I love 4K Blu-ray and while 2024 has been a rollercoaster year to be a fan, I have hope for 2025
As 2024 comes to a close, I’m taking a look back at everything that happened with 4K Blu-ray over the past year. Needless to say, it has been a year of ups and downs. We’ve seen some excellent releases, especially from independent distributors. We’ve also seen brands and retailers exit the 4K Blu-ray market, be it discs or players.
According to one of Ny Breaking’s TV reviewers, the best 4K Blu-ray players and discs are crucial for testing the best TVs because they not only offer the best picture quality thanks to a higher bitrate than streaming, but also audio of better quality for testing the built-in TVs. -in speakers and the best soundbars.
But 2024 has truly been a rollercoaster year for us 4K Blu-ray fans. There have been reports of increasing disc sales from major UK retailers, and elsewhere you can read that the state of physical media is deteriorating and it’s all very doom and gloom. So what happened in the world of 4K Blu-ray in 2024?
Sabotage from Disney and Best Buy, plus a savior from Sony
In two of the biggest 4K Blu-ray news stories, Best Buy decided to stop stocking 4K Blu-ray discs and then Disney announced its decision to discontinue 4K Blu-ray releases. Yet 4K Blu-ray remained alive and well thanks to the efforts of smaller distributors like The Criterion Collection and Arrow Video, both of which released fantastic remasters and beautiful special editions of classic films. I bought The Warriors from Arrow Video US and it’s an incredible release.
But these small companies can’t be expected to do all the work and whatever you think of Disney’s current filmography, its back catalog is vast and it owns production companies like Fox. Numerous critically and publicly acclaimed films, such as All of us strangers, would miss being presented in the best quality, starving home theater fans of a 4K Blu-ray release.
However, an unexpected savior appeared when Sony agreed to take over the distribution rights for Disney’s physical media. This meant that movies and TV shows from Disney, Marvel, Fox and others would now receive physical releases. It was much-needed good news for the world of 4K Blu-ray.
Retailers and brands come and go
Disney and Best Buy weren’t the only major brands to pull away from 4K Blu-ray, with another blow in December when LG announced it would stop manufacturing 4K Blu-ray players. That leaves Panasonic and Sony as the only remaining mainstream brands offering ‘new’, budget and mid-range Blu-ray players (Oppo and Samsung withdrew from the 4K Blu-ray player market in 2018 and 2019 respectively, and remaining brands such as Magentar and Reavon are aimed at the premium segment of the market). While some players are still available in the second hard market, expect shares to become increasingly scarce.
Despite more woes, some retailers have decided to hop on the 4K Blu-ray bandwagon. For example, US retailers Fred Meyers and GameStop announced they would stock 4K Blu-ray discs in May, giving 4K Blu-ray fans more options for purchasing movies.
4K Bluray in 2025
What are the prospects for 4K Blu-ray in 2025? Honestly, I’m hopeful. Here at Ny Breaking, we’ve noticed a need for 4K Blu-ray information, with more readers reaching out and paying more attention to 4K Blu-ray related news. So much so that we’ve launched the Blu-ray Bounty, where we take a look at great 4K Blu-ray releases every month, with our first edition showcasing Double indemnity, power of the dog and kingdom of the planet of the apes.
Spending more time with 4K Blu-ray has also fueled my obsession. Together with The fighters, I recently added The Crow, The Dark Knight Trilogy And The Lord of the Rings added to my collection, among many others that would take too long to mention!
But that’s the state of Blu-ray for us here at Ny Breaking. What about the wider world? Once again the signs point to a small revolution. That may sound exaggerated, but with the best streaming services such as Netflix, Prime Video and Disney Plus continual People will get tired of raising prices. Not only has Prime Video added ads for all users unless you paid $2.99/£2.99 to go ad-free in January 2024, but it will add even more ads in 2025. This is just one example of streaming services squeezing people out of their money, with Netflix also kicking people off the cheapest ad-free tier, forcing an upgrade or cancellation. I’d list more cases from 2024, but we’d be here all day.
Another frustration I’ve experienced is the constant hot potato these streaming services play with movies and TV shows. Too many times I’ve gone to watch a favorite or classic that caught my attention one month, only to find out the next month that it’s gone. With discs, you own and view the content. I’ll be keeping an eye on how many other people get tired of this in 2025 and choose to rely on the good old physical media.
Final thoughts
4K Blu-ray and physical media in general has been through a year of highs and lows in 2024, and while I’m hopeful for its future in 2025, I know there is still uncertainty. Physical media sales continue to decline overall, and despite rising prices, streaming services are still the primary way people watch movies and TV shows.
But 4K Blu-ray is the best way to enjoy movies on your home theater system and the more people experience this beautiful format, the more popular it will become. I can recommend two players and five movies to get you started if you’re new, and rest assured, I’ll be flying the 4K Blu-ray flag in 2025!