Sharp's new Aquos players mash Blu-ray and 1TB DVR together in unhappy marriage

The popular DVR / DVD combo trend continues with Sharp's new, just-released Aquos players. The three new combo machines -- updates from last fall's models -- pack Blu-Ray playback with DVRs of various sizes ranging from the 250GB BD-HDW22, to the 500GB BD-HDW25, to the 1TB BD-HDW30 big daddy of TV-recording doom. The Blu-Ray section looks pretty standard, but the DVR records in MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 at three different bitrates - 4.8, 8, and 12Mbps. If you're thinking these will record from BD to HDD or the other way around, think again. The movie studios will have none of that.

[anthony @ May 19th 2008 9:30AM]

gross.

[LiqwidZero @ May 19th 2008 9:38AM]

Don't worry about the studios, I'm sure a lot of people won't want to afford this contraption.

[jak0b @ May 19th 2008 9:42AM]

but what about when Sony releases their blu-ray to psp thingy? couldn't other companies do the same? just to HDD instead?

[LiqwidZero @ May 19th 2008 10:01AM]

All Sony needs to do is equip DVR functionalities in one of their future updates for the PS3 and that'll be the only Blu-ray DVR you'll need.

[Xee @ May 19th 2008 10:35AM]

@LiqwidZero:

Not really. There's the small matter about needing a digital tuner to turn the PS3 into a DVR.

[Chris Macdonald @ May 19th 2008 9:45AM]

wait.. couldn't you just plug the blu ray output into the dvr input and press record? cause wouldn't that all be analog, so no drm? someone explain please.

[Hooterman @ May 19th 2008 9:47AM]

you sure could, plus you'd have the added benefit of it looking like crap!

[Pochi @ May 19th 2008 9:58AM]

Yeah, it would kind of defeat the purpose of Blu-ray altogether if you did that. May as well fire it up off of a VHS.

[Billy Gun @ May 19th 2008 12:21PM]

I don't think so.. I think that blu-ray have some kind of macrovision protection... DRM.. mabe AACS or BD+

[Joe @ May 19th 2008 10:01AM]

I'm not a fan of linux for a lot of things, but I do believe that it will be the first platform that allows us to transfer video off blu-ray easily. It will be a long time before Sony officially allows it.

[Brian @ May 19th 2008 10:14AM]

www.ireallysuckatphotoshop.com/colorcorrection

[THJ @ May 19th 2008 11:17AM]

Link is 404.

[Brian @ May 19th 2008 11:23AM]

Sorry, it was a joke....

[CyborgSix @ May 19th 2008 12:37PM]

In the unlikely event that this thing will be affordable, will it be CableCard ready and able to replace the woefully small (in hard drive space)Bresnan DVR.

[Mark @ May 19th 2008 1:03PM]

Make a Blu-ray player that can store content in h.264 on the hard drive, but you can't rip a blu-ra movie onto it, even though they are h.264 anyways?

This won't be worth it. Get the IstarHD or Popcorn hour..then you have everything..

[yuri @ May 20th 2008 2:30AM]

http://www.tvix.co.kr/Eng/products/HDM6500A.aspx

better than not think the tvix

[Matt @ May 20th 2008 2:59AM]

Oops,

I hope this is true


http://www.slashgear.com/playtv-ps3-dvr-gets-e99-tag-and-september-release-0911546.php

[Matt360 @ May 20th 2008 3:01AM]

All Sony needs to do is equip DVR functionalities in one of their future updates for the PS3 and that'll be the only Blu-ray DVR you'll need.

Its called play tv, for the ps3, demo on you tube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJQSAxqGCTU