Samsung confirms that it won’t be making new Blu-ray and Ultra HD 4K Blu-ray players.
The changing face of the home entertainment market, with more of us turning to streaming over physical media, has now seen the manufacturer with the largest market share of Blu-ray players in the US throwing in the towel.
Samsung has confirmed that it will no longer be developing and introducing new Blu-ray or Ultra HD 4K Blu-ray players in the American market, where it holds a 37% share. This follows a smaller, premium brand – Oppo – also elected to leave the market last year.
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Whilst the physical disc market is still worth billions a year, the problem is that the market is shifting, and the actual margins on the price of a player are thin. Samsung is looking instead at adding more streaming and digital services – such as iTunes – to its television range.
The second biggest manufacturer by market share in the US, Sony, is to continue making players. But then given that it’s the firm behind the Blu-ray and Ultra HD 4K Blu-ray formats, that’s as you’d hope.
Players aren’t going to disappear anytime soon, of course. But the market leader giving up its position inevitably raises questions.
