Sony stops making Blu-ray recorders as streaming takes over

Sony has officially ended production of Blu-ray recorders, with the final units shipping this month. This marks the end of an era for Japan's home television recording market. According to Kyodo News, these models were specifically designed for the domestic Japanese market, where such devices have traditionally been used to record broadcast programs at home.

The business wind-down actually began a year ago when the company stopped manufacturing both the recorders themselves and recordable Blu-ray discs. Since then, supplies have been drawn from remaining inventory. Now, Sony is fully exiting a segment that has been an important part of Japanese home electronics for decades.

The reason is clear: the rapid growth of streaming services. Subscription platforms have largely eliminated the need to record TV programs onto physical media. Additional pressure came from alternative solutions like HDD recorders, which offered a more convenient way to store content without relying on optical discs.

However, Sony isn't abandoning Blu-ray entirely. The company will continue producing Blu-ray players for some time, and the market for movies and series on physical media remains stable, albeit niche. The format, which celebrated its 20th anniversary since being announced at CES 2006, still offers image quality that most streaming services can't match. For example, Netflix's streaming UHD video transmits at a bitrate of around 16 Mbps, while Blu-ray can deliver streams up to 100 Mbps.

Furthermore, PC users and HTPC enthusiasts needn't worry just yet. Optical drives continue to be produced by Asus, LG, and Pioneer, while discs are manufactured by brands like Panasonic and Verbatim. Sony's exit from the recorder segment represents more of a symbolic conclusion to a specific chapter than the end of the Blu-ray format itself.