What Hi Fi Sound and Vision
06 NOV 2007
Sharp BD-HP20 Blu-ray
We must have seemed like a right bunch of wingers when Blu-ray first appeared: what with warring formats, incomplete specs, slow operation and eye-watering prices. Well, this Sharp was one of the first players to carry the video and audio specification we demand, and at a real-world price.
The Sharp does a splendid job with Full HD images. Whites are clean and bright too, and blacks are glossy and deep. There’s not total stability to rapid panning shots, mind, with a slight vagueness to the most violent movement, but it's pretty good.
HD audio catered for
The good news continues where high-definition audio is concerned. The Sharp can decode Dolby TrueHD on board, so any multichannel receiver with a 5.1 input can deliver exhilarating sound. Via the machine’s multichannel output, Dolby TrueHD soundtracks are delivered in enthusiastic, punchy fashion.
Though the Sharp can’t send undecoded high-def audio via its HDMI output, its onboard decoder does sterling work. Subtle, transient effects are given full representation, dynamic shifts are handled dismissively and there’s a fanatical level of detail on offer. The Sharp can give the impression that your listening room, and the speakers in it, are all bigger than they actually are.
DVD performance is solid
And crucially, there are few compromises demanded when it’s time to play some of your old-fashioned DVDs. Though, Sharp doesn’t have quite the panache of its top rivals when it comes to playing DVDs, but it’s still a match for the majority of sub-£250 players currently out there.
This player is adequately built, functions quietly and is logical in operation. It can’t read an HD disc without having an infuriatingly long think about it, though, and hasn’t got a remote control than can be described as anything other than functional.
This Sharp isn't the best you can buy, but it's a highly respectable Blu-ray player that's realistically priced.