Sharp BDHP20X

Sharp's BDHP20X is a mid-range Blu-ray player, delivering a reasonable array of functionality, along with a nifty feature or two. Lacking support for a few of the higher-end audio codecs, the BDHP20X nevertheless delivers fully-fledged video performance, as well as a much-needed quick start option, and all for a very affordable price.

Blu-ray playback on the unit is excellent, thanks to its full 1080/24p support, allowing it to take full advantage of everything Blu-ray has to offer visually. We noticed very minimal lag times when skipping chapters, which is pleasing, and generally had no complaints while watching Blu-ray movies. The quick start feature allows the player to start from standby, with a disc in the drive, in approximately 10 seconds, which is a very useful feature. Most Blu-ray players have startup times of up to a minute, and can be slightly frustrating.

Sharp has also included full 1080p video upscaling on the player, which works well, helping to increase the resolution and image quality of DVD movies on larger screens. The upscaling worked well in our tests, and we didn't notice any undue noise or image flaws.

Audio functionality is fairly standard, lacking support for some of the less-common, newer surround sound formats found on higher-end players, but nevertheless quite impressive. Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD are both supported, however DTS HD is not. Although this shouldn't be a problem for anyone except for high-end audio enthusiasts, and we were consistently impressed with the audio performance of the player throughout our testing. Support for surround sound up to 7.1 is available through HDMI.

The design of the BDHP20X is a lot slimmer than most of the bulkier Blu-ray players we've seen, giving it much more of a DVD player style look. It has a black finish and LED display on the front, giving it an overall pleasing appearance. The rear panel houses connections, including HDMI and 5.1 analogue audio output.

Although it lacks high-end qualities such as a fully-fledged range of supported audio formats or a sturdy, reinforced design, the Sharp BDHP20X is nevertheless an impressive player. It delivers everything needed to experience Blu-ray, as well as a useful quick start feature and great value, making it a solid choice for those looking for an entry-level Blu-ray player.