Sony is releasing new Blu‑ray recorders this month, and the production of players continues.

Sony is ending the production of its Blu‑ray recorders

Sony Corporation announced that it will cease manufacturing its video recording devices for Blu‑ray discs. The latest models will be shipped during the current month, after which production will stop entirely.

What’s changing
* Blu‑ray recorders – the last product in this line will be phased out soon.

* Recordable discs and drives – remain available on the market. Sony will continue to produce them, and competitors (Asus, LG, Pioneer) also manufacture internal and external USB drives.

* Players and media – Blu‑ray players and discs maintain steady demand in niche segments, especially in Japan where they are still used for recording television broadcasts.

Why recorders are losing relevance
* Japanese TV recording market: The “TV broadcast recording” system has almost disappeared due to the rise of streaming services. Blu‑ray recorders were specifically aimed at this niche, and demand fell sharply.

* Competition from HDD recorders: Solid‑state drives and other TV recording solutions have also displaced traditional optical recorders.

What remains
* Players and drives continue to sell. Companies such as Panasonic and Verbatim keep producing Blu‑ray discs, while Asus, LG, and Pioneer offer internal and external drives.

* The Blu‑ray format marks 20 years since its debut at CES 2006. Despite the growth of streaming platforms (Netflix launched in 2007), video quality on Blu‑ray remains higher: a bitrate up to 100 Mbps versus a maximum of 16 Mbps for Netflix in 2026.

Conclusion
Closing Sony’s recorder line will not have a significant impact beyond the narrow Japanese segment. Blu‑ray as a format continues to exist, but its primary role shifts from recording TV broadcasts to consumer use and archiving high‑quality video.