Samsung announced that they stop producing 1080P and 4K Blu-Ray players for the U.S. Is it bad news for the ultra-high definition market? This withdrawal can be a sign that the disk market is in its ultimate phase. The Samsung K8500 is probably one of the last Samsung 4K Blu-Ray players. Samsung Stops Producing Blu-Ray Players After more than 15 years, it is the end for Samsung in the HD and 4K Blu-Ray player market. In 2017, the company released a couple of 4K Blu-Ray players. Surprisingly, no new model during 2018. The manufacturer was supposed to launch a new high-end model this summer: it’s never going to happen. In 2018, Chinese manufacturer Oppo also left the Blu-Ray market. This decision from Samsung is half of a surprise, as Blu-Ray never really made a huge impact in sales, in the U.S. – According to the stats, Blu-Ray sales are only 5,3% of the overall American video sales. It’s a low percentage if you compare it to DVD sales which still represents 57,9% of the market. These stats are relevant for the U.S market, but Samsung decided to stop the production of Blu-Ray players worldwide. Streaming Killed the Video Star Why is the Korean manufacturer stopping to produce those players? There is no official reason, but we can be sure that sales have been very slow with the advent of streaming services that provide higher and higher resolutions. Another reason could be the fact that (instead of supporting Dolby Vision) Samsung (and Panasonic)...
Published By: CineD - Friday, 22 February, 2019