ULTRA HD compatible Blu-ray player reportedly ended production by Samsung said, "It may not be sufficiently attractive as a business anymore," The Verge points out .

In addition, The Verge says "Sony's judgment that PS4 Pro did not have the function as a 4K ULTRA HD compliant Blu-ray player is probably a wise judgment."