Sharp to Launch Blu-ray Player with Quick Start Feature for under $500?

Sharp is quite a well-known manufacturer of various electronic devices, but its expertise in the DVD and Blu-ray players' field is rather limited, at least compared to other major manufacturers. This is why the rumor that the company might actually release a Blu-ray player came as quite a surprise, especially since the source of this rumor claims that the device will provide users with a Quick Start feature, quite a first for a next-generation player.

The source of this rumor is a post on the AreaDVD website from Germany, the author informing us that the future model from Sharp, dubbed BD-HP20S, will sport a standard set of features, at least as far as Blu-ray players go. Thus, it will have a 1080p output with 24 frames per second, and, as most other 2nd generation players, it will sport a HDMI 1.3 interface (and with it, support of bitstream lossless audio) and will provide support for Dolby TrueHD.

Beside the aforementioned connectivity options, the device will also incorporate YUV as well as optical and coaxial digital outputs and a 5.1 analog output. However, the device's most important selling point will definitely be its Quick Start feature, which allows users to enjoy their favorite movies in a matter of seconds, unlike in the case of most Blu-ray players currently available on the market. Moreover, the device will be quite affordable, since it will probably be priced at under $500.

Nevertheless, users shouldn't really get their hopes high regarding the moment when they'll actually be able to purchase one of these things. According to Melissa Perenson for PC World, who has managed to get in contact with one of Sharp's spokespersons, the new player will not hit the US and European markets any time soon, being for now a Japan exclusive. Which means that either the source got it all wrong, or this is just another one of those products which never reach the market in their original form, but rather as platforms for various other advanced models.

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