CES 2009 Sharp Press Conference
Posted January 7, 2009 01:45 PM by Craig Howie
Sharp announced a number of new products planned for release in coming year; on the Blu-ray end, the company spoke about home theatre in a box 5.1 with built in Blu-ray, as well as a new line of Aquos TV monitors with built-in Blu-ray players. In addition, an environmentally friendly undertone seemed to pervade much of Sharp's press conference today.
"BD-Live gives consumers access to downloadable features for an interactive home theatre experience,” said Bruce Tripido, associate vice president, Entertainment Products Division, Sharp Electronics Corporation. "Additionally, these new models raise the bar for image quality, with features that display full high-definition content in its purest form."
Details are still a little thin but below is a summary of Sharp's newest Blu-ray related products. Two new set top Blu-ray players were announced, which will be Sharp's third generation of Blu-ray standalones.
BD-HP22U
Full HD 1080p24 digital output
Profile 2.0 (also known as BD-Live) via a wired Ethernet connection.
Low energy consumption in both the standby and power on modes.
HDMI 1.3 digital output with x.v. color support.
Sharp's proprietary Quick Start feature for quick disc loading including 2GB of USB memory.
Dolby® TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio via HDMI digital output. The player also decodes Dolby Digital Plus
Available in May for a MSRP of $299.99
BD-HP16U
Full HD 1080p24 digital output
Low energy consumption in both the standby and power on modes.
HDMI 1.3 digital output with x.v. color support.
Sharp's proprietary Quick Start feature for quick disc loading the memory capacity is unknown at the time of posting.
Dolby® TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio via HDMI digital output. The player also decodes Dolby Digital Plus
Available in March for a MSRP of $279.99
Sharp's TV's the AQUOS BD series.
52 inch LC-52BD80U
46 inch LC-46BD80U
42 inch LC-42BD80U
37 inch LC-37BD60U
32 inch LC-32BD60U
The 52 inch and 46 inch units will be available in February 2009, all the other units will be available in January. No prices have yet been quoted.
All TV's come equipped with a multi-slot loading for Blu-ray, DVD and CD. The TV's have numerous features that are also included with the Sharp Stand alone TV's as well as unique features such as automatic switch on when a BD disc is inserted.
Sharp's Home Theatre In A Box
Sharp have released 2 units. Both have a Blu-ray player included in the main unit. These are 5.1 surround systems. It seems the only difference between the two models is the color. The BD-MPC40 is a high gloss black whilst the BD-MPC30 “allowing for limitless design and décor options that complement any room of the home” your guess is as good as mine as to what that means. The blu-ray player specifications appear to be similar to those of the BD-HP22U Blu-ray player.
All information above is from notes taken during the press conference and their press release. Over the coming days we hope to provide more detailed information on the Blu-ray products.
Sharp announced a number of new TV's, targeted at specific audiences such as the HD Gamers or people that just want to watch HD TV. All their TV's they spoke about are designed to complement their Blu-ray players and have special interconnectivity features when connected to their new Sharp Blu-ray players.
Sharp also announced other products such as iPod docking stations, sound bars and other such devices.
Sharp covered their recycling programs, Solar Cell advancements and stressed that they were releasing environmentally products.
Once the CES show opens and we cover Sharp we will add photos.