It also means the quality of your picture is dependent upon the Blu-Ray built into the TV though, which, like all integrated devices, can’t exactly be changed easily should an even better version of the technology emerge.

An interesting idea, and ideal for the lazy person who just wants to buy a TV and Blu-Ray unit without focusing on the details, but not one, I suspect, for the hardened HDTV nut.

[Source: Engadget]

The company has just announced its latest range of Sharp Aquos LCD TVs, each of which comes with a built-in Blu-Ray recorder. The Sharp Aquos DX series is a range of 16 new LCD TVs from the company that let you play Blu-Ray discs, record your programmes onto the built-in Blu-Ray recorder, and even watch and record at the same time.

All the LCD TVs provide a smooth picture using Sharp’s Kameyama LCD panel, and the sizes range from 26 inches to 52 inches. The only downside is the contrast ratio, which, at 2,000:1, is a little weedy compared to other top-range TVs (although Sharp is one of the leaders in TV screen technology, so its screen might compensate for a relatively low contrast ratio with sophisticated algorithms and what the industry-insiders call “gubbins”!)

You get the usual array of incomprehensible acronyms with these TVs, ensuring you’re well up to speed with the latest state of the art in TV technology, but it’s the built-in Blu-Ray player that’s the big differentiating feature for these TVs.

This time last year, people were still undecided about whether to buy a dedicated Blu-Ray player, as the battle between Blue-Ray and HD-DVD was still being hard fought. The idea of integrating a Blu-Ray player into an expensive TV (the top of the line 52″ version of the Sharp Aquos DV TVs willl cost 3,200 Euros) would have seemed madness, when the format war was still being fought.

In little over a year’s time, the war has not only been won by Blu-Ray, but with companies such as Sharp confident enough to integrate it into their TVs, it seems destined to become the new de facto standard for High Def video for years to come.

[Source: Akihabara News]

It also comes with an LED backlight to give a brightness of 450cd/m2, which apparently means something to some people!

In addition, Sharp have also announced their new AQUOS.jp Video On Demand service, which lets you watch video streamed form the Internet, as well as browse the Web and read the newspaper.

Eh? Yup, AQUOS.jp will let you read an online magazine that’s exactly the same as its paper version.

Note entirely sure why you’d want to do this when the same content is usually available on the Web anyway (and better formatted than a scanned magazine, no matter how good the scanning technology used!), but you can’t have too much choice(can you?!)

[Source: Akihabara News]

There will be three television commercials; two of them have the tagline: “Change your TV, Change your Life”. The other commercial will focus on the greener side of things, again with a tagline which claims a lot: “Change Your Power, Change Your Planet”. This however may not change the planet for the better, the commercials will be focusing on LCD screens which, as we posted last week, use a gas in production that is 17,000 times more harmful than CO2. For some reason they don’t mention this… instead they big up the energy saving you will get from LCD screens. The upside to the “Change Your Planet” campaign is that solar power will also make an appearance, which until proven otherwise is good for our planet.

Alongside the TV commercials they are launching a micro-site: lifechangingbox.com and a supporting Facebook game. The game involves a box which you steal from your friends, and then other people can steal it from you. The idea is to be in possession of the box when it opens so you win the prize inside it.

It is interesting how green has become the new black, it would seem that if you aren’t appearing to save the world, you will be put in the corner with a dunces hat on. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for being environmentally friendly and I actively try and do as much as I can, but with it becoming a marketing ploy, are the “right” things being done or are they only doing things that will make the most noise in the market place? Turns out this actually has a name: Greenwash. LCD screens are a prime example of this; they seemed good on the face of it but it turns out they are actually harmful. They have become so popular, in part, because “energy saving” is easy to market.

[Source: Sharp USA]

Apparently, VHS is an old analogue tape format for recording TV programmes in the days before digital, and Sharp feel that there’s still enough life left in the format to warrant the release of a new media recorder supporting the technology.

Of course, simply releasing a video recorder wouldn’t be enough on its own, as that really is yesterday’s technology. But releasing a video recorder in a unit that also includes a DVD player and internal 250GB HDD means that the Sharp Aquos DV-ACV52 really can lay claim to being a complete media recorder as it’ll record and play your TV programs in nearly all of today’s (and yesterday’s) formats.

It even comes with HDMI and a digital TV tuner, too, so you can boast to your friends that you have the very latest and the very oldest technology, all in one box.

Furthermore, the Aquos DV-ACV52 isn’t like your dad’s old VHS recorder. From off to on takes just 0.8 seconds, for example, while attaching the DV-ACV52 to a Sharp Aquos TV will let you record two digital channels simultaneously (one on video, the other onto the 250GB HDD).

Makes you almost nostalgic for the good old days of video doesn’t it? Actually, with the thought of chewed up tapes, the limited life span of a video tape, and constantly having to find space on the tape, or else overwrite what you’d already taped – no, video was a technology long past its prime! The DV-ACV52, therefore, may represent the very last generation of VHS video recorder, so get one for its potential as a future museum exhibit, if nothing else!

The Sharp Aquos DV-ACV52 release date is May 21st 2007, priced at an eye-watering $925.

[Source: Akihabara News]

The HN-IR1 is a nifty device that can display your pics at a resolution of 1,920 x 1080, and even downscale the resolution if it’s not plugged into an HDTV. Transfer speed is a nippy 4Mbps, which although being no match for Wi-Fi, is still fast enough for transferring camera-phone images.

If you want to export your pics more permanently, you can hook the HN-IR1 up to a DVD recorder and burn your pics directly onto DVD, which is a nice option.

Of course, there always downsides, and the HN-IR1 has one or two. Firstly, if you’re going to use it to show off your pics to your mates, then you either have to hope they’ve got one plugged into their TV, or else invite them round to your house. Secondly, it’s currently only compatible with Japanese phones (including most of NTT DoCoMo’s current range). And thirdly, it’s currently only available in Japan. Bummer!

Still, it’s cheaper than buying one of Sharp’s AQUOS media recorders, which do much the same thing (and an awful lot more), but for a much heftier price tag.

[Source: Akihabara News, Engadget]

More details and pictures of Sharp’s new AQUOS media recorders after the jump.

You might think that 1TB is overkill for recording TV programmes, but not when you’re recording HD programmes. HD, by its very nature, requires a huge amount of data for all that detail, you obviously need a huge amount of storage if you’re going to be recording HD TV. With 1TB on tap, the DV-AC60 can store up to 127 hours of HD TV, which should be more than enough.

As well as the DV-AC60, Sharp also announced the DV-ACW55, with only 500GB of storage; the DV-ACW52, with 250GB; and DV-AC55 and DV-AC52, which come with 500Gb and 250GB respectively, b ut only one TV tuner.

Sharp’s new media recorders apparently provide stunning results, which is what you want if you’re recording HD TV, but it’s the IrSS system that intrigues me. No indication how many devices are compatible with it, but if it works with any standard InfraRed device, then any phone or Infra-Red-equipped camera should do.

Simply point the device at the media recorder, select your picture and press ‘Send’, and the picture will be beamed directly onto your TV via the media recorder. You can even record the pictures directly onto the media recorder’s hard disk or burn it onto DVD.

This is a great way of viewing your pics, and much easier than the current fiddly way that involves all manner of wires or even conversion via your PC. Showing off your pics to your mates or family can be a royal pain at the moment, as it relies on your camera or phone being able to connect to their TV, which must have the appropriate ports, and which are usually tucked away at the back of the TV.

Let’s hope this technology catches on and other manufacturers follow suit soon.

Just for good measure, the Sharp media recorders also offer DMI, Japanese D4, S-Video, composite video outputs, 2x analog, 1x optical, and 1x coaxial audio outputs, USB ports and Firewire ports.

The Sharp DV-AC60 is expected to retail for 1,270 Euros, with the other media players retailing for correspondingly less.

[Source: Akihabara News]