{"id":864,"date":"2009-03-21T09:42:27","date_gmt":"2009-03-21T12:42:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hifiplanet.com.br\/blog\/?p=864"},"modified":"2010-09-03T11:14:54","modified_gmt":"2010-09-03T14:14:54","slug":"blu-ray-sharp-bd-hp21h","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.hifiplanet.com.br\/blog\/blu-ray-sharp-bd-hp21h\/","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray Sharp BD-HP21H"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n\"Imagem\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pre\u00e7o: \u00a3 245<\/p>\n

Avalia\u00e7\u00e3o: * * *<\/p>\n

Competent Blu-ray player but one that never threatens to upset the key players<\/p>\n

For
\nDecent Blu-ray and DVD picture quality<\/p>\n

Against
\nDecent picture quality isn\u2019t enough in this company; low feature-count; sounds bright<\/p>\n

While the likes of Sony, Panasonic and Pioneer have been adding to the Blu-ray player population at quite a steady rate, it\u2019s fair to say that Sharp\u2019s players are yet to really make their mark in the UK market. And, with players like the BD-HP21 it\u2019s not difficult to see why.<\/p>\n

Its feature list is one of the weakest in this sector. It\u2019s only Profile 1.1 enabled, which means that you can\u2019t access BD-Live functionality available on some Blu-ray discs. There\u2019s no Ethernet port so carrying out future software updates could be tricky, although you are provided with a USB input.<\/p>\n

Strangely, the \u2019HP21 isn\u2019t able to playback MP3 or WMA-encoded discs. HDMI and component video outputs are all present and correct, however, and the player can handle native HD audio formats.<\/p>\n

The fact that it can only decode Dolby TrueHD internally is hardly unusual for an entry-level Blu-ray player, but it\u2019s worth noting that the Panasonic \u2019BD35 does all this and it\u2019s cheaper.<\/p>\n

The Sharp\u2019s fascia is covered in a gloss black coat that looks decent enough. The fascia is minimalist with only two buttons disturbing the smooth appearance. A small ring of neon blue on the front of the unit indicates you have a disc in the drawer, be it a Blu-ray, DVD or CD.<\/p>\n

Images are a plus-point
\nSpin a Blu-ray and the Sharp uncovers a decent amount of detail, and the player does a better job with blacks than the LG BD300. At least the caped crusader\u2019s outfit in The Dark Knight doesn\u2019t look like it has faded in the wash.<\/p>\n

On the whole, the image is stable with minimal judder. DVD playback is okay for the money, although it doesn\u2019t come close to matching the equivalent Sony and Panasonic machines, which are capable of delivering a cleaner, punchier picture, packed with detail.<\/p>\n

With movie soundtracks, the \u2019HP21H is a competent performer. Dynamically, there\u2019s a lot for the Sharp to shout about, but it can err on the bright side.<\/p>\n

The explosive nature of the Band of Brothers DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack combined with the Sharp\u2019s hardness is uncomfortable over a prolonged period.<\/p>\n

The Sharp looks nothing but mediocre in the company of cheaper, superior Blu-ray players. It\u2019s hardly a failure, but we\u2019d spend our hard-earned cash elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Tech Specs<\/p>\n

HD DVD
\nNo
\nBlu-ray
\nYes
\nDVD-Video
\nNo
\nDVD-A
\nNo
\nSACD
\nNo
\nCD
\nYes
\nMP3
\nNo
\nDivX
\nNo
\nDVD-R\/-RW
\nYes
\nDVD+R\/+RW
\nYes
\nDVD-RAM
\nNo
\nHDMI out
\n1
\nHDMI 1.3a
\nYes
\nDVI out
\n0
\nComponent out
\n1
\nRGB Scart out
\n0
\nS-Video out
\n0
\nComposite out
\n1
\nOptical digital out
\n1
\nCoaxial digital out
\n0
\nPhono audio out
\n1
\nFireWire out
\n0
\nMultichannel analogue out
\nNo
\nVideo scaling
\n1080p
\n24fps
\nYes
\nDolby Digital Plus decoding
\nYes
\nDTS HD decoding
\nNo
\nDolby TrueHD decoding
\nYes
\nDTS HD Master Audio decoding
\nNo
\nDolby decoding
\nYes
\nDTS Decoding
\nYes
\nPCM decoding
\nYes
\nDolby Digital Plus HDMI output
\nYes
\nDTS HD HDMI output
\nYes
\nDolby TrueHD HDMI output
\nYes
\nDTS HD Master Audio HDMI output
\nYes
\nPCM HDMI output
\nYes
\nDimensions (hwd, cm)
\n7x43x34<\/p>\n

Sharp BD-HP21U<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Imagem\"<\/p>\n

Publicado pela PC Advisor<\/p>\n

Avalia\u00e7\u00e3o: * * * <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Sharp BD-HP21U packs lots of metal – literally. It’s a large and heavy Blu-ray Disc player, so much so that you could mistake it for an old Laserdisc player.<\/p>\n

The Sharp BD-HP21U carries a moderate price, but that gets you only a Blu-ray player with hit-and-miss image quality.<\/p>\n

When you grab a disc off the shelf to play on the Sharp BD-HP21U, grab a book, as well. It takes an agonizing 2.5 minutes to load a typical Blu-ray disc – more than twice as long as any other player we’ve ever tested. On the other hand, once you have the disc playing, the player responds to the remote control as well as any.<\/p>\n

And what do you see during playback? Our Test Centre judges found extremes of good and bad in viewing our suite of test discs. On our tests of both The Phantom of the Opera and The Searchers in Blu-ray, we noted that the Sharp BD-HP21U wasn’t, well, sharp. The Phantom DVD didn’t look too good, either – one judge noted that its images appeared dull and flat. She also found the faces too red in The Searchers.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, the Sharp BD-HP21U did very well on our Mission: Impossible III and Good Night and Good Luck tests. The latter showed notably good contrast, according to one judge.<\/p>\n

Although we found the Sharp BD-HP21U easy to use, it does have some drawbacks that caught our attention. The small, programmable remote control fit comfortably in my hand, and the important buttons were all easy to get to (one of the advantages of a small remote). Unfortunately, though, the remote lacks a backlight.<\/p>\n

The on-screen setup menu is logically designed and displays useful explanations of the options. But the icons look low-resolution and kind of amateurish. The 48-page manual is reasonably well designed, but Sharp doesn’t put a PDF version on its website as other companies do.<\/p>\n

As you’d expect for its price, the Sharp BD-HP21U isn’t heavy on extra features. The player supports Blu-ray Profile 1.1 (which all players at this point must support, at minimum), but not the fancier features contained in Profile 2.0 (specifically, BD-Live for accessing supplemental content via the Internet). Notably, it natively supports Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, converting those high-end soundtracks to standard PCM for amplifiers that don’t support them.<\/p>\n

Specifications
\nBlu-ray, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, CD, Jpeg; HDMI, Component Video, Optical, S Video; Progressive scan; HDMI upscaling; Dolby Digital Plus; Dolby True HD; 5.1 channel audio outputs; remote control; 68x430x335mm<\/p>\n

Verdict
\nSharp’s second-generation Blu-ray Disc player just doesn’t impress. The Sharp BD-HP21U does the job without frills, and without oomph.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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