Skip to main content

Sharp Unveils Aquos Blu-ray Player

Sharp Unveils Aquos Blu-ray Player

Sharp’s Aquos brand name will no longer be reserved exclusively for its TVs. The company broke its former naming conventions on Thursday with the Aquos Blu-Ray player, the first non-TV to carry the name in the U.S.

The slim-profile BD-HP20U touts full 1080p output, which Sharp naturally intends to be paired with one of its Aquos 1080p displays. To that end, the company even includes a proprietary feature known as Aquos Link, which allows the player to link up with an Aquos set via an HDMI connection and be controlled through the same remote.

All of the unit’s components, including its Blu-ray laser, pickup beam and driver unit, were all built by Sharp.

On the audio front, the player can handle a variety of formats including Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus. It can put out up to 7.1 channels through an HDMI cable.

The BD-HP20U will hit U.S. shores in September with a retail price of $549.99.

Editors' Recommendations

Nick Mokey
As Digital Trends’ Managing Editor, Nick Mokey oversees an editorial team delivering definitive reviews, enlightening…
Black Friday deal: RayNeo Air 2 AR Glasses are a 201-inch screen for anywhere
RayNeo Air 2 XR AR glasses product image

What if you could carry a massive 201-inch screen with you everywhere you go and stow it in your pocket, handbag, or backpack? It sounds like a techie's fever dream, right? Except, it's totally possible with the RayNeo Air 2 AR glasses. Using Micro OLED technology, these augmented reality glasses allow you to view content in 1080p full HD on a 201-inch display, and all you have to do is wear a pair of eyeglasses. You can connect them to PCs, Android, iOS, game consoles, and the cloud, all to watch or play content. For Black Friday, RayNeo has shaved $30 off the full price, so you'll pay just $349. That's a fraction of the cost of an equivalent-sized TV. But when you use coupon code RAYNEOSAVE50, you'll save an additional $50, bringing the price down to $299. Wowzers.
Buy Now
 
Why you should buy the RayNeo Air 2 AR glasses for Black Friday

Even the cost of an 80-inch OLED would be three to four times the cost of these AR glasses at their regular price. That's without factoring in the sheer portability of these AR glasses, which you can take anywhere and everywhere. It's like carrying a 201-inch OLED TV in your pocket or bag, which you can set up instantly indoors and out. While having a picnic, you can throw on a movie. At a local coffee shop, you can play some games. At your family's house for the holidays, you can play or watch whatever you want, on a massive screen, without bothering anyone else.

Read more
Sharp’s promised Roku OLED TV is now available and deeply discounted
Sharp Roku TV OLED 4K UHD.

In January 2023, Sharp surprised many observers by announcing its return to the North American TV market -- and then surprised us again by saying it intended to launch the first OLED TV powered by Roku. True to its word, you can now buy the Sharp Roku TV OLED 4K Ultra HD in 55- and 65-inch screen sizes, each of which has already been discounted for Black Friday sales.

Normally $1,900 for the 55-inch model and $2,500 for the 65-inch screen size (very similar prices to what LG asks for its 55- and 65-inch LG C3 OLED), the new Sharp OLED TVs are now $1,500 and $2,000, respectively.

Read more
You Asked: plasma TV replacements, cheap OLEDs, and Sharp’s return
A screenshot from video series You Asked, Episode 8.

In this installment of You Asked, resident AV expert Caleb Denison answers your questions about the best plasma TV replacement, cheap OLED versus high-end LCD, the best cheap TV for movies, and what he thinks of the new Sharp mini-LED TV.

Plasma replacements

Read more