Sharp BDHP210U Single-disc black Blu-ray Disc player

Interactive Blu-ray

If you thought that the Full HD 1080p video and studio-quality surround sound offered by Blu-ray Disc were impressive, check this out: Using your pre-existing broadband internet connection, the BD-Live-enabled BD-HP210U from Sharp allows you to discover tons of online bonus features for select Blu-ray titles. Connect the BD-HP210U to the internet using the player's ethernet port, plug a flash-memory device into the USB port for download and buffering, and suddenly you're immersed in the BD-Live experience. Watch deleted scenes. Watch movie shorts. Preview movie trailers. Jump into online gaming. Chat with other BD-Live users. You can even download ringtones. Unlike any other home theater experience: BD-Live.

Blu-ray . . . in 10

Most Blu-ray Disc players have slow start-up times that leave you twiddling your thumbs in anticipation of the main feature. Sharp's BD-HP210U, on the other hand, sports a proprietary Sharp technology that lets you begin viewing your favorite high definition Blu-ray video in as little as 10 seconds. You've got time to dash to the kitchen for more popcorn salt before the movie begins, but that's about all.

Et tu, Blu-ray?

Not long ago, during the days of the Standard Definition empire, DVD ruled far and wide. But now a revolution has taken place — the High Definition revolution&ensp— and there's a new emperor in town. By simply using a narrow blue-violet laser to read and encode information onto an optical disc, Blu-ray Disc is able to offer over five times the storage capacity of DVD, which uses a wider, red laser. This greatly increased storage capacity makes it possible for Blu-ray Disc to store both full high definition 1080p video and 7.1-channel, lossless HD audio for a complete high definition home theater experience. Further, there's still storage space left over for a wide range of bonus features available only on Blu-ray Disc. Think enhanced commentary and picture-in-picture viewing. And thanks to a HDMI v1.3 output, you can inaugurate — we mean, integrate — the BD-HP210U into your HD home theater using a single cable for both the HD video and the HD audio.

Hold on just a second! HD audio?!

You heard us right: HD video isn't alone . . . audio comes in HD, too. Sure, DVDs offered surround sound audio, but because of the limited capacities of the DVD format, that surround sound was restricted to 5.1 channels of compressed audio. That is, the audio is limited to minimal surround sound whose dynamic high and low frequencies had been removed to fit the data onto the DVD disc. Blu-ray Disc, on the other hand . . . well, let's just say Blu-ray doesn't cut any corners. The expanded storage capacity offered by Blu-ray media provides plenty of room for 7.1-channels of lossless (uncompressed) surround sound audio. In simpler terms, Blu-ray movies offer the full, un-altered, studio-quality audio that the director intended for you to hear. And ensuring that you are equipped to take full advantage of the HD audio available on your favorite Blu-ray titles, the BD-HP210U from Sharp features integrated Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD Master Audio decoding. These technologies convert the encoded HD audio signal into a format that can be sent to your multi-channel home theater speaker system. With Sharp's BD-HP210U, you're ready for the full Blu-ray experience.

Not just DVD

Just because Blu-ray Disc is the new kid on the block, that doesn't mean you have to abandon your DVD collection to a suitcase stored under your bed. With built-in DVD upscaling, the BDHP210U automatically enhances the resolution of your favorite DVDs to 1080p via HDMI . . . great for viewing on your HDTV. Discover new life in your DVD collection.

The advanced connectivity of HDMI

Bringing you the absolute best in connectivity, Sharp's BD-HP210U features one HDMI output. HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is the only interface in consumer electronics that can carry both uncompressed high-definition (HD) video and uncompressed multi-channel audio in all HD formats including 720p, 1080i and even 1080p. Your incoming media content comes in a variety of sizes, resolutions and formats, and with that in mind, HDMI systems automatically configure to display that content in the most effective format. Since HDMI carries all channels on video and audio, there is only one cable to plug into any HDMI-enabled source and display device. No more complicated cable set-up when installing your home theater system, and no more ugly cable mess behind your components. HDMI supports standard, enhanced, or high-definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio on this single cable. Also, HDMI is fully backward-compatible with DVI. (Please note that a physical adapter, sold separately, is needed to make the conversion from HDMI to DVI.)

Your HD lifeline

High Definition Multimedia Interface, or HDMI, is the only home A/V connection that allows for both Full HD 1080p video and 7.1-channel studio-quality audio to be passes along a single cable. In other words, in order to take full advantage of your home theaterâ€™s high definition potential, you need to HDMI cabling to link HD-capable components. Itâ€™s only natural that you might have questions regarding how best to outfit your personal HD system. Vannâ€™s sales representatives are here to explain all of your options. Call the 800 number at the top of this page for expert advice.