The Decline of the Blu-ray Player

[flatliner]

A couple of weeks ago I read an alarming article stating Samsung will no longer be making Blu-ray players after this year. My absolute favorite manufacturer, Oppo, has already stopped! This is very alarming to me not only because I love the better quality Blu-ray offers over DVD, but this is also how I listen to CD’S....and I have thousands of them! In fact I still prefer them now over digital downloads.....anyone else concerned about this development? I refuse to rebuy my music library! Such a sad development.....

[Facelift]

Wow, that is pretty big news. I'll have to pick one up as a spare now.

[Gladiator1634]

I'm concerned so I picked up a brand new Oppo before they discontinued making them and have it stored in my closet. I'm 60 yrs old my current Oppo that I'm using I had for about 5 or 6 years now. Hopefully between the two of them they will outlast me!

[flatliner]

I'm concerned so I picked up a brand new Oppo before they discontinued making them and have it stored in my closet. I'm 60 yrs old my current Oppo that I'm using I had for about 5 or 6 years now. Hopefully between the two of them they will outlast me!

I’m 63...and was planning to get an Oppo when my now 5 year old top of the line Panasonic stops....never ever thought Oppo would cease to make the best out there......nobody makes one even as good as my Panasonic anymore! Very sad for those of us with large collections!

[chalkpie]

Is this because of Netflix, Amazon Prime, streaming in general? Lack of sales of BR discs?

[Udi Koomran]

Convenience, sloth and piracy
Add to that the short lifespan of optical devices
All this means minuscule demand
I don’t like streaming and stil buy cds but as soon as i get them i rip and listen on mobile devices or computer

[progmeister]

I’m 63...and was planning to get an Oppo when my now 5 year old top of the line Panasonic stops....never ever thought Oppo would cease to make the best out there......nobody makes one even as good as my Panasonic anymore! Very sad for those of us with large collections!

I am also 63 and HATE bluray. I am a Mac user which makes it difficult, and I hate 5.1 music. I want to be in front of the band not IN the band. I want my music on Hi Rez FLAC downloads. 2 Channel only. Please..

[EdWiser]

Streaming killed disc sales. Most stores only sell new releases. Not enough sales to keep producing them.

[Plasmatopia]

Crap. I'm just gettin' ready to hook one up to my TV.

[Jerjo]

Crap - I was just thinking we needed a couple replacement players. I better grab a couple before they disappear entirely. Anyone got any recommendations?

[progmatist]

Most millennials don't even own a CD player...one would assume that extends to Blu-Ray players.

[jkelman]

I am also 63 and HATE bluray.

Why? What do you hate about higher resolution and uncompressed Audio?

I am a Mac user which makes it difficult

I use a Mac and have no trouble finding BR readers and writers. I rip the audio from all of my BR discs so I can put the music on my DAP and in my iTunes library. It's easy (the software I use - two programs - cost a total of $50 for lifetime licences.

and I hate 5.1 music

I don't hate 5.1, but neither do I own a surround sound system, instead choosing to Utah my money into the highest end Stereo system that I could afford in the living room. An OPPO UDP-205, Leema Tucana II integrated amp and Tetra 333 stack (plus a Samsung 4K TV and Apple TV 4K, so I can stream my I unreal library through my OPPO's DAC , through 5o My amp with balanced XLR cables.

I have a Parasigm Millennium powered 2.1 set of speakers that use an OPPO HA-2 headphone amp/DAC connected to my Mac so, while not as good as the living room, it still sounds pretty sweet.

I buy CDs, SACDs, BR and DVD Audio, as well as high res digital downloads from places like HDTracks, though I use ALAC rather than FLAC. I can rip Audio from ev rytging except SACD, so I've pretty much the best of all worlds WRT possibilities. I buy movies (HD and 4K) on iTunes, but have a large hard media film collection, so need a player and the OPPO does the trick. I was sorry (but understood why) to hear OPPO was ceasing production of their players, but at 63 (also) I hope my UDP will last, since I don't overuse the player.

All this to say: I don't understand your BR hatred, and that being a Mac user is absolutely no impediment.

[jkelman]

Streaming killed disc sales. Most stores only sell new releases. Not enough sales to keep producing them.

And the excessive price of 4K hard media plus, for example,Apple's 4K purchase price of films being far more reasonable (and if you own a film in HD and it gets reissued in 4K, they bump your copy to 4K at no charge) pretty much killed it out of the gate...which is why OPPO stopped making the UDP line.

Add to that, based on the city's largest second hand store telling me that DVDs far outsell BR in their shop, and it's understandable why things are heading where they are. Still, I suspect good quality hard media players won't entirely disappear, at least not in my lifetime. I'd have to spend more if my OPPO were to die, but there are companies like Emm Labs still making reference quality CD/SACD players and I'm sure BR players won't entirely disappear. Just my opinion, but after covering the Montreal Audio Fest last month I felt much more confident about it.

[Dave (in MA)]

I've decided that I don't like Blu Ray and I don't like 5.1 even though I've probably never heard them!
Therefore, they should not be allowed to exist!

[philsunset]

I'm concerned so I picked up a brand new Oppo before they discontinued making them and have it stored in my closet. I'm 60 yrs old my current Oppo that I'm using I had for about 5 or 6 years now. Hopefully between the two of them they will outlast me!

I did the same thing...bought another Oppo as a backup. Oppo still will repair the players.

[progmeister]

And the excessive price of 4K hard media plus, for example,Apple's 4K purchase price of films being far more reasonable (and if you own a film in HD and it gets reissued in 4K, they bump your copy to 4K at no charge) pretty much killed it out of the gate...which is why OPPO stopped making the UDP line.

Add to that, based on the city's largest second hand store telling me that DVDs far outsell BR in their shop, and it's understandable why things are heading where they are. Still, I suspect good quality hard media players won't entirely disappear, at least not in my lifetime. I'd have to spend more if my OPPO were to die, but there are companies like Emm Labs still making reference quality CD/SACD players and I'm sure BR players won't entirely disappear. Just my opinion, but after covering the Montreal Audio Fest last month I felt much more confident about it.

I only listen for hobby purposes to Hi Res 24bit or DSD but at MY 63 lol I have a hard time ripping the BluRays to play in my computer. Can't for the life of me figure how how to tag the individual songs and so they show up as "untitled".

[flatliner]

Why? What do you hate about higher resolution and uncompressed Audio?


I use a Mac and have no trouble finding BR readers and writers. I rip the audio from all of my BR discs so I can put the music on my DAP and in my iTunes library. It's easy (the software I use - two programs - cost a total of $50 for lifetime licences.



I don't hate 5.1, but neither do I own a surround sound system, instead choosing to Utah my money into the highest end Stereo system that I could afford in the living room. An OPPO UDP-205, Leema Tucana II integrated amp and Tetra 333 stack (plus a Samsung 4K TV and Apple TV 4K, so I can stream my I unreal library through my OPPO's DAC , through 5o My amp with balanced XLR cables.

I have a Parasigm Millennium powered 2.1 set of speakers that use an OPPO HA-2 headphone amp/DAC connected to my Mac so, while not as good as the living room, it still sounds pretty sweet.

I buy CDs, SACDs, BR and DVD Audio, as well as high res digital downloads from places like HDTracks, though I use ALAC rather than FLAC. I can rip Audio from ev rytging except SACD, so I've pretty much the best of all worlds WRT possibilities. I buy movies (HD and 4K) on iTunes, but have a large hard media film collection, so need a player and the OPPO does the trick. I was sorry (but understood why) to hear OPPO was ceasing production of their players, but at 63 (also) I hope my UDP will last, since I don't overuse the player.

All this to say: I don't understand your BR hatred, and that being a Mac user is absolutely no impediment.

I agree with you 100%! But I do love 5.1.....almost every Blu-ray also has high resolution stereo...so I didn’t really understand the hate for Blu-ray: better sounding, better picture. What’s to hate?

[flatliner]

I've decided that I don't like Blu Ray and I don't like 5.1 even though I've probably never heard them!
Therefore, they should not be allowed to exist!

[timmy]

Most millennials don't even own a CD player...one would assume that extends to Blu-Ray players.

Most millennials don't own anything. Most are lazy, stupid, clueless, broke, gullible, and for the most part, useless. Extremely sad but true.

Are we stuck with moving towards downloads only? I am ok with downloads as long as there is the option for 96k/24b or 192k/24b. I see quite a few 44.1k/16 or 24b downloads. Some of the KC downloads on HDtracks come to mind. I figure if it is 44.1k/16b I would prefer to buy the physical media.

[bigjohnwayne]

Most millennials don't own anything. Most are lazy, stupid, clueless, broke, gullible, and for the most part, useless. Extremely sad but true.

I'm not really offended, but I was born in '86 and most of my contemporaries own at least one thing.

[Garyhead]

I did the same thing...bought another Oppo as a backup. Oppo still will repair the players.

That is what Theta said years ago with their Universal transports and DAC's.....crickets now......

[JKL2000]

Most millennials don't own anything. Most are lazy, stupid, clueless, broke, gullible, and for the most part, useless. Extremely sad but true.

Were we (or our parents) stupid, lazy, etc. when subscribing to cable TV, HBO, etc? We've had this conversation before.

[philsunset]

That is what Theta said years ago with their Universal transports and DAC's.....crickets now......

I just had my original Oppo repaired..so there...

[Vic333]

That is surprising that Samsung is dropping out of Blu-Ray players entirely. After all, they don't just play BD discs. They play CDs and DVDs just as well. And Samsung did make some pretty cheap entry level players.
Will they still manufacture DVD players?

--
Looks like they announced end of new design, not end of life or end of sale.

[Klonk]

I'm concerned so I picked up a brand new Oppo before they discontinued making them and have it stored in my closet. I'm 60 yrs old my current Oppo that I'm using I had for about 5 or 6 years now. Hopefully between the two of them they will outlast me!

I have 3 Oppo's including the last 203 4K player. These machines are incredible. The 4K (on the right TV) is absolutely stunning and the sound (with the right setup) is bliss. I read they will continue updates, but have indeed discontinued the machines. A shame.