[charmerci]

Rather shocking to hear that Samsung is stopping making BR players. Is it Apple's doing or streaming?


https://www.audioholics.com/editorials/samsung-drops-blu-ray-drives-nail-into-disc-media-coffin

[S Clark]

As a rural Netflix customer that uses disc rather than slow access to streaming, I certainly hope that player options will be around a while. 
I've been thinking of picking up a machine to put in storage. 

[Doublej]

As a rural Netflix customer that uses disc rather than slow access to streaming, I certainly hope that player options will be around a while. 
I've been thinking of picking up a machine to put in storage.

I suspect the factories in China will be cranking them out for a number of years. VHS players ceased to be manufactured in 2016.

Personally I'd wait until Sony and Panasonic to announce they are dropping them from their lines to buy one for future use.

[FireGuy]

As a rural Netflix customer that uses disc rather than slow access to streaming...

I too have not been a fan of video streaming.  I don't think I've experienced five straight days without an issue of interruption or mega frustrating languidness , even with the hardware + signal intact.  Not to mention Netflix's library of movies needs work.  Using discs for audio, Blu-Ray and DVD is fine, just fine.  Not a big deal.  It's better all around IMO.  I'm sure though (unfortunately) the manufacturing of such devices will eventually disappear.  Watch these players take the same resurgent and historical path as turntables and vinyl LPs.

[Freo-1]

It appears that the end of optical disc media in general is at hand (for the mas market).  While I suspect that there will continue to be a niche market for discs, the mainstream market is indeed moving to streaming.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Interesting topic. I was just wondering the other day if Blu-Ray was still even a "thing" these days. Like 3D televisions died a quick death, you know?
Most of my video is from Netflix disc and streaming (since the libraries aren't identical). But I can't recall the last time I bought a disc. $25 for a movie was just too steep.
But to be safe, I'd keep my eyes open for "lots" of discs sales on Ebay (if you understand the meaning of the word "lot"), and maybe a player or two extra.
Might be worth it in the long run.

[audioengr]

It's difficult for me to get the same audio quality from networked streamed movies compared to Blu-Ray.  I use a high-quality Toslink from my Smart-TV to a iFi SPDIF iPurifier and then to my SS proc. for streamed movies.  It's very good, but my Oppo through an iPurifier to my SS proc. is better.  I also have a problem playing 3-D movies streaming.  Almost nothing available.  Better to have the 3-D Blu-Ray disk in your hand.

Steve N.

[OzarkTom]

 I imagine garage sales would be good also if you can get there first. I have bought CD's as cheap as 10 cents and they played perfectly.

[Freo-1]

I had planned to buy an Oppo 205 last summer, and was not happy when I found out they stopped making them.  I signed up on their list to get one of the extra run units, but they never contacted me. 


I have a lot of disc media, and decided that I better get a transport that will last while they are still readily available.  So, splurged on a McIntosh MCT80, which works very well.  The DIN connection to the preamp makes a huge difference.


Will either get a Pioneer LX500 or another used Oppo 105 for long term supply. 

[audioengr]

I had planned to buy an Oppo 205 last summer, and was not happy when I found out they stopped making them.  I signed up on their list to get one of the extra run units, but they never contacted me. 


I have a lot of disc media, and decided that I better get a transport that will last while they are still readily available.  So, splurged on a McIntosh MCT80, which works very well.  The DIN connection to the preamp makes a huge difference.


Will either get a Pioneer LX500 or another used Oppo 105 for long term supply.

There are plenty of new and near-new OPPO's on ebay.

[Freo-1]

There are plenty of new and near-new OPPO's on ebay.

Yes, along with Audiogon as well. 

[Mag]

I am not so concerned about blu ray movies going the way of the Dodo bird as I am about blu ray concert audio. Blu ray concert IMO are the best recordings because they are usually uncompressed, which is the highest fidelity audiophiles are likely to hear. Not likely to be obtained through streaming, but who knows maybe streaming will one day be able to stream large data files.

Fortunately I've purchased the blu ray concerts that I'm interested in, with the exception of possible new releases.

Samsung, Oppo I believe may be manufactured in China and thus may be hampered by current trade disputes. I purchased a Yamaha a1060 and have a blu ray LG on computer so I think I'm okay for the near future. If they stop making blu ray drives for computer then I might be worried. Maybe I should buy a back up drive in case I live to my 80's.

[WGH]

It's difficult for me to get the same audio quality from networked streamed movies compared to Blu-Ray.

I agree. I still can't comprehend having a home theater worth thousands of dollars and streaming movies, of course it helps that I have at least 1/2 dozen Redbox kiosks within a mile of my house, at least one of them has the movie I want on Blu-Ray.

David Gilmour's "Live at Pompeii" Blu-Ray is 22.2 GB, movies including extras can be much bigger, no way can that amount of data be streamed. Can it?
And if Netflix can deliver Blu-Ray quality with a 30-100 Mbps connection, I only watch 1 movie a week max, which breaks down to $25/movie. I would rather pay $2.19 per movie to Redbox for better quality.

[ajzepp]

I love the convenience of streaming, and I'm generally happy with the quality...until I toss in a bluray. Then the shortcomings of streaming for A/V enthusiasts like us become apparent.

[wushuliu]

"With the price of 4K UHD players becoming more reasonable, sales of players and discs are actually on the rise. According to one report, sales of 4K UHD Blu-ray discs rose an impressive 68% in the third quarter of 2018, suggesting there’s still life in HD players and media. So, it’s a surprise that Samsung is abandoning the market in which it has so much history."

"It’s also worth noting that Samsung is terminating sales of Blu-ray players in the U.S. market but not Europe or Asia."

Sounds more like a forced hand in the US market to me, perhaps due to Apple but not because the demand isn't there. The TV/video market is in a tailspin, prices are free-falling, and there are competing technologies  - from OLED to Quantum to Dolby Vision to Android, all trying to get a foothold. It's not the end of anything, so much as overall chaos because the tech world ethos of 'always be creating something new, whether it works or not, whether it's needed or not' is devouring itself.

People have been prognoticating the end of physical media about as long as they've been predicting VR is about to 'change everything'. And VR has been 'on the verge of changing media consumption as we know it'...since the 90s.

Blu ray isn't going anywhere. Someone will take up Samsung's slack. The streaming content just doesn't match the BR options. And don't forget 8k is on the horizon, so there will be players for those.

[Mike B.]

I hope not as well. I have the blu-ray disc service from Netflix. I use a Oppo 203 and a 65" 4k screen. Blu-rays discs are upscaled to 4K. The picture and especially sound is much better than streaming and I have Comcast service with speeds over 100Mbps.

[ctviggen]

While I hope that blurays don't go away, I've been watching 4k from Amazon's fire TV.  It looks good. (Don't know about the sound, as the only thing I've watched is really just people talking.)  But it might be inevitable.  My kids don't listen to anything we have on our system (we have a server with tons of CDs on it), as they listen to music through Alexa (Amazon Echos).  Even my wife no longer listens to our own music.  I'm the only one. 

[charmerci]

My kids don't listen to anything we have on our system (we have a server with tons of CDs on it), as they listen to music through Alexa (Amazon Echos).  Even my wife no longer listens to our own music.  I'm the only one.

On one hand, that's sad - on the other hand, that's great! No one competing for the use of your great system - you get to watch what you want, when you want! 

[audioengr]

I am not so concerned about blu ray movies going the way of the Dodo bird as I am about blu ray concert audio. Blu ray concert IMO are the best recordings because they are usually uncompressed, which is the highest fidelity audiophiles are likely to hear. Not likely to be obtained through streaming, but who knows maybe streaming will one day be able to stream large data files.

Fortunately I've purchased the blu ray concerts that I'm interested in, with the exception of possible new releases.

Samsung, Oppo I believe may be manufactured in China and thus may be hampered by current trade disputes. I purchased a Yamaha a1060 and have a blu ray LG on computer so I think I'm okay for the near future. If they stop making blu ray drives for computer then I might be worried. Maybe I should buy a back up drive in case I live to my 80's.

That would be a shame.  There is nothing like listening and watching the performance at the same time. No need to close your eyes.....

[Elizabeth]

DVD was a huge step up from VHS/Beta. Sadly BluRay was only a tiny step up. Then sadly, way way too many early BluRay releases were only in DVD quality. No way to know.. and that stopped me cold from bothering with BluRay at all. That it is dying? it never really got off the ground. Not like DVD, or CD. Same can be said about SACD. Where if SACD dual SACD/CD was the only way to buy and CD alone vanished... Sony could have done that. nope.
I suggest stocking up on BluRay players from eBay... Best bet is pick one brand, one model, buy five of them... ten of them...