Sharp Announces Tuner-less Blu-ray Recorder

By Geoff Duncan
February 15, 2007

Sharp aims to undercut the prices on expensive Blu-ray recorders by leaving out the tuner and piggybacking on tuners built into owners' televisions.

The ever-enterprising Sharp Corporation is aiming to undercut the market for Blu-ray next-generation DVD recorders. How? Reducing its costs by producing a Blu-ray recorder without a built-in television tuner.

Sharp is characterizing its BD-HP1 (Japanese) as a Blu-ray "player that can record," designed to meet lightweight, occasional recording needs of everyday television users rather than the high-volume, sophisticated needs of video enthusiasts and home theater buffs. To record television programing, the BD-HP1 is designed to connect to Sharp's Aquos LCD televisions via an iLink/IEEE1394 connection and utilize the tuner built into the television. Sharp's Aquos TVs can power on their tuners without turning on the entire set, so there's no need to have a giant LCD display illuminating the neighborhood during recording.

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