Steve May looks for substance behind the style of Sharp's first 3D spinner

Sharp updates its lineup with its first BD-Live capable player

The BDHP20H is powered up and blasting out 1080p in the time it takes most high-definition disc players to flash up a ‘Welcome’ message. Considering that this has been the biggest complaint with most HD disc spinners to date, Sharp could be onto something. Add that to some high-end Bluray disc features and a smooth mirrored finish, and the Sharp seems extremely desirable.

Sharp is a big name in Blu-ray. Not a lot of people know that. It's not because the company is a prolific maker of BD kit: rather, the company is a mass-producer of the blue-violet laser diodes vital for Blu-ray players