12/9 Sharp Introduces first HD DVD Blu-ray disk

[Sean Mota]

source

Sharp Corp. said Thursday it will introduce on Dec. 9 a new Blu-ray disk recorder with a built-in hard drive and conventional DVD unit, which can record and play back high-definition pictures with the same resolution seen in digital broadcast images.
The BD-HD 100, to be priced at about 320,000 yen, features a built-in hard drive capable of recording 160 gigabytes of data, or approximately 19 hours of digital Hi-Vision broadcasts. The company plans to produce 3,000 units per month, according to Sharp.

The new product is equipped with what the company claims to be the world's first twin Blu-ray disk/DVD tray that enables digital dubbing in six directional combinations from and to the hard drive, Blu-ray disks and DVDs, including the ability to dub five DVDs onto a single Blu-ray disk, Sharp said.

Together with Sony Corp. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Sharp has been promoting the Blu-ray disk standard for next-generation DVD players.

The Blu-ray camp has been battling intensely against a consortium led by Toshiba Corp. and NEC Corp. that have produced another next-generation DVD format called HD DVD.

 

[Sean Mota]

From a different Source

Press Release: Sharp have announced the introduction into the Japanese market of a new Blu-ray Disc Recorder with Hard Drive/DVD. The new BD-HD100 can record and play back high-definition pictures to/from the built-in hard drive and Blu-ray Discs with exactly the same high resolution seen in digital Hi-Vision (HDTV) broadcast images.


The Sharp BD-HD100

The BD-HD100 features a built-in 160GB hard drive and can record approx. 19 hours of digital Hi-Vision broadcast programming received using the terrestrial/BS/CS110 digital tuner onto the hard drive with exactly the same high-definition image quality as the original Hi-Vision picture.

This unit can also record approximately three hours of HDTV programming onto 25 GB Blu-ray Discs, providing users with a number of ways to record digital broadcast programming depending on the content, including the convenience of recording onto the hard drive, and securely saving onto Blu-ray Discs.

In addition, the BD-HD100 is equipped with the world’s first Twin Blu-ray Disc/DVD Tray that enables digital dubbing in six directional combinations from and to the hard drive, Blu-ray Discs, and DVDs, including the ability to dub five 4.7 GB DVDs onto a single Blu-ray Disc.

This is also the world’s first Blu-ray Disc recorder to be equipped with an HDMI output jack, the next generation of digital interface, enabling users to enjoy full-digital high-definition video and high-fidelity audio with no signal deterioration by outputting digital broadcast content exactly as recorded to a compatible monitor for playback.

The BD-HD100 is being offered as a companion product to Sharp’s AQUOS LCD TV—an “AQUOS Hi-Vision recorder” — that will enable users to fully enjoy recording Hi-Vision programs.