After more than a decade of selling dedicated 4K Blu-ray players, Sony Japan appears to be exiting the standalone UHD Blu-ray player market in its home country. This is because the company has discontinued its last UHD Blu-ray player, the UBP-X700/K, with shipment officially ending in its home market starting today.
According to FlatpanelsHD, the news was first reported by Kunkoku, a Japanese Sony retailer and blog. The publication’s machine-translated report reads: “Sony ends shipments of Ultra HD Blu-ray player UBP-X700/K. Following the end of Blu-ray recorder sales and the announcement that PlayStation game disc production will cease, the PS5 will be Sony’s only UHD Blu-ray player in Japan.”
A check of Sony Japan’s online store appears to corroborate the report, with the player listed as out of stock and no further restocking planned. No successor or direct replacement has been announced at the time of writing.
However, this does not mean Sony has discontinued all its Blu-ray players worldwide. The UBP-X700/K’s discontinuation currently applies to Japan, while the company continues to list its UBP-X700 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player in other markets, including Malaysia. That said, rather than giving the consumer the option to purchase the device online, the website redirects the to the company’s physical outlets and authorised retailers.
Now, An Era Ends
As sad as it is to say, this development should not come as a complete surprise. In February 2026, Sony announced that it would gradually end shipments of its entire lineup of Blu-ray Disc recorders, with shipments winding down from that month onwards. The company also said it had no plans to introduce successor models.
It is worth noting that the UBP-X700/K itself had a relatively short lifespan. According to Kunkoku, the model launched in Japan on 17 May 2025, making it just over a year old when shipments ended. It was also Sony Japan’s last remaining standalone player capable of playing Ultra HD Blu-ray discs, following the discontinuation of the UBP-X800M2.
With the UBP-X700/K now discontinued, the PlayStation 5 is the only remaining Sony product in Japan capable of playing UHD Blu-ray movies. However, the console is primarily designed for gaming rather than dedicated home theatre use.
For one, the PS5 does not support Dolby Vision when playing Blu-ray discs, which may be a drawback for home cinema enthusiasts who want the most out of their 4K movie collections. A dedicated player may also offer a more straightforward experience for those who primarily watch films on physical media.
Additionally, seeing how the company plans on ending support for physical media altogether, people expect that the PlayStation 6 will no longer have an optical drive. If true, then the PS5 might be the last Sony device to support physical media.
No Time Like The Present
Needless to say, this is another setback for those who continue to champion physical media. While streaming services offer convenience, physical discs remain appealing to collectors and home cinema enthusiasts who want to own their movies without relying entirely on digital shopfronts or streaming catalogues.
For those in Malaysia who are still looking for a dedicated 4K Blu-ray player, Sony’s UBP-X700 remains listed on the local website. However, given the discontinuation of its Japanese counterpart, anyone considering a purchase should check current stock with local retailers sooner rather than later.
(Source: Kunkoku, via FlatpanelsHD)
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