The end of an era: Sony puts an end to almost 20 years of production of Blu-ray records and other optical supports, marking a major turning point in the physical storage industry.
Sony officially announced on January 23, 2025 the definitive judgment of the production of all its optical supports, including Blu-ray discs, Minidiscs and Minidv cassettes, from February 2025. This historic decision comes after the company has already ceased the consumer production of these media in mid-2024, keeping only the production lines intended for professional customers.
The Japanese company, which was one of the main architects of Blu-ray technology, said that no successor format was planned. This decision is mainly explained by the rise in streaming and cloud storage services, which have gradually eroded demand for physical supports.
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A limited but symbolic impact
It is important to note that this judgment only concerns recordable discs and does not directly affect the production of pre-recorded Blu-ray containing films and series. Consumers will therefore be able to continue to buy Blu-ray films, although the offer may gradually be reduced.
This announcement is part of a broader context of decline in physical support. Indeed, LG Electronics had already ceased the manufacture of Blu-ray readers in December 2024, following the example of Samsung and Oppo which had withdrawn from the market a few years earlier. Only Panasonic and Sony currently continue to offer UHD readers, without having renewed their ranges for several years.
-What alternatives to physical storage?
Faced with this development, different storage solutions are available to users. Cloud storage has the advantage of accessibility, but involves monthly costs and security issues. External hard drives are an alternative, but their “limited” lifespan requires regular transfers to preserve data.
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Pioneer, a competitor of Sony, has developed a niche in long-term storage with Blu-ray discs designed to last a hundred years. Researchers also work on glass storage solutions with an estimated lifespan at 5000 years.
The inheritance of the Blu-ray
Launched in 2000 in the form of a prototype, the Blu-ray won against the HD-DVD of Toshiba in 2006, in particular thanks to the partnerships of Sony with the film studios and the integration of this technology in the PlayStation 3. This Victory in the War of Formats allowed the Blu-Ray to reign in the high definition optical storage market for almost two decades.
The gradual disappearance of the Blu-ray raises questions about the long-term preservation of digital content. Unlike the streaming services where content can disappear without notice, physical supports offered a form of sustainability and control over its multimedia library.
