Just when it looked like a 4K Blu-ray revival was in full gear, Sony could be about to bring the occasion to a crashing halt.
Reports suggest the firm is ending production of its final commercial model, the UBP-X700/K, despite only launching it just over a year ago.
Kunkoku, a Japanese blog dedicated to Sony products and a Sony retail partner, reports (via FlatpanelsHD) that Sony has "ended shipments of its Ultra HD Blu-ray player", with sales of the UBP-X700/K ceasing once stock runs out.
Visiting the Sony Japan online store reveals that the player is already out of stock, so it may already be too late for those looking to purchase the Blu-ray player in Japan.
This could leave the PlayStation 5 as the company's final remaining device capable of playing 4K Blu-ray discs.
But that will be of little comfort to physical media fans, as we know from Sony's previous announcement that future PlayStation consoles will not support physical discs.
On a wider scale, Panasonic could be the only remaining mainstream manufacturer to continue producing 4K disc players, with new players, such as Krovatar, and enthusiast manufacturers, including Magnetar, filling in the gaps.
Kunkoku affirms that "no information regarding a successor model has been announced at this time". While the end of production of 4K Blu-ray players is specifically in Japan from this source, we'd be surprised if Sony opts to continue selling them globally despite ending production within its home market.
Stock appears to still be available via Sony's official channels in the UK, and third-party retailers are also showing the UBP X700/K as available. That said, once stock runs dry, we could see a similar situation here.
We've reached out to Sony for comment.
MORE:
Read our Sony UBP-X700 review
Check out our picks for the best 4K Blu-ray players
And read our Sony PlayStation 5 review
