Sharp launches two new Netflix-ready Aquos Blu-ray players

Sharp has announced two new Blu-ray players for 2010, the BD-HP70U and BD-HP24U. They're designed to be paired with Sharp's Aquos LCD TVs.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews

Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.

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David Carnoy

Jan. 6, 2010 2:03 p.m. PT

2 min read

Sharp's higher end BD-HP70U carries a list price of $499.99. Sharp

LAS VEGAS--Sharp trotted out two new Blu-ray players for 2010, the BD-HP70U and BD-HP24U, both of which offer Netflix video streaming. Neither offer any unique new features, but Sharp is touting them as having "cutting-edge" video and audio performance--and energy efficiency.

Both players deliver Full HD 1,920 x 1,080p video resolution at 24 frames per second over HDMI along with lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. As for energy efficiency, Sharp says the the BD-HP70U and BD-HP24U offer a target use of just 14 watts of power in operating mode and 0.4 watt in standby.

The players are designed to be paired with Sharp's new Aquos Full HD LCD TVs. Using the Aquos Pure Mode, the players recognize the connection to an Aquos TV and automatically optimize the picture quality. Sharp says to further improve the image quality, the players incorporate Deep Color, "which extends the maximum number of colors for each color component, reducing and in some cases eliminating color component artifacts."

In terms of differences, the higher-end BD-HP70U simply offers better build quality and high-grade components, including a high-grade power supply along with high-grade capacitors and gold-terminals. The BD-HP70U also gives you the option of adding a wireless component.

"In addition to the Ethernet port for RSS feeds, BonusView/BD-Live content and Netflix on-demand movies, the BD-HP70U is wireless ready with a second USB port making the BD-HP70U model wireless-LAN-ready," Sharp notes.

Pricing and availability:

The BD-HP70U will be available in Q2 2010 for a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $499.99
The BD-HP24U will be available in Q1 2010 for an MSRP of $279.99