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Sharp BD-HP20 Review |
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Reviewed: 02 January 2008
Design
The Sharp BD-HP20 echoes the style of Sharp's range of Aquos LCD TV's. With a glossy black finish and the odd curve or two this unit will sit perfectly alongside any one of Sharp's range of Aquos flat panel TV's
This is also a very well built and nicely finished piece of kit which will stylishly compliment the rest of your Audio Visual setup.
Features
With its ability to output Full HD pictures at 1080p/24fps the BD-HP20 has the potential to produce supreme quality High Definition pictures. Of course, you will need a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution screen to make the most of this feature.
Video Upsacaling: yes Output Resolution: 490p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p Playable Disc Formats: BD-ROM/R/RE, DVD video, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, Audio CD. Sockets: 1 HDMI (v1.3), composite video, s-video, dvi, component output video. Other Features: Full digital high-definition 1080p video output via HDMI; Dolby® TrueHD (lossless, 48 kHz only), Dolby® Digital Plus, DTS Digital Surround.
Being 24fps (frames per second) compatible, the BD-HP20 has the ability to play movies (typically shot at 24 frames per second) at their correct speed. Without 24p support they are played on your TV at 25 fps (PAL TV standard).
The Sharp BD-HP20 can decode Dolby TrueHD (one of the latest High Definition sound formats) which enables your 5.1 input multi-channel receiver to deliver stunning cinema-like sound.
Unfortunately, the BD-HP20 cannot play music formats such as MP3 or WMA and neither will you have any joy with blank media storing MPEG 1, 2 or 4 video, JPEG still pictures or DiVX video.
AQUOS LINK technology facilitates seamless operation between the Blu-ray player and AQUOS LCD TVs, while HDMI-connected products can be controlled through the AQUOS screen with a single TV remote.
Performance
Despite its budget price tag, by the performance of the Sharp BD-HP20 you could place it alongside some of the more expensive Blu-ray players out there.
Get the most out of this player with a Full HD (1920 x 1080) screen and 24fps compatibility and witness incredibly sharp and detailed pictures with wonderfully vibrant colours.
Unfortunately, the BD-HP20 betrays its budget status when you play a normal DVD. Although Sharp have added upscaling functionality to this unit, the resulting picture displays no evidence of enhanced picture quality. In fact, the BD-HP20 struggles to match even the most basic DVD players in this respect, with soft mushy pictures which cannot match the detail and clarity of even a basic player.
Hook up the BD-HP20 to a 5.1 input multi-channel receiver and with Dolby TrueHD the BD-HP20 becomes an acoustic delight. If you haven't experienced this quality of sound before, be prepared for a cinematic experience in your own home.
Conclusion
There are better Blu-ray players out there, but not for the price. The performance of Sharp's BD-HP20 elevates well above the budget category. Normal DVD playback a disappointment though.
