Sharp Unveils Aquos Blu-ray Player

The first non-TV to bear the Aquos name will feature full 1080p output and special features for pairing it with an Aquos display.

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.