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May 19, 2008

Sharp to Introduce Three New AQUOS Blu-ray Disc Recorders

Support for 5X Extended Full-HD Video Recording Time, the Industry's Longest*1
AQUOS Pure Mode Showcases AQUOS Image Quality

Press Release

Sharp Corporation will introduce three new AQUOS Blu-ray Disc Recorders which support 5X extended video recording times, the longest in the industry, while retaining exactly the same full high-definition image quality as originally broadcast. They also feature AQUOS Pure Mode, which showcases the superb image quality of AQUOS LCD TVs. These new models will be available in the Japanese market starting on July 1, 2008.

Demand for Blu-ray Disc (BD) recorders is increasing rapidly, reflecting the penetration of full-HD 1080p LCD TVs, the higher image quality of available video content, particularly terrestrial digital TV broadcasts, and the proliferation of pre-recorded video titles available on Blu-ray Disc.

These new models have adopted a high-efficiency video compression format, the H.264/AVC (Advanced Video Coding) standard of the MPEG-4 suite, to enable 5X extended HD video recording (5X Mode), the industry's longest, while retaining exactly the same full high-definition image quality as the original HD broadcast. Plus, in 2X Mode and 3X Mode, these units have Full-Capture Extended HD Recording, a new function that allows extended HD recording while keeping intact the program data links embedded in the original video*2, an industry first, and also allows recording without converting the audio surround-sound data. This feature enables viewers to enjoy playback of broadcast content exactly as originally broadcast.

In addition, these models feature AQUOS Pure Mode for video output, which showcases the full measure of performance available from the AQUOS LCD panel: viewers get life-like playback of recorded HD programs and pre-recorded BD titles.

These models also feature an environmentally friendly Eco-Mode, which functions like the main power button of a TV set. When Eco-Mode is ON, the unit enters a low-power standby mode (Eco-Mode) in which only time-shift recording is enabled. This feature can reduce standby power consumption by about 70% compared to Sharp's previous models*3.


Product name Blu-ray Disc Recorder
Nickname AQUOS Blu-ray
Model BD-HDW30 BD-HDW25 BD-HDW22
Tuners  Terrestrial/BS/CS110° digital x 2
Terrestrial analog x 1
Hard drive capacity 1 TB (1000 GB) 500 GB 250 GB
Suggested retail price Open
Date of introduction in Japan July 1, 2008
Initial monthly production 30,000 units (combined total for the series)

Major Features
1. Support for 5X extended video recording times, the longest in the industry, while retaining exactly the same high-definition image quality as originally broadcast.
2. AQUOS Pure Mode, which showcases the full measure of performance offered by the AQUOS LCD panel.
3. New environmentally friendly Eco-Mode function.

*1 As of May 19, 2008 for Blu-ray Disc recorders. 5X mode (approx. 4.8 Mbps) allows the user to record for five times as long as DR mode, which records high-definition BS/110°CS digital broadcasts onto hard disc or Blu-ray Disc with exactly the same quality as the original broadcast.
*2 Except when using 5X Mode. While audio surround-sound data can be retained and recorded without conversion, program link data cannot be recorded in 5X Mode.
*3 Compared to Sharp's previous models, the BD-HDW20 and BD-HDW15.

Specifications
Model name BD-HDW30 BD-HDW25 BD-HDW22
Hard drive capacity*4 1 TB (1000 GB) 500 GB 250 GB
Recordable discs*5 BD-RE Ver. 2.1 (single layer/dual layer), BD-R Ver. 1.1/1.2/LTH (single layer/dual layer), DVD-RW/-R (CPRM compatible), DVD-R DL (CPRM compatible)
Playable discs BD video, BD-RE Ver. 2.1 (single layer/dual layer), BD-R Ver. 1.1/1.2/LTH (single layer/dual layer), DVD-RW/-R, DVD video, standard audio CDs, CD-RW/-R (audio CD format), DVD-RAM*6, DVD+RW/+R (video format finalized)
Recording compression method (hard drive) Video: MPEG2, MPEG-4 AVC/H.264
Audio: MPEG2 AAC, MPEG1-L2
Recording compression method (BD-RE/-R) Video: MPEG2, MPEG-4 AVC/H.264
Audio: MPEG2 AAC, MPEG1-L2
Recording compression method (DVD-RW/-R) Video: MPEG2
Audio: Dolby Digital (2-channel), linear PCM (2-channel)
Approx. recording time*7 (hard drive) H.264 extended recording (5X Mode) 450 hours 220 hours 110 hours
Terrestrial digital broadcast high-definition recording (DR) 127 hours 63 hours 31 hours
BS digital broadcast high-definition recording (DR) 90 hours 44 hours 22 hours
Standard TV quality SXP: 146 hours 73 hours 36 hours
XP: 194 hours 96 hours 48 hours
SP: 350 hours 174 hours 87 hours
LP: 701 hours 348 hours 174 hours
EP: 1316 hours 653 hours 326 hours
MN01: 1403 hours 696 hours 348 hours
Manual MN68 (equivalent to SXP) ~ selectable from 20 steps of MN01
Approx. BD recording time*7 (25 GB) H.264 extended recording (5X Mode) 10 hours and 50 minutes
Terrestrial digital broadcast high-definition recording (DR) 3 hours
BS digital broadcast high-definition recording (DR) 2 hours and 10 minutes
Digital broadcast high-definition recording (DR) 4 hours and 20 minutes
Approx. BD recording time*7 (50 GB) H.264 extended recording (5X Mode) 21 hours and 40 minutes
Terrestrial digital broadcast high-definition recording (DR) 6 hours
BS digital broadcast high-definition recording (DR) 4 hours and 20 minutes
Digital broadcast high-definition recording (DR) 8 hours and 40 minutes
Approx. DVD recording time*7 (4.7 GB) BR format 1~8 hours (XP, SP, LP, EP, MN65~MN01)
Video format 1~8 hours (XP, SP, LP, EP, MN65~MN01)
Dubbing speed (HDTV) Hard drive to BD: Max. 20 times speed*8
Video digital-to-analog converter 12-bit/148.5 MHz
Jacks Input Video: 2
S-Video: 2
Audio: 2
Photo input: 1 (USB compatible; meets mass storage class standards)
Antenna: Terrestrial digital/analog: 1; BS/CS110° digital: 1
Output Video: 1
S-Video: 1
D video: 1 (D1/D2/D3)
HDMI: 1
Audio: 2
Digital audio: Optical: 1; coaxial: 1
Antenna: Terrestrial digital/analog: 1; BS/CS110° digital: 1
Input/output i.LINK (HDV input/TS): 2
LAN: 1 (Ethernet 100Base-TX/10Base-T)
Phone line: 1 (modem speed: 56 Kbps)
External dimensions (W x D x H) 434 x 343 x 68 mm (not including protruding parts)
Weight Approx. 5.4 kg Approx. 5.3 kg Approx. 5.2 kg
Power supply 100 V AC, 50/60 Hz
Power consumption (Standby power consumption) 48 W (1.0 W*) 44 W (0.9 W*) 43 W (0.9 W*)
*Note: With power to BS/110°CS digital antenna OFF, main unit clock display OFF, and QuickStart feature OFF.

*4 1TB = 1000 GB. Hard drive capacity is calculated as 1GB = 1 billion bytes.
*5 TV programs cannot be recorded directly onto Blu-ray Discs or DVD. They must first be recorded onto the hard drive and then dubbed (moved) to a Blu-ray Disc or DVD.
*6 When using a DVD-RAM disk, the playback disk must be removed from the cartridge.
*7 All recording times are rough estimates. There may be instances in which these recording times do not match the actual recording time or the remaining time display shown on the screen.
*8 Based on the shortest dubbing time when dubbing a 1-hour terrestrial digital TV program recorded using 5X Mode on the hard drive to a BD-RE Ver. 2.1/2X (25 GB) or BD-R Ver. 1.1/2X (25 GB) disc. Programs cannot be dubbed from Blu-ray Discs to the hard drive.

ˇ Blu-ray Disc and the Blu-ray Disc logo are trademarks.
ˇ i.LINK is a trademark.
ˇ HDMI, the HDMI logo, and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC.
ˇ Java and all other Java trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.




The following information is true and accurate at the time of publication. Manufacture, sale, price and specifications of products may be subjected to change.


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