It has been a tricky year for 4K Blu-ray. We have lost track of how many nails have been hammered into its coffin, though there have been a few rays of light to signal hope for the format, such as a promising message regarding sales from a major high street retailer. Unfortunately, this latest announcement isn't one of those cases, as it surrounds one of the few remaining 4K Blu-ray player manufacturers exiting the market.
LG, who you will know mostly for its stellar OLED TVs, has announced that it will discontinue production of its currently available models. The UBK80 and UBK90 4K Blu-ray players were both released in 2018, and LG hasn't released successors for either model in the six years that they have been available; so this hasn't come as too much of a shock.
In fact, LG hasn't offered these models in the UK for quite some time. Stock appears to remain in America and some European countries; however, once that stock runs out, it will not be replenished. This leaves the major players – Panasonic and Sony – and the handful of enthusiast brands such as Magnetar and Reavon as the only options for dedicated 4K Blu-ray players. There is, of course, the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, providing you steer clear of the digital-only variants of both consoles.
While LG exiting the 4K Blu-ray market isn't necessarily the end of the world, it does represent a concerning trend regarding the format. It's never a promising sign to see a major company in the TV and AV space take a step back from UHD Blu-ray.
There is a potential silver lining to this announcement, however. FlatpanelsHD reports that LG Korea didn't confirm a complete global exit from the 4K Blu-ray player market, meaning that it could return if demand for the format picks up in the future.
All eyes are on 4K Blu-ray to see if it can withstand another year against the onslaught of streaming services.
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