Sony has announced plans to gradually phase out recordable Blu-Ray discs, according to an interview with AV Watch last week. This decision follows a report by Mainichi revealing that Sony will cut around 250 jobs from its recordable media division.
Although the remaining recordable optical discs will continue to be sold for now, Sony has stated that “the specific end date will be decided in the future.”
The Shift from Physical to Digital Media
The battle between physical and digital media has been ongoing for years. However, recent trends show digital media’s clear dominance. A report from Gitnux reveals that in 2021, 58.8% of media purchases were digital, compared to 41.2% physical. This trend is even more pronounced in specific sectors: in 2020, 74% of video game sales were digital, and in the first half of 2020, 94.3% of home release film revenue was digital.
With such a significant shift towards digital, companies like Sony must reassess their strategies. In the AV Watch interview, Sony acknowledged that the “cold storage market [growth] has not met expectations, and overall performance of our storage media business has continued to be in the red.” These challenges are prompting Sony to adapt its business model.
The End of Laptop CD-DVD Drives
The decline of recordable Blu-Ray discs signals the further decline of laptop disc drives. Despite their decreasing prevalence, there is still enough interest to maintain a buying guide for them.
Sony’s move will have a broader impact on the physical media market and likely contribute to the decline of laptops with CD-DVD drives. Physical PC games are nearly extinct, and even in the past, CD-DVD drives were rarely used. For those who still need to use discs on their PCs, investing in external DVD drives is an option. Most external drives cost less than $50, providing a convenient alternative.
Blu-Ray Isn’t Dead Yet
While Sony is discontinuing recordable Blu-Ray discs, Blu-Ray itself will continue. Sony’s decision aims to streamline operations rather than phase out Blu-Ray entirely. The AV Watch interview mentions plans for “more efficient operations in line with the scale of our business.”
The following Blu-Ray products will be phased out: BD-RE (25GB), BD-RE DL (50GB), BD-RE XL (100GB), and BD-R XL (128GB). These recordable discs will no longer be available to consumers, but Sony will still produce and sell stock for business-to-business customers. This means Blu-Ray releases for games, films, and other media will continue, but individual blank Blu-Ray discs will become harder to find.
