The optical disc onslaught continues, with LG quitting Blu-ray players

Speaking of issues staying the identical, Blu-rays and DVDs additionally gained’t have their content material altered after buy, as we’ve seen occur to digital variations of media.

While actually in decline, the US Blu-ray and DVD disc market made $1.34 billion within the 12 months ending in March 2023, in keeping with market analysis group Circana. Data from the primary half of 2024 from leisure commerce affiliation The Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) discovered that whereas total Blu-ray and DVD gross sales declined 22.2 p.c throughout that point interval, there have been some areas of development, too:

Consumers proceed to point out robust demand for collectible disc codecs with SteelBooks, [or Blu-rays sold in collectible steel cases], up 44 p.c and 4K UHD Blu-ray catalog gross sales rising by 16 p.c.

Furthermore, gross sales of newly launched Blu-rays decreased extra slowly, at 14 p.c, in keeping with DEG. A have a look at the top-selling Blu-rays for the week ending on November 30 primarily based on knowledge from Circana reveals current movies, like Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Deadpool & Wolverine, topping the record.

And it was solely a few 12 months in the past that 4K Blu-rays of the megahit Oppenheimer truly bought out.

There are nonetheless choices

For these involved in a brand new Blu-ray participant, although, the choices are extra restricted with LG exiting the market, however that doesn’t imply you’re out of luck. Even although manufacturers like Panasonic and Sony haven’t made new Blu-ray players in years, they proceed to promote them. And the market nonetheless sees the occasional new launch, such because the Magnetar UPD900 that got here out final 12 months.

With the advantages of bodily media nonetheless current, the demise of LG Blu-ray players is notable, however not defining, for bodily media aficionados.

For those that don’t need to use their Blu-ray participant anymore, there’s at all times the choice to show it right into a laser-scanning microscope.