One of the last major electronics companies still manufacturing Blu-ray players has hit stop (or at least pause for now) on its two remaining devices. LG will no longer manufacture the UBK80 and UBK90 UHD Blu-ray players, which it introduced back in 2018.
Both devices play regular Blu-ray discs as well as UHD 4K discs, in addition to CDs, standard DVDs and 3D Blu-rays. The UBK90 also plays Dolby Vision format movies, a feature missing in many other devices, including the disc editions of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, two game consoles that can play UHD discs and Blu-rays.
Even though issues with streaming services removing content has renewed interest in physical media, the march away from discs has continued. Best Buy decided to stop carrying DVDs and Blu-rays last year, and Netflix phased out its red-envelope DVD mailing in 2023. Previously, Samsung exited the Blu-ray player market in 2019 and Sony appears to be winding down disc production.
Sony and Panasonic remain as the last major holdouts still making disc players.
In a statement to the website FlatpanelsHD, LG said it’s not ruling out a return to the Blu-ray player market if demand warrants it. The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
