Sharp Aquos BD-HP50U Blu-ray Disc Player

The Sharp Aquos BD-HP50U ($290) may be the more expensive model in Sharp's Blu-ray Disc player lineup, but this model didn't impress us.

Pop a disc into the player, and you'll have to wait nearly three minutes before it starts playing. You can pass part of the time wondering who designed the ugly, white-on-black "READING THE DISC" message on your TV screen. The sluggishness doesn't go away when the movie starts. Skipping a chapter takes about five seconds. By comparison, most players do the same in less than two seconds -- and that three-second difference feels like an eternity.

Another issue: The BD-HP50U doesn't upconvert standard DVDs very well. Movies looked overly contrasty and disappointing overall. The BD-HP50U performed better with Blu-ray Discs; judges' grades for the Blu-ray tests were mostly Goods and Very Goods, with a few Fairs and Superbs.

You'd expect a player in this price range to have plenty of extras, but you'd be disappointed. It has no Ethernet port, and therefore no BD-Live (though it does support picture-in-picture Bonus View content). The Sharp Aquos BD-HP50U costs 1.5 times the price of the Insignia NS-2BRDVD, but you don't gain anything that makes this model worth the premium bucks.