Sharp BD-HP20U

The Sharp BD-HP20U is a budget Blu-Ray player with a decent feature-set, arguably elevating it from from the "no frills" category. Standout features are its 1080p/24 fps playback, HDMI 1.3 output with support for Dobly TrueHD audio, and a QuickStart function which gets the player showing a movie in about 10 seconds (according to the manufacturer). Like all AQUOS products, it features AQUOS LINK protocol allowing you to control AQUOS branded TVs via HDMI on a single screen. The BD-HP20U also support standard DVD upscaling but reviews have suggested that its upscaling performance is little better than a standard DVD player.

Where to Buy

Sharp BD-HP20S
MSRP $499.99
Release date October, 2007
Brand Sharp
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Pros & Cons8
Reviews4
Details
Buy It1
Competitors4
Comments1
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Pros & Cons

ProSCORE
4 reviews
73
negative
mixed
positive
3 positive
0 mixed
1 negative

[i] How is the ProSCORE calculated?

show me!

Pros:
Do you agree?
•
Full HD - 1080p/24 fps
+2agreedisagree

•
Dolby TrueHD audio /w 7.1 support
+2agreedisagree

•
Easy firmware updating with USB port
+2agreedisagree

•
Extremely fast loading
+1agreedisagree

•
Budget pricing
0agreedisagree

Cons:
Do you agree?
•
Not profile 1.1
0agreedisagree

•
Poor standard DVD playback and upscaling
-1agreedisagree

•
Audio CD playback issues
-1agreedisagree


5 people added to this review by submitting or voting on pros and cons. Add your say!
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Details

Features

  • Full HD 1080p/24 fps video output
  • Profile 1.0
  • hdmi: 1 x HDMI 1.3 output /w audio and deep color support
  • audio: 1 x digital optical S/PDIF, 1 x digital coaxial
  • 7.1 Channel digital audio output over HDMI
  • Quick Start Mode: enjoy content quickly without delay
  • Designed to work with AQUOS display using the AQUOS LINK protocol through HDMI
  • Upscales standard DVDs
  • Does not include HDMI cable
  • Price: $499.99
  • Release date: September 21, 2007

This player was released before November 1st, 2007 and is not profile 1.1 compliant. No secondary video decoder chip is included inside the box meaning you will not be able to take advantage of Profile 1.1 features such as Picture-in-Picture. Blu-Ray discs that contain these special features will still play normally, you just won't be able to access the extras that fall under the 1.1 umbrella.

Updating the firmware is accomplished through loading the latest version (available from the Sharp website) onto a USB memory stick and following the instructions. No DVD/CD burning is required to update the firmware.

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This report was started July 6, 2007 at 12:16 pm by Omar
with the last edit occurring October 2, 2009 at 1:42 am by Michael Fishweicher
This page has been viewed 3386 times, with 50 edits by 8 contributors.
See the full report history »

Buy It

Sharp BD-HP20U

• Sharp Aquos BDHP20U 1080p Blu-Ray Disc Player

• BD-HP20U Blu-ray Player

UPC: 074000354791

EAN: 074000354791

MPN: BD-HP20U

Competitors

Sharp BD-HP20U is ranked 2nd among it's competitors.  See the top picks in Blu-Ray Players »
Panasonic DMP-BD30

Panasonic DMP-BD30

MSRP  $500.00    Released  December, 2007
Pros
  • Blu-ray Profile 1.1 compliant
  • Outputs DTS HD MA bitstream
  • 1080p/24fps support
  • Excellent Blu-ray picture quality
Cons
  • Doesn't support internal decoding of high-resolution audio
  • No ethernet connectivity for firmware upgrades
ProSCORE
4 reviews
64
Vote! (1 vote)
vote Sharp BD-HP20U 0% vs. vote Panasonic DMP-BD30 100%
Philips BDP7200/37

Philips BDP7200/37

MSRP  $400.00    Released  April, 2008
Pros
  • Decent value-priced Blu-ray player
  • Excellent video quality
  • Excellent audio quality
Cons
  • Extremely slow load times: over 60s from boot to movie
  • Sluggish reponse from remote control
  • Poor OSD; opaque, lacks detail
ProSCORE
1 review
50
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Sharp BD-HP20U   vs. vote Philips BDP7200/37  
Sony BDP-S300

Sony BDP-S300

MSRP  $499.00    Released  June, 2007
Pros
  • Slimmer profile than previous version
  • Half the price of previous version
  • Blu-Ray won the format war
Cons
  • Slow to load DVD
  • No BD 2.0
ProSCORE
3 reviews
71
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Sharp BD-HP20U   vs. vote Sony BDP-S300  
Samsung BD-P1400

Samsung BD-P1400

MSRP  $299.00    Released  September, 2007
Pros
  • Decent upconverting abilities
  • Picture quality that rivals more expensive players
  • Cheapest player available
Cons
  • Loading Time of BD Titles relatively slow
  • Has glitches that can cause stuttering in certain situations
  • Buyer beware! US version at latest firmware level (2.0) is incompatible with certain blu-ray movies: so far, Ghostbusters, Underworld 3, and T2 Skynet edition. No firmware fix committed to by Samsung - may never be supported.(search avsforum threads for more info). I personally tried Underworld and emailed support with no answer.
ProSCORE
6 reviews
58
Vote! (0 votes)
vote Sharp BD-HP20U   vs. vote Samsung BD-P1400  

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Comments

1.  avatar Michael Fishweicher said:

This player is a TOTAL P.O.S. And I'm totally never a complainer. Get this if you like aggravation.
Oct 02, 2009 8:23am
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Reviews

Sort by: Most helpful  •  Newest  •  Most positive

Omar

avatar
February 11, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
67
negative
mixed
positive
4 pros
2 cons

Pros

  • Full HD - 1080p/24 fps
  • Dolby TrueHD audio /w 7.1 support
  • Easy firmware updating with USB port
  • Extremely fast loading

Cons

  • Not profile 1.1
  • Audio CD playback issues

Competitors

Omar prefers Panasonic DMP-BD30 over Sharp BD-HP20U
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Trancebear

avatar
March 17, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
4 pros
0 cons
love itlove it
have ithave it

Pros

  • Full HD - 1080p/24 fps
  • Dolby TrueHD audio /w 7.1 support
  • Easy firmware updating with USB port
  • Extremely fast loading

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
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Erik

avatar
January 23, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
75
negative
mixed
positive
3 pros
1 con

Pros

  • Full HD - 1080p/24 fps
  • Dolby TrueHD audio /w 7.1 support
  • Budget pricing

Cons

  • Poor standard DVD playback and upscaling

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Michael Fishweicher

avatar
October 2, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
0
negative
mixed
positive
0 pros
1 con
have ithave it

Comments

"This player is a TOTAL P.O.S. And I'm totally never a complainer. Get this if you like aggravation. "
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

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This product is also known as:

BD, HP, 20, U, BDHP, HP20, 20U, BDHP20, HP20U, BDHP20U