LG discontinues Blu-ray and UHD players in latest hit to market

In yet another scratch to the world of home media, LG has announced that they are ceasing production on Blu-ray players. 

As per FlatpanelsHD, LG has discontinued their Blu-ray players, including their latest, the UBK80 and UBK90 UHD models which were released six years ago, going to show that this move has been planned for quite some time. Essentially, while you still might find them on shelves or online, they aren’t making any new models. As the site relays via LG Korea, they “stopped short of confirming a definitive global exit from the optical disc player market, leaving the door open for a return if demand picks up. For now, a few old models remain available in regions such as America and Europe, but only until inventory runs out.”

Our crusade to ensure that you keep your Blu-rays and keeping buying them comes from a wealth of simple facts: you aren’t guaranteed to have your favorite movie streaming anywhere; you don’t actually own anything digital that you purchase online; the quality is far inferior to Blu-ray and UHD; etc. etc. But in that, it’s as if we and so many others neglected to think about the one thing we already own: a Blu-ray player!

Now, that’s not to say that you should rush out and pick up a couple more Blu-ray players juuuuust in case, but the options are going to get even more limited as years pass. Like so many other things, they were one of those items we movie lovers took for granted because it was always there. (And before that, DVD players, VHS and LaserDisc.) With VHS and vinyl still holding its cult fandom, we do have to wonder if Blu-rays and such players will hit that degree in a couple of decades.

LG is just the latest to discontinue their players, as they join the likes of Samsung, the maker of my first-ever Blu-ray player when I began reviewing discs for JoBlo.com all those years ago.

What do you think the discontinuation of LG’s Blu-ray players will do to the home media market? Do you see the format being redeemed at any point?