We checked out Sharp's new Aquos BD series of LCD HDTVs at CES 2009, sporting a built-in Blu-ray player. A few other special Blu-ray solutions were also on display.
Sharp LCD HDTVs with Blu-ray built in
 There was certainly a market for integrated DVD / TV combos, so Sharp's new Aquos BD series with a side-loading Blu-ray player built-in makes perfect sense. The new TV family will be available in a range of sizes, from 32-inches all the way up to the Sharp Aquos LC-52BD80U, a 52-inch set at the top of the range. The integrated player can also handle DVDs and CDs, but it's the Blu-ray most buyers will find appealing, and for better HD picture quality, Sharp uses a Frame Rate Conversion technique for what they claim is a 120Hz refresh rate. Of note, Sharp talked extensively about the Aquos BD series' inputs, which seems extraneous considering the built-in player, but didn't mention any Internet connectivity, which is not only a popular feature on today's high-end HDTVs, but is also necessary for the full BD Live features that Blu-ray supports. The smaller Sharp Aquos BD series sets will be available in January, and the 46- and 52-inch sets will hit the market in February.
The World's Thinnest Blu-ray Player
 We'd been missing Samsung's "World's Thinnest" claims for a while now, as the company used to brag to no end about its svelte mobile phones. At CES 2009, Samsung unveiled the world's thinnest Blu-ray player, the Samsung BD-P4600. It's a wall-mountable Blu-ray player, and it comes in at a slight 1.5-inches thin. With its black and ruby highlights, the Samsung BD-P4600 should fit in nicely with a Samsung Touch of Color splurge. In fact, the Blu-ray player can communicate intelligently with Samsung's newest TVs, and it uses an auto-adjusting feature to optimize the look of the television to match the quality of the Blu-ray player.
The Samsung BD-P4600 will also use a Wi-Fi dongle to access the internet. As is the craze in Blu-ray these days, the Samsung BD-P4600 will be able to stream content from the internet, including movies from Netflix and music from Pandora. The slim player uses touch-sensitive controls on its face. Pricing and availability have yet to be determined.
Blu-ray home theater in a box
 If you needed more proof that Blu-ray is going mainstream, its sudden appearance in these popular home theater in a box (HTIB) packages is a sure sign. The Panasonic SC-BT300 home theater system features a Blu-ray player with all the trimmings, and by that we mean especially BD Live support for online access and special online features. The receiver drives the 7.1 channel setup with an impressive 1250 watts of power, and the rear speakers are even wireless, which will surely spare you a bit of hassle. The Panasonic SC-BT300 system will also play nice with Viera television sets through a special link that the Panasonic family devices share. The package will go on sale in March.
Blu-ray Home Theater Sound Bar
 The Samsung HT-BD8200, just released at CES 2009, is a nearly-all-in-one home theater solution with a built-in Blu-ray player. A wireless subwoofer can be hidden anywhere in a room without worrying about the accompanying tangle. Samsung promises that the HT-BD8200 sound bar will be able to provide a virtual 5.1 surround sound experience in smaller rooms. The device is quite thin, at only 2.6-inches deep. If the volume suddenly becomes too loud, the Samsung HT-BD8200 will use "Smart Volume" technology to keep the sound at a nice, even keel. The device will also be able to read media files from portable devices, which can be plugged into the unit's USB ports or connected via Bluetooth.
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