http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/02/14/sharps-5-aquos-hd-recorders-with-up-to-1tb-and-counting/

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20070214/sh2_02.jpg
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20070214/sh2_06.jpg

Not Sharp "USA" Try Japan:

Look for these starting February 20th in Japan.

And other thread here explaining why it won't be "USA"

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9776041#post9776041

Lol, no 5.1ch when downsampling to DVD, and of course the DVDs are recorded only in VR-mode so you cant play them back in anything except VRmode compatible equipment.
Yawn, these things are utterly worthless. Don't forget every single broadcast in Japan is copy protected so these are just DRM packed doorstops. I've never seen a usable timeshifting interface on a japanese HD recorder, so you can forget that as well.
Apparently they haven't figured equivalent of "season pass" either, so you'll be spending 5 minutes each day painfully re-entering shows into user-unfriendly schedule application.

Oh, I guess dumping to DRM'd blu-ray is a plus. Okay, at least they figured out how to do that.

No, you can't use USB 'for an external hard disk', really wish people stop spreading misinformation like this.

So yeah, not coming to U.S. ever, not practical for timeshifting, not practical for archiving (downsampled 5.1ch to 2ch for DVD, DRM'd recordings), only practical for blu-ray archiving for another $1000.

Lol, no 5.1ch when downsampling to DVD, and of course the DVDs are recorded only in VR-mode so you cant play them back in anything except VRmode compatible equipment.
Yawn, these things are utterly worthless. Don't forget every single broadcast in Japan is copy protected so these are just DRM packed doorstops. I've never seen a usable timeshifting interface on a japanese HD recorder, so you can forget that as well.
Apparently they haven't figured equivalent of "season pass" either, so you'll be spending 5 minutes each day painfully re-entering shows into user-unfriendly schedule application.

Oh, I guess dumping to DRM'd blu-ray is a plus. Okay, at least they figured out how to do that.

No, you can't use USB 'for an external hard disk', really wish people stop spreading misinformation like this.

So yeah, not coming to U.S. ever, not practical for timeshifting, not practical for archiving (downsampled 5.1ch to 2ch for DVD, DRM'd recordings), only practical for blu-ray archiving for another $1000.


[I]Nice review. You saw it here folks. Real time, and dead on.

But why is it that there does not seam to be a good 3rd party DRV affordable priced in any country? What would be your bare minumum requirements for a very good DVR???[I]
PLEASE VOTE