Against all odds, there’s a new 4K UHD Blu-ray player about to hit the market, and it’s from an Australian electronics brand called Laser Corporation. Known as the BLU-BD4K-384, the unit is listed at a price of $500 AUD (roughly $347 USD). This places the player firmly in budget-friendly territory, at least when compared to most other 4K UHD disc players currently for sale.
The BLU-BD4K-384 is available now for pre-order exclusively in Australia, with a scheduled release date of November 30 of this year. For the time being, unfortunately, there’s no word on a US or broader global release. As such, if you want a unit, you’ll have to import it into North America once it hits retailers. Of course, with international shipping costs as high as they often are, this somewhat negates the budget-friendly pricing of the product.
Finally, a (semi) affordable 4K UHD disc player
The BLU-BD4K-384 has a lot going for it
Putting aside its questionable naming scheme, the BLU-BD4K-384 genuinely has a lot going for it. Chiefly, the device supports multi-region disc playback, including for both standard Blu-ray disc and DVD titles. This is a hugely welcome feature, as it makes playing back imported discs a simple process without needing to jump through hoops or having to opt for a separate, secondary player.
Aside from 4K UHD disc compatibility, the BLU-BD4K-384 also supports a variety of other audiovisual bells and whistles, all of which are appreciated at the price point. HDR 10 and Dolby Vision are both on deck, as are high-resolution FLAC audio support, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby TrueHD audio technologies. There’s also a front-facing USB 2.0 port for connecting storage peripherals, though I do wish this port was USB Type-C and at least USB 3.0.
With the BLU-BD4K-384, Laser appears to have built a compelling 4K UHD Blu-ray package.
Expectedly, Laser doesn’t include an HDMI cable in the box here — the unit ships with the player itself, a remote control, a power adapter, and a user manual. While there’s a Gigabit LAN port on the rear of the unit, the HDMI port situation here is a bit disappointing as it’s of the 2.0 variety rather than the newer 2.1.
With the BLU-BD4K-384, Laser appears to have built a compelling 4K UHD Blu-ray package, and one that’s worth keeping tabs on. While certainly not as full-featured as, say, the Panasonic DP-UB820, it’s also less expensive, particularly now that Panasonic has raised prices across its hardware lineup. New 4K UHD players aren’t a common occurrence in 2026 (especially ones that cost under $500) and so I really hope to see Laser bring the product to additional markets in the future.
