Sony Japan announced Thursday that it will no longer produce or sell blank Blu-ray discs in its domestic market. Several media outlets, misinterpreting the company’s press release, erroneously reported that Blu-ray production as a whole would be discontinued and that this would mark the end of the company’s optical disc production as a whole, as there would be no successor to the Blu-ray format. But no, the Blu-ray format is alive and well, and is not going anywhere.
Image source: How to Geek
In a press release posted under the “Recording Media” section of the support website, Sony Japan explains that it will cease production of Blu-ray Disc media, as well as MiniDisc recording media and MD Data Disc recording media, in February 2025.
The Sony Japan press release is intended for the Japanese audience. And in Japan, optical discs are still very common carriers for recording information. Based on the context and mention of ancient formats as minidiscc, we can conclude that Sony speaks of empty Blu-ray discs or the so-called “blanks”. However, in order not to guess on the coffee grounds, the How to Geek portal directly turned to Sony Japan to find out what, in fact, we are talking about.
«In Japan, we have a widespread culture of recording TV programs onto Blu-ray Discs, so we sell blank Blu-ray Discs for data storage. These discs are sold only in Japan. These discs are the subject of discussion in this press release. No other products (pre-recorded Blu-ray discs containing our TV programs/movies sold by Sony Pictures or discs for Blu-ray players from Sony Corporation, etc.) are covered by this notice/press release.” – the company said.
In a conversation with How to Geek, the representative of Sony Japan explained that the company’s press release reports the termination of the production of exceptionally pure optical discs (the very “blanks” for recording). Sony will continue the production and release of films and video games on Blu-ray, which means that this format has not yet reached the “end of its life cycle”, as some publications suggested.
Sony has not actually promoted the Blu-Ray format as a video for video recordings in the US or European markets. This is due to several factors, including the relative unpopularity of DVD recuperations in Western markets, the belated adoption of HDTV format in the United States, as well as the growth of the popularity of competing formats of physical media, such as DVR.
For example, the same Minidisc format, the termination of the production of which is mentioned in the Japanese press release of Sony Japan, completely failed in the United States, but lasted 30 years in the Japanese market (and not long in Europe). Nevertheless, Sony’s decision to stop the sale of Blu-ray launch vehicles and minidisc in Japan is a great story, since it indicates a shift in the Japanese media consumption paradigm. But, again, this does not concern consumers outside Japan.