Headlines blare the end of an era: Sony shipped its last Blu-ray players in February 2026, hammering another nail into physical video media’s coffin. But peer past the headlines and dig into the source material, and you’ll see that it’s not Blu-ray players that Sony has stopped making, but Blu-ray recorders.These are the devices that allow you to insert a blank Blu-ray disc and record a broadcast. Sony’s still making and selling Blu-ray players, the kind you use to watch movies on Blu-ray that you get from Blockbuster Netflix that bargain bin at Walmart, and at least as of yet they’ve announced no intention to stop.(opens in a new window)SonyBDP-S1700U Blu-ray Player(opens in a new window)Available at AmazonBuy Now(opens in a new window)Available at WalmartBuy Now(opens in a new window)still spinnin’All the hand-wringing over Sony’s future in Blu-ray stems from an official announcement made by Sony on February 9, 2026. It was in Japanese, but with the easy availability of translation software—hell, Google transformed it into English in the blink of an eye for me—I can’t put the misunderstanding down to a communication breakdown.If anything, Sony was too brief, saying almost nothing more than “Thank you for using Sony products. We will be disconcerting to release all Blu-ray Disc Recorder models. In addition, there are no successor models. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to many customers for their patronage so far.” They could’ve mentioned that Blu-ray player production would continue, but the message is clear. Most people use Blu-ray players, not recorders, so the message kept getting mixed up into “Sony exiting Blu-ray market.”Well, it’s not. At least not yet. Someday Blu-ray will die a quiet death, kept alive by the kinds of enthusiasts who congregate around internet swap meets. But for now you can still buy a new Sony Blu-ray player, if you have a thing for physical media without giving up anything in the way of video quality.Contest Alert: VICE Playlist ProjectIf you’re making music, VICE just launched the Playlist Project, a global song contest built around real life moments. Instead of genres, you’ll submit songs to a specific category that fits your track. Entries are open now, with cash prizes and VICE social & editorial features on the line. TAP HERE TO LEARN MORE AND ENTERDon’t forget that the Sony PlayStation 5 can also play Blu-rays, as long as you buy the version with a disc drive. Why, you could even use a little mental gymnastics to justify the purchase if you need a bit of help getting over the speed bump of the PS5’s new $650 retail price.“Honey, we’ve got this huge library of Blu-rays and no way to play them. But the PS5 plays ’em just fine, so it’s really about making good use of things we already have…” You can workshop it, but there are the bones for a good bit of capitalist rationalization.The post No, Sony Hasn’t Stop Making Blu-ray Players appeared first on VICE.