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Blu-ray discs, MiniDiscs, are among the products affected
Jan 24, 20252:38 PM EST
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More physical media formats have bit the dust, as Sony Japan has officially announced the discontinuation of blank Blu-ray discs, MiniDiscs, MD Data, and MiniDV cassettes.
Blu-ray debuted in 2006 alongside Toshiba’s HD DVD and later became the more popular option for physical film and television releases. Blu-ray technology was included in both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. Recently, Best Buy and other U.S. chains announced that they will remove Blu-ray and other physical media formats from stores starting in late 2024/early 2025.
MiniDiscs, which debuted in 1992, were designed to replace cassette tapes using a magnetic optical disk with anti-skip technology. In 2013, Sony discontinued its MiniDisc player. The 2025 discontinuation affects the recordable MiniDiscs that are still in production. Another related optical disc format, MD Data, will also be discontinued.
Sony has also discontinued Mini DV cassettes, which are used in both amateur and professional videography. DV cassettes were mainly used in camcorders until the digital camera made the format obsolete.
Sony isn’t the only company abandoning the Blu-ray format, as Samsung dropped plans for the format in 2019, and LG recently discontinued all of its Blu-ray players.
Mainly, this discontinuation affects optical disc storage methods, although some cassettes will be affected as well.
Sony stated in the press release, “We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our many customers for their patronage to date.”
Production will officially stop in February 2025.
Source: Sony Japan
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