Sony appears to have stopped making standalone 4K Blu-ray players, the format it championed for two decades. Japanese blog Kunkoku, which is also a Sony retail partner, reported that the company has ended shipments of the UBP-X700/K, its last standalone Ultra HD Blu-ray player, and that sales will stop once existing stock runs out. The report was picked up by FlatpanelsHD, and Sony Japan has since listed the player as discontinued, with no successor announced.
Sony has not confirmed the move, at least according to its UK operations, declining to comment on what it called speculation. Retailers in Japan have reportedly been told not to expect further shipments, though the UBP-X700 is still listed on the Sony Singapore website, though with pricing information missing.
Cue shock and horror at the realisation that if the reports are accurate, the PlayStation 5 will become the only Sony device that can you can buy now that plays Blu-ray discs.
A Steady Retreat from Discs
The player is the latest step in a steady withdrawal from physical media that has played out over less than two years:
- February 2025: Sony ended production of recordable Blu-ray discs, along with recordable MiniDiscs and MiniDV tapes, saying there would be no successors.
- February 2026: Sony said it would exit the Blu-ray disc recorder market in Japan, citing the rise of streaming. Japanese shipments of Blu-ray recorders peaked at 6.39 million units in 2011 and fell to 620,000 in 2025, according to the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association.
- July 2026: Sony Interactive Entertainment said it would stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation games from January 2028, citing a shift in player habits away from physical media.
October 2026: The UBP-X700/K is reported to be discontinued.
This supposed pull-back does fit the broader narrative that Sony is looking to reshape its consumer electronics business. In January 2026, the company said it would spin off its home entertainment business into a joint venture with TCL named BRAVIA Inc., scheduled to begin operations in April 2027. In this new venture, TCL will hold a 51% majority stake, while Sony retains a 49% minority stake.
The retreat stands out because few companies did more to make Blu-ray a success. Sony launched the world’s first Blu-ray recorder in Japan in 2003, and backed the format alongside Panasonic, Samsung, and Apple against Toshiba’s rival HD DVD format.
The PlayStation 3, which shipped with a built-in Blu-ray drive, helped tip the balance. By April 2007, Blu-ray accounted for about 70% of the high-definition movie market, helped by the console’s popularity and broad Hollywood support. Sony also used its film industry ties to win over five of the seven major studios. When Warner Bros. went Blu-ray-only in January 2008, the format war was effectively over, and Toshiba abandoned HD DVD the following month.
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