AfterDawn: News

Sharp introduces HDTVs with Blu-ray built-in

Sharp has introduced two new LCD HDTVs to the North American market, each of which has built-in Blu-ray burners and a second slot for playback of CDs and DVDs.

Sharp Electronics Marketing Company of America president, Mike Troett added that the "32-inch set features 720p resolution and a 7,000:1 contrast ratio, while the 42-inch set has a 120Hz panel with 1080p resolution and 15,000:1 contrast ratio. The new AQUOS DX-series HDTVs are meant to appeal to people who want or need a clutter-free appearance, minimizing the amount of hardware, or want a clean-looking, wall-mount installation."



The Japanese models of the TVs, which were released in October, have built-in dual digital HD tuners which allow users to watch a program in HD while recording a second program to Blu-ray.

Sharp added that using H.264 encoding with high bitrate would allow for 21 hours of TV to be recorded to a dual layer BD-50.

Prices have not been announced but it is estimated the larger model will retail for $1899 USD.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 5 Dec 2008 22:06

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• 9 comments

• fgamer

  Um with that price, thanks but no thanks! I mean who actually spends the money on these overpriced TV's. You're better off buying another brand and waiting for Blu-Ray prices to drop and save money. Almost $2,000 is an insane amout of money for a hybrid TV.

  6.12.2008 17:30 #1

• lamchops1

  What happens when the BD player breaks when it is out of warranty ?
  

  USC Trojans Rule Forever !!!
  
  

  6.12.2008 19:36 #2

• emugamer

  That's actually a reasonable initial price point IMO. A small premium for less clutter. Novel idea and targeted to a specific type of consumer. Sharp is doing quite well with their LCD line and shouldn't worry about this idea not taking off. A 42" Aquos 85U goes for about $1,500 (slashed down to about $1,200 on Amazon). The way prices have been dropping on LCD's altogether, I can see the price of this TV going down another $300-$400 in the next 4- 6 months. Two years ago, a 40" LCD was going from anywhere between $1,500 and $1,800.
  
  In a year, if there is a wider range of screen size availability, I may consider one for the bedroom. After all, I only have 1 PS3.
  
  Quote:What happens when the BD player breaks when it is out of warranty ?Well, then you would obviously be screwed. Like when any device breaks out of warranty. Someone that paranoid should spend an extra $100 for a couple more a couple more years extended warranty. A friend of mine just paid Sony $150 to get his PS3 bluray drive fixed. It's always a risk.

  8.12.2008 12:22 #3

• vudoo

  Any expensive piece of electronics requires an extended warranty IMO. The idea of a Blue Ray recorder is awesome especially if you have FIOS or satellite TV.

  8.12.2008 15:31 #4

• emugamer

  Originally posted by vudoo: Any expensive piece of electronics requires an extended warranty IMO. The idea of a Blue Ray recorder is awesome especially if you have FIOS or satellite TV.True. I get at least 2 more years on anything over $1,000. I didn't get one for my PS3. Didn't feel like it was worth it. I hope it wasn't :P

  8.12.2008 15:38 #5

• bryston

  Originally posted by lamchops1: What happens when the BD player breaks when it is out of warranty ?
  I too would like to know.
  
  And exactly, just how expensive are extended warranties, and are they worth it ?
  
  
  Just my thoughts,
  
  
  Jo
  

  Life is Grand !
  
  

  8.12.2008 16:07 #6

• emugamer

  Quote:Originally posted by lamchops1: What happens when the BD player breaks when it is out of warranty ?
  I too would like to know.
  
  And exactly, just how expensive are extended warranties, and are they worth it ?
  
  
  Just my thoughts,
  
  
  JoTypical warranties past the 1-year factory warranty (taken from Newegg):
  
  1 year: $89.99
  2 year: $129.99
  4 year: $249.99

  8.12.2008 18:09 #7

• trainmstr

  statistically ... the extended warranties ARE NOT worth it ... how else could they sell them for less than 200 bucks ..when any damage to one of these tv's is catastrophic every time?
  
  Once in a while though ... it does pay.
  
  For instance ... the technology on plasma/lcd is rock solid. If something was going to go bad on them ... it goes bad quickly .. within the first 30 days of operation.
  
  Extended warranties hardly ever cover pixel burn (where one or 2 pixels burns out) and generally must be some large percentage of the screen effected before they will cover it. This rarely happens nowadays .. unless of course you buy some bullshit tv from walmart ...
  
  the only things that generally go bad on tv's ... the speakers ... and they are cheap ..and not worth buying an extended warranty over.

  31.12.2008 03:40 #8

• emugamer

  Originally posted by trainmstr: statistically ... the extended warranties ARE NOT worth it ... how else could they sell them for less than 200 bucks ..when any damage to one of these tv's is catastrophic every time?
  
  Once in a while though ... it does pay.
  
  For instance ... the technology on plasma/lcd is rock solid. If something was going to go bad on them ... it goes bad quickly .. within the first 30 days of operation.
  
  Extended warranties hardly ever cover pixel burn (where one or 2 pixels burns out) and generally must be some large percentage of the screen effected before they will cover it. This rarely happens nowadays .. unless of course you buy some bullshit tv from walmart ...
  
  the only things that generally go bad on tv's ... the speakers ... and they are cheap ..and not worth buying an extended warranty over.To each his own. It's an insurance policy. The Human body doesn't generally go bad in the first 30 years, but most think it unwise to go without health insurance. Because some people are just genetically f'd up and don't even know it. The once and a while when it does pay usually pays for a number of warranties. Speaking from own experience. I'd rather spend $100 on an item over $1,000 than pay what I have in the past for faulty electronics. They fact that they are sub-$200 is a good thing. It means that when something does go horribly wrong, there is enough money in the pot for it to be fixed.

  31.12.2008 08:03 #9